How the railroad worker bill got derailed

And we're out for America's birthday

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in our occasional series on how interesting things died in the Legislature this year.

Whether an idea lives or dies in the Legislature can often boil down to a game of “they said, they said” in committee when the nature of the problem is in doubt.

One such idea this past session was guaranteeing rail workers 12 weeks of unpaid leave in light of long hours, burgeoning workloads, and safety issues. Senate Bill 5267 from Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, was aimed at improving on the one sick day Congress guaranteed rail workers last winter in the middle of a pandemic.

This was intended to protect rail workers who dip into the benefits of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers 12 weeks of unpaid leave for most workers. Airline employees won such benefits in 2012 at the federal level. 

This is a story about what happens when organized labor clashes with the titans of industry in Olympia and how a cadre of pro-labor lawmakers struck out. 

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