On December 18, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 85-14. The authorization bill for national defense includes an amendment for the REEF Act, which will fully restore unemployment and sickness benefits to all railroad workers. Over the past decade, apart from a period during Covid when benefits were temporarily restored, individual railroad workers in need have unfairly had their benefits reduced by about $200 per month. The Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act removes the harmful sequester implemented in 2013, which unfairly targeted railroad workers. The NDAA was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week by a bipartisan vote of 281-140. It is expected President Biden will sign it prior to the end of the year.
The REEF Act was included in the NDAA following an aggressive lobbying campaign led by the Teamsters and the Teamsters Rail Conference, in close coordination with the bill sponsors.
“The Teamsters Rail Conference, representing the majority of America’s unionized rail workers, is relieved that the REEF Act is on track to become law,” said Mark Wallace, President of the Teamsters Rail Conferee and First Vice President of the BLET. “For far too long, railroaders and their families have been singled-out and prevented from receiving full and fair unemployment benefits that they were entitled too as a result of unjust sequestration constraints — essentially an accounting trick. The Rail Conference has spent years working the halls of Congress in an attempt to reverse this grave injustice. We want to thank the lead sponsors of the REEF Act, Senators’ Fischer, Klobuchar, and Brown, along with Representatives Schakowsky and Fitzpatrick for their tireless efforts to get the REEF Act across the finish line.” In addition to the lead sponsors, the REEF Act was backed by nearly 100 additional bipartisan cosponsors between both chambers.
Added BLET National President Eddie Hall, “Members of the BLET, along with other railroaders, were the only workers in this country to have their unemployment and sickness benefits unfairly and arbitrarily cut by Congress. Most recently this amounted to a 5.7 percent reduction for those most in need of benefits. Railroaders across this country owe our thanks to members of Congress who voted to correct this inequity.” As a result of this week’s vote, full benefits will now be permanently restored.”
“The inclusion of the REEF Act in the NDAA marks an end to a terrible injustice against our railroad brothers and sisters,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “We celebrate this historic victory and will fight to ensure that Teamsters railroaders are never unfairly targeted again.”