Union Pacific Railroad and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) reached a tentative agreement to provide up to eight paid sick leave days to around 5,900 railroad employees.

While all Union Pacific employees receive some form of paid leave, the proposed agreement will provide SMART-TD members an additional five paid sick days annually, prorated for 2023. Beginning in 2024, they also will have the ability to convert up to three paid leave days for use as paid sick time.

If ratified by SMART-TD, Union Pacific will have paid sick leave agreements in place with all 13 of its labor unions, becoming the second railroad in the industry to reach this milestone.

“I want to thank SMART-TD leadership for their support as we work together to create an environment where employees feel valued, supported and empowered to deliver exceptional service to our customers,” said Union Pacific Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz. “We are committed to continued collaboration with our labor partners and employees to further identify opportunities that support our best-in-class workforce.”

Union Pacific and SMART-TD look forward to continuing discussions on scheduled rest, which will allow employees to have more predictable schedules and enable the railroad to better manage staffing levels.