© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A CSX freight practice blasts by means of excessive snow at a crossing in Silver Spring, Maryland, February 13, 2014. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/
By Lisa Baertlein and Rod Nickel
(Reuters) – Rail operator CSX Corp (NASDAQ:) is altering its attendance coverage for surprising, short-term medical absences subsequent yr after U.S. railroads’ sick-time insurance policies turned a flashpoint in nationwide labor talks.
CSX is among the many railroads that used so-called points-based attendance insurance policies to scale back unplanned absences because the trade lower jobs to carry down prices and bolster income. Underneath the insurance policies, staff are penalized with factors for unscheduled absences, and threat being suspended or fired.
Rail unions are protesting the shortage of federal intervention on sick-time insurance policies exterior the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. On Dec. 2, U.S. President Joe Biden signed laws that broke the deadlock that would have halted shipments of meals, gas and drugs, stranded commuters and harmed the U.S. financial system with out making any modifications to sick-time agreements.
When the pandemic struck and freight volumes surged, affected rail staff stated these insurance policies discouraged them from searching for medical care or taking day off to recuperate from sickness.
Underneath the brand new coverage efficient Jan. 1, CSX stated Tuesday it is going to now not assess factors when an worker calls in sick shortly earlier than a scheduled workday with an sickness that they noticed a physician for.
CSX’s new attendance guidelines will probably be “non-disciplinary and non-punitive,” the corporate stated in an e-mail to Reuters.
4 of 12 unions concerned within the newest railroad contract talks rejected a lately negotiated deal as a result of it didn’t embrace any paid short-term sick days and failed to handle the attendance factors system utilized by CSX and the 2 largest U.S. railroads – Union Pacific (NYSE:) and Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF.
Underneath the brand new CSX coverage, accrued factors will expire on a rolling 12-month cycle slightly than accumulate indefinitely, and staff will obtain credit score for working with out an absence and may use these to expunge factors, CSX added. CSX stated it doesn’t apply factors when staff miss work attributable to hospitalization or emergency therapy.
Union Pacific stated it expects to start out working with unions on high quality of life points within the coming weeks. BNSF didn’t instantly reply to questions concerning its coverage on health-related absences.
On Friday, greater than 70 lawmakers urged Biden to take government motion to ensure rail staff paid sick days.
In the meantime, Canada on Dec. 1 granted staff at railroads and different regulated workplaces at the very least 10 days of paid sick go away yearly. Canada’s two largest freight railways, Canadian Nationwide Railway (TSX:) Co and Canadian Pacific (NYSE:) Railway Ltd, have staff in the USA as nicely. Collective bargaining with U.S. staff will decide sick-day necessities, the railways stated.
