Congresswoman Bush Statement on Paid Sick Leave for Railroad Workers
Washington, D.C. (Nov. 30, 2022) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released the following statement in support of codifying minimum levels of paid sick leave for railroad workers.
“Every worker deserves paid sick leave. I am proud of our efforts to negotiate a deal that guarantees seven days of paid sick leave for our rail workers. Health care is a human right, and to deny workers time to recover from an illness or opportunities to seek care through a medical visit is not only unjust, it is inhumane and unsafe. I am proud - always - to stand in solidarity with rail workers in St. Louis and across our country. We will continue to lift up and champion our unions, and I thank my progressive colleagues and House and Senate leadership, including especially Senator Bernie Sanders, for working to move forward a strong, union-backed provision that provides at least some of the guaranteed paid leave our rail workers both need and deserve. I now urge all my colleagues to stand by workers and vote yes for paid sick leave.”
The statement comes as the lawmakers called for amended language to ensure rail workers from the 12 major railroad unions receive at least seven days of paid sick leave, bringing them into line with other federal contractors. At present, rail workers have no guaranteed sick days. The gravity of the problem was highlighted in September when a rail worker tragically died while operating a train after he had skipped medical appointments for fear of punishment by the company he worked for.
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