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DAVID: PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGN
ISING OFF ON A DEAL TO AVERT A
NATIONWIDE RAIL STRIKE, THOUGH
IT DOESN’T HAVE EVERYTHING
UNIONS WERE PUSHING FOR LIKE
SEVEN DAYS OF PAID SICK LEAVE.
MY NEXT GUEST IS THE PRESIDENT
OF A RAIL UNION THAT VOTED DOWN
THE ORIGINAL YEAR. -- DEAL.
WHAT DOES HE THINK?
PRESIDENT TONY CARDWELL JOINS ME
NOW.
TONY, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
YOU FAVORED THE BERNIE SANDERS
AMENDMENT WHICH INCLUDED THE
7-DAY SICK LEAVE ARE.
DOESN’T HAVE IT.
IT SOUNDED BEFORE THIS, DEAL WAS
MADE IN THE SENATE, IT SOUNDED
LIKE YOU WERE GOING TO REJECT
THE DEAL IF IT DIDN’T HAVE THAT
IN IT.
ARE YOU STILL HIKING OF
REJECTING THE DEAL?
>> WELL, IT’S ALREADY BEEN
SIGNED, PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNED
IT ON FRIDAY, SO IT’S -- THE
RESOLUTION’S ALREADY BEEN SIGNED
INTO LAW.
WE HAVE NO OTHER WAY OF
ADVANCING THE 7 DAYS OF SICK
LEAVE THROUGH THE LEGISLATION
NOW.
ULTIMATELY, THEY HAD SPLIT THE
BILL SO THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT
BILLS THAT WERE VOTED ON BY THE
SENATE.
FORTUNATELY, WE DID GET
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR THE
ADDITIONAL SICK LEAVE.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET FIVE
REPUBLICANS TO STAND WITH THE
DEMOCRATS ON THE ISSUE, AND
WE’RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
BUT WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO ACHIEVE
52 THE VOTES, AND YOU NEED THE
60-VOTE FILIBUSTER TO PASS.
SO IT FAILED BY A NARROW MARGIN,
BUT WE’RE EXCITED THAT WE GOT
OUR MESSAGE OUT THERE, AND WE
BELIEVE THAT BIDEN NEEDS TO
STAND BY US MOVING FORWARD TO
GET THIS IN ANOTHER WAY.
DAVID: WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE
PRECEDENTS IN UNION HISTORY.
NOT IN YOUR PARTICULAR UNION,
NOT WITH THE RAIL WORKERS, BUT
ALREADY PRECEDENTS SOFT ONLY --
OF SOME UNIONS GOING ON STRIKE
IN CAN DEFIANCE OF THE RULE OF
LAW.
THERE’S NO CHANCE THAT WILL
HAPPEN HERE, IS WHAT YOU’RE
SAYING?
>> YEAH.
THAT’S NOT SOMETHING I WOULD
DEFINITELY NOT ANNOUNCE ON A
NATIONAL TELEVISION SHOW
EITHER --
[LAUGHTER]
BUT, YEAH, THERE IS NO PLANS FOR
THAT.
DAVID: IT IS INTERESTING, IS IT
NOT, THAT SIX REPUBLICANS VOTED
WITH BERNIE SANDERS FOR THE
7-DAY SICK LEAVE?
IN FACT, TWO OF THEM, RUBIO AND
CRUZ, LED SANDERS TO SAY I
ALWAYS KNEW YOU GUYS WERE
SOCIALISTS.
[LAUGHTER]
>> WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
POLITICS.
THIS WAS A SIMPLE ISSUE.
IT WAS A MATTER OF JUST DECENCY.
I MYSELF AM A CONSERVATIVE, A
UNIONIST AND VERY PROUD TO BE
ONE, AND I WOULD SAY THIS IS A
SIMPLE ISSUE.
BLUE COLLAR WORKERS AND THEIR
CONSTITUENTS NEEDED SICK LEAVE
DAYS.
OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR MEMBERS ARE
DISPALINNED AND PUNISHED --
DISCIPLINED AND PUNISHED FOR NOT
GOING TO WORK.
OFTHEY CALL IN SICK, THEY GET
PUNISHED.
THEY GET DISCIPLINED FOR DOING
SO.
THAT’S ABSURD BECAUSE THESE
MEMBERS WERE HAILED AS HEROES
AND ESSENTIAL WORKERS DURING THE
PANDEMIC, YET WHEN THEY WERE
HOME SICK, THEY WERE GETTING IT
REGISTERED ON THEIR PERSONAL
RECORDS.
DAVID: TONY --
>> SO THIS IS US FROM RATING.
THEY’VE E DAVID LET ME PUSH BACK
A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE YOU’RE
STILL GETTING QUITE A BIT WITH
THE BACK PAPE PAY, ETC.
YOU GET, BY THE WAY, A FREEZE ON
HEALTH CARE CO-PAYS AND
DEDUCTIBLES.
I DON’T KNOW MANY PEOPLE, MANY
WHETHER THEY’RE UNION OR
NONUNION WHO GET THAT.
>> YEAH, NO, LOOK, THERE WERE
OTHER THINGS THAT WERE DECENT IN
THE PACKAGE.
BUT THE LOBBYING GROUP FOR THE
RAILROADS WAS JUST COMPLETELY
DISHONEST.
OUR MEMBERS DO NOT MAKE $IS
60,000 -- 160,000 A YEAR, THEY
MAKE AN AVERAGE OF $31 AN HOUR,
AND WITH THIS CONTRACT THAT WAGE
WILL GO UP A LITTLE BIT.
IT WAS A DECENT WAGE INCREASE.
WE WERE LOOKING AND HOPING FOR
MORE, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF --
PUT OUT WILL THE THAT SAID WE
MAKE ALL THIS MONEY, MAKE --
HAVE ALL THESE BENEFITS, WE WERE
HOPING FOR A HIGHER --
DAVID: TONY, I GOTTA LEAVE IT AT
THAT.
WE’VE LITERALLY RUN OUT OF TIME.
BUT CONGRATULATIONS.
I MOW IT’S NOT AS PERFECT AS
YOU’D LIKE, BUT AMERICANS ARE