Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley split on votes to dodge rail strike, increase sick leave

Missouri's senators took opposite sides in two Thursday votes aimed at avoiding a potential nationwide labor strike among freight railroad workers.

The legislation would force unions and rail companies to come to an agreement brokered by the White House and previously rejected by several unions, ahead of a Dec. 9 deadline that could lead to a shutdown with significant economic impacts. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who is retiring in January, voted in favor of the agreement; U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley voted against it. The Senate passed the measure in an 80-15 vote, and it now heads to President Joe Biden's desk.

A separate vote to add seven days of paid sick leave for workers covered by the agreement failed, however, earning a majority but coming short of the 60 votes needed for approval. Blunt voted "no" to add additional sick leave; Hawley voted "yes."

Rail strike:Here's how Missouri's U.S. House members voted to halt labor dispute, grant sick leave for workers

In a statement issued after the vote and in a series of Twitter posts, Hawley criticized the White House, as well as fellow Republicans, for supporting the agreement and denying additional sick leave. He called it a "test vote" for a Senate GOP caucus seeking a solid platform after disappointing November election results.

"Workers were asking for a handful of sick days per year," Hawley said. "Biden and the Senate said no."

Missouri's soon-to-be-senior senator criticized remote workers at the White House and the existence of "proxy voting" in the House, where members can cast votes without being physically present.

"And it wasn't as if workers were asking Congress to intervene on their behalf," Hawley added. "No, this was the White House and management and union bosses teaming up to use federal law to force workers to accept contracts that they rejected in negotiations. And then people in DC wonder why working Americans think the system is rigged."

He also called the vote "a chance for Republicans to stand up for working people and against the DC establishment," but "they missed it."

Blunt's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his votes Thursday.

The majority of Missouri's House delegation, including both Democrats and three Republicans, voted in favor of the rail agreement Wednesday. Those three Republicans declined to also support additional paid sick leave.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Blunt, Hawley take opposite sides in rail strike, sick leave votes