Senate rejects proposal to give rail workers seven days of paid sick leave

[Beachnutt]

Last edited Thu Dec 1, 2022, 05:33 PM - Edit history (1)

WTRF
The Senate voted on Thursday to reject a proposal to give railway workers seven days of sick leave, a benefit that was left out of a labor deal brokered by the presidential emergency board between freight rail companies and unionized workers.

The proposal to give workers seven days of sick leave, which was championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other liberal Democrats, failed to pick up enough Republican support to overcome a 60-vote threshold set for adopting the measure and fell 52-43.

Six Republicans voted for the sick leave measure: Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), John Kennedy (La.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.).

Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote against it.

It passed the House Wednesday with a narrow bipartisan majority, 221 to 207 with only three Republicans voting for it.

The votes in the Senate and House now give Democrats the ability to blame Republicans for imposing a labor deal on rail workers that includes little flexibility for taking time off work due to illness or doctors’ visits.

“This is not a radical idea. It’s a very conservative idea. And it says if you work in the rail industry, you will get seven paid sick days. And I would hope that we would have strong support and the 60 votes that we need to pass this very, very important amendment that is wanted by every one of the rail unions,” Sanders said before the vote.
snip
https://www.wtrf.com/hill-politics/senate-rejects-proposal-to-give-rail-workers-seven-days-of-paid-sick-leave/

[48656c6c6f20]

1. So. How's that Manchin thing working out?

[DarthDem]

2. He was almost certainly allowed to vote no

To assist with his re-election.

What I find more interesting is that that sniveling weasel Hawley voted yes. He's no friend of workers or liberal causes of any kind, so that vote indicates to me that he has some worries about his own upcoming 2024 race.

[48656c6c6f20]

4. Oh

[allegorical oracle]

7. Surprised at the whole list. They expected it would fail, but they could look magnanimous. Manchin

would vote against it -- tons of coal move by rail freight and he can't vote for anything that makes the rail industry bear extra expense. Problem is, everybody loses if the strike occurs.

[gratuitous]

3. Gotta love the Senate

You win a vote on your proposal by 52-43 and you lose. And they call it democracy.

[NickB79]

5. A railroad strike is pretty much guaranteed now

Buckle up, it's gonna be rough.

[Dave says]

6. Guess there will be a possibly recession-triggering rail strike after all