["What were seeing is an inhumane deal being pushed onto workers
even after a majority voted it down," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman ]
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PROGRESSIVES IN CONGRESS BEGIN TO PUSH BACK AGAINST BIDEN BETRAYAL OF
RAIL WORKERS  
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Jake Johnson
November 29, 2022
Common Dreams
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_ "What we're seeing is an inhumane deal being pushed onto workers
even after a majority voted it down," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman _

President Joe Biden meets with congressional leaders to discuss 2022
legislative priorities at the White House on November 29, 2022 in
Washington, D.C. , Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

 

AFTER A PERIOD OF silence, progressive members of Congress began to
push back Tuesday as President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders moved
ahead with plans to approve legislation that would prevent a
nationwide rail strike by forcing workers to accept a contract deal
without any paid sick days.

The president's endorsement of congressional action—and House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) subsequent vow
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to the floor—sparked a furious response from rank-and-file rail
union members, a majority of whom
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voted to reject the White House-brokered contract agreement
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that Biden and lawmakers are now trying to impose on workers, denying
them the right to strike and stripping them of any leverage to
negotiate a better deal.

As of this writing, a relatively small number of Democrats in Congress
have publicly spoken out about the White House's position and the
fast-approaching vote on rail legislation. Pelosi, who has described
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Democratic Party as "the party of workers and workers' rights," told
reporters on Tuesday that a bill could hit the floor as early as 9:00
am ET Wednesday.

It's unclear whether progressive House members will mount an effort to
improve the tentative agreement by adding paid sick days—a central,
longstanding demand of rail workers. Pelosi said the bill will seek to
impose the tentative contract agreement "with no poison pills or
changes to the negotiated terms."

"Last year, the rail industry made a record-breaking $20 billion in
profits. They can afford to give their workers paid sick leave," Rep.
Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) wrote
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media Tuesday. "The rail industry must put the quality of life of
their employees over profits. I stand with rail workers."

Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.), who lost
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her Democratic primary race in June, tweeted
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Tuesday that "paid leave should be the bare minimum."

"Good Lord, this is the U.S., not a third world country," Newman
wrote. "Paid leave has to be part of the deal. Period."

Another Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) member, Rep. Ro Khanna
(D-Calif.), asked
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wouldn't the rail companies just allow workers to have paid sick
days?"

"We need to stand with workers," Khanna added. "This is not
complicated."

In perhaps the sharpest response from a House Democrat, Rep. Jamaal
Bowman (D-N.Y.) tweeted
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that "rail workers can't schedule getting the flu on a Tuesday 30 days
in advance"—a reference to the tentative deal's restrictions
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on when workers are allowed to take unpaid days off for doctor's
visits.

"What we're seeing is an inhumane deal being pushed onto workers even
after a majority voted it down," Bowman, also a CPC member, continued.
"If we are a pro-labor party, we must stand up for them. They need
paid sick leave now."

In a separate tweet
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said he "can't in good conscience vote for a bill that doesn't give
rail workers the paid leave they deserve."

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) echoed
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sentiment.

"Every worker deserves paid sick leave," Bush wrote. "I will not
support a deal that does not provide our rail workers with the paid
sick leave they need and deserve."

At press time, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the CPC,
had yet to comment on Biden's stance as progressive advocacy groups
urge Democrats to side with exploited workers over the greedy rail
industry
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Speaking to reporters Tuesday following a meeting with Biden and
Republican congressional leaders at the White House, Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said
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legislative efforts to preempt a rail strike, which could begin as
soon as December 9 without a contract agreement or congressional
action.

Shortly after Biden issued his statement on Monday, Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-Vt.) told
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that any bill to prevent rail workers from striking must include
guaranteed sick days.

Sanders reiterated that message on Tuesday, saying
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to demand a vote to provide rail workers with sick leave despite White
House pressure
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to force through the tentative deal without any changes.

"Will I demand a vote to ensure that workers in the railroad industry
have what tens of millions of workers have, and workers here on
Capitol Hill have: guaranteed paid sick leave? The answer is yes," the
Vermont senator said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) told
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_HuffPost_ that she is working with Sanders and others on a measure
that would guarantee rail workers "a week of sick days."

Unions had originally asked for 15 paid sick days but are now
demanding at least four. The railroad industry, which has raked in
massive profits
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recent years while driving workers into the ground, has refused to
grant even a single paid sick day.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), one
of the major rail unions that voted to reject the tentative contract
deal, said in a statement [[link removed]]
Tuesday that it is "deeply disappointed by and disagrees with" Biden's
decision to pressure Congress to impose the inadequate agreement on
workers.

"A call to Congress to act immediately to pass legislation that adopts
tentative agreements that exclude paid sick leave ignores the Railroad
Workers' concerns," BMWED added. "It both denies Railroad Workers
their right to strike while also denying them the benefit they would
likely otherwise obtain if they were not denied their right to
strike."

"BMWED calls upon President Biden and any member of Congress that
truly supports the Working Class to act swiftly by passing any sort of
reforms and regulations that will provide paid sick leave for all
Railroad Workers," the union continued. "BMWED will continue fighting
for paid sick days for every Railroad Worker because it is
unreasonable and unjust to insist a person perform critical work when
they are unwell."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel
free to republish and share widely.

* US Rail Unions: Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way; Railroad Worker
Contract - Sick Time;
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