Despite the support of six GOP Senators, the Senate rejected an amendment to include seven days of paid sick leave to the rail union agreement by a vote of 52-43, failing to overcome the60-vote threshold for adopting the measure. Republican Senators that voted for the measure include: Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Ahead of the U.S. Senate vote, the Association urged support for the bipartisan H.J. Res.100 to avert a rail strike and implement the Tentative Agreement that was negotiated between the major freight railroads and 12 labor unions.
The Association’s letter to Leaders Schumer and McConnell stated, “It would be inappropriate for Congress to amend the September 15 Tentative Agreement brokered by the Biden administration, which was agreed to by 8 of 12 unions representing a majority of railroad workers.” In addition, we noted that amending the Tentative Agreement in the current stage “sets a negative precedent, undermines years of collective bargaining history, and would increase the risk of future strikes by rewarding the tactics of a minority of hold-out unions.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.J. Res. 100 earlier this week on a 290-137 bipartisan vote. The House separately voted 221-207 to pass a related bill, H.Con.Res.119 that would revise the original Tentative Agreement deal to add seven days of paid sick leave to the contract, one of the main sticking points between unions and companies.
Subsequently, the Senate passed H.J. Res. 100, without approving the amendment to include paid sick leave. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), was the only Senate Democrat to vote against the amendment. The measure will now go to President Biden’s desk, where he is expected to sign into law quickly.
Outlook: The six Republican Senators’ support for paid sick leave signals a potential interest to negotiate on the issue. It is plausible that Senate Majority Leader Schumer could pursue a broader paid leave bill in the 118th Congress.
