Roger Wicker: “the objection has been heard and the Senator from Vermont has that right. I wonder if the Senator would yield for a…”

“the objection has been heard and the Senator from Vermont has that right. I wonder if the Senator would yield for a question concerning some assertions that he has made. It is my understanding--and the Senator is correct in this regard--only two of the unions have actually voted in favor of this plan. Six others have--their leadership has agreed, and we have tentative agreements with six of those. So six plus the two is the eight I mentioned. Also, the Senator, I think, is mistaken in saying that there is no sick leave policy. That would be unbelievable for the rail industry in this day and age. It works a little differently for the rail. Railroad employees operate trains and have a leave policy under which they first indicate unavailability for work, and when that unavailability is the result of illness, then they receive sick pay through a sickness benefit under a statutory scheme. The Presidential Emergency Board heard arguments on both sides, recommended an additional paid leave day. And, again, I would stress that this comes on top of a 24-percent wage increase. But the thing that really strikes me about what my friend from Vermont said is he seems to cast doubt on whether President Biden is actually for this PEB recommendation, and that needs to be cleared up.…”