Update: Senate Passes Rail Labor Agreement; Paid Sick Leave Bill Filibustered By Republicans

Update to House Passes Rail Labor Agreement And Separate Paid Sick Leave Bill.

The Hill reports, Senate votes to avert costly rail strike:

The Senate voted Thursday to avert a costly nationwide rail strike next week that lawmakers in both parties worried would shut down much of the economy and further add to inflation.

Senators voted 80 to 15 for a House-passed bill to implement the labor agreement between freight rail carriers and unionized workers brokered brokered by the Biden administration.

By intervening, Congress will avert the threat of a national rail shutdown that would have ravaged supply chains and brought significant portions of the economy to a halt in the middle of the holidays.

But Republicans filibustered the separate Paid Sick Leave bill passed by the House. Senate rejects proposal to give rail workers seven days of paid sick leave:

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 between freight rail companies and unionized workers that was brokered by the Biden administration.

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

Sens. Kelly and Sinema voted in favor of the bill.

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 the bill.

After voting down the sick leave measure, the Senate voted to avert a costly nationwide rail strike next week. Senators voted 80 to 15 for a House-passed bill to implement the labor agreement between freight rail carriers and unionized workers brokered by the Biden administration.

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 doctor 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.

[R]ailroads lobbied GOP senators to oppose the paid sick leave measure, arguing that congressional modifications to a contract would set a dangerous precedent.

[R]ailroads have drawn the ire of workers and progressive lawmakers for refusing to offer paid sick days despite making record profits in recent years amid soaring demand for shipped products.

Republicans can cut the crap about how they are the party of blue collar workers. They are still the lickspittle lackeys of Wall Street and wealthy plutocrats.