US officials urge freight railroads to guarantee paid sick leave

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Wednesday called on three major freight railroads to guarantee paid sick leave for all workers, saying 10,000 employees still do not have the benefit.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Acting Labor Sectetary Julie Su wrote the CEOs of CSX (NASDAQ:CSX), Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) and Canadian Pacific (NYSE:CP) Kansas City urging them to extend coverage. They noted that since the end of 2022 the percentage of U.S. rail workers who are guaranteed paid sick leave has risen from 5% to 90%. “Sick leave for workers is not a luxury—it’s a necessity,” said Su.