Norfolk Southern Announces Agreement with Unionized Track Maintenance Workers Providing Paid Sick Days and Removing 48-Hour Notice Requirement

Norfolk Southern, a major freight railroad company, has announced a new agreement with unionized track maintenance workers that will provide them with paid sick days. The deal allows employees to take four paid sick days a year and removes a stipulation in worker contracts that required them to give their supervisors 48-hour notice before taking personal days.

The agreement, which the company announced Wednesday, provides sick time to roughly 3,000 unionized track maintenance workers. This comes after a derailment of one of its trains earlier this month, which prompted union pressure for improved working conditions.

“Norfolk Southern’s success is built upon the incredible work our craft railroaders perform every day, and we are committed to improving their quality of life in partnership with our union leaders,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw in a statement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is also taking action in the wake of the derailment. The agency has begun air monitoring for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, which were on the train and can be harmful to people. Contractors with the EPA have also installed booms and underflow dams to restrict the flow of contaminated water as well as contain and collect floating product to mitigate any possible impacts to the Sulphur Run and Leslie Run streams.

Norfolk Southern is also considering offering paid sick leave to other unionized workers, such as locomotive engineers and conductors. The company is currently in negotiations with the unions representing these workers and is hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon.