Norfolk Southern railroad reaches a new paid sick leave agreement as it deals with the fallout from the derailment

Members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Blacksmiths will be entitled to up to seven paid sick days per year under a new agreement with Norfolk Southern.

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Added to three existing paid time off days that can now be used as sick days, Norfolk Southern's mechanical railroaders will receive four paid sick days each year. Approximately 6,000 Norfolk Southern employees will now benefit from paid sick days negotiated by the IBBB, the ninth of the company's 12 unions.

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Unions and railroads, including Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, and BNSF, have been fighting over paid sick leave for months. At the end of 2022, President Biden signed legislation averting a nationwide rail strike, but it did not include paid sick leave.

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Last month, Norfolk Southern derailed a train carrying toxic materials near the Pennsylvania border, causing political and environmental fallout. Despite complaints from some workers and residents, company and government officials say it's safe to live in the area after the disaster. Tuesday, Ohio filed a lawsuit against the company.

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Norfolk Southern reached paid sick leave deals two days after reaching deals with the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The company announced agreements with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Workers, Mechanical Department, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers last week.

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Two other unions reached agreements in February, and two others already had access to paid sick leave.

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“Together with our unions, Norfolk Southern continues to improve the quality of life of our craft railroaders,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw. “This new agreement gives railroaders even more time to take care of their personal health and well-being as they drive the American economy forward.”

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Beyond its previously released statements, Norfolk Southern declined to comment.

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Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., demanded railroad carriers give workers at least seven paid sick days. While pointing out the carriers' record profits, Sanders urged rail companies to "do the right thing." Rail companies spend 184% more on shareholders' returns than on wages and benefits.

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“At the end of the day, it's not acceptable for workers doing dangerous work to not get one sick day in 2023,” Sanders said then.