Rail Labor Deal Divides MA Senators: See How They Voted

MASSACHUSETTS — The two Massachusetts U.S. Senators voted differently Thursday on legislation that forced a labor agreement between rail worker unions and railroad companies because of an impasse over paid sick time.

In an 80-15 vote Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved the labor agreement, which will likely help avert a nationwide rail strike. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey voted for the agreement, but U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was among the 15 who voted no.

The Senate bill, previously approved by the U.S. House on Wednesday, did not include a provision granting rail workers any paid sick time — an item Warren said should be included.

"Rail companies doubled their profits in the pandemic," Warren said in a tweet Thursday. "There’s no reason they can’t afford to give paid sick leave to the workers who make those profits possible. There’s no reason they have to force people who’ve had a heart attack or broken a leg to show up to work or get fired."

On Wednesday, the House passed a labor agreement that included pay increases for rail workers. In a separate vote, the House passed a resolution to also grant rail workers seven days of paid sick time. All nine House members from Massachusetts voted in favor of both those items.

The Senate also had to approve the paid sick leave provision, but the vote failed on a 52 to 43 vote. It needed a three-fifths majority to pass. Both Warren and Markey voted yes.

Railroad companies oppose paid sick time because they use a system called "precision-scheduled railroading," which relies on fewer workers to operate longer trains in a bid to cut freight costs.

President Joe Biden said he would sign the Senate-passed legislation brokering the labor agreement between workers and the rail companies.