Senate Votes To Avert Rail Strike—But Denies Railroad Workers’ Request For 7 Paid Sick Days

TOPLINE The Senate approved a new contract between railroad companies and labor unions on Thursday in a last-minute vote, ahead of a December 9 deadline that could trigger a nationwide railroad strike and severely hamstring the economy—but Senators rejected the unions’ demands for paid sick leave.

KEY FACTS The Senate voted 80-15 in favor of an agreement, which was brokered by the Biden Administration in September and includes a 24% raise through 2024.

In a separate 52-43 vote, the Senate rejected seven days of paid sick leave for rail workers, who have complained that current policies keep them on call for days or weeks at a time and penalize those who call out sick.