Democrats Push Biden To Use Executive Order For Rail Worker Sick Leave

Topline

A group of 73 members of Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday suggesting that an executive order to ensure guaranteed sick time for rail workers, after some Democrats were criticized for supporting an agreement last week that didn’t include sick time.

Key Facts

The lawmakers who signed the letter were mostly progressive Democrats, such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), but also included a handful of moderates like Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio).

Their top suggestion is for Biden to guarantee sick leave by executive order, but they alternatively suggest that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh could set new health and safety standards that include sick leave, or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could mandate that rail workers can’t be on the job while sick or tired.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes about the letter, but Biden has vowed to guarantee sick leave “not just for rail workers, but for all workers.”

Biden signed an agreement last Friday averting a national rail strike, granting a 24% raise for workers through 2024, but not sick leave.

Contra

Some progressives, especially Ocasio-Cortez and Representative Cori Bush (D-Mo.) faced attacks from the left for voting for the agreement, even though they also supported a separate measure that would have guaranteed seven days of paid sick leave. The Democratic Socialists of America—of which the two are members—said in a statement after the vote, “We disagree and are disappointed with the decision of DSA members Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Cori Bush.”

Key Background

Biden signed the agreement just hours before thousands of workers were set to go on strike, potentially crippling the supply chain and the broader economy in the midst of the holiday rush, costing an estimated $2 billion per day. The bill approving raises for workers easily cleared Congress in bipartisan fashion, passing the House in a 290-137 vote and the Senate in an 80-15 vote. A separate vote for seven days of sick leave passed the House 221-207 and received majority support in a 52-43 Senate vote–short of the required 60-vote threshold for it to pass. Six Republican senators voted in favor of sick leave, while Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) crossed party lines to vote against the measure.

Further Reading

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

Biden Signs Bill Averting Nationwide Rail Strike—But Not Granting Sick Days To Workers (Forbes)

House Approves Legislation To Prevent Rail Strike (Forbes)