Jill Schramm/MDN Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters picket near the CPKC steam locomotive stop on Main Street North in Minot Tuesday. From left, Mat Scherbing, Gene Thompson, Nick Manojlovic, George Loveland, Damian Anderson, Landis Larson and Deven Mantz hold picket signs as they stand next to an inflatable they say represents the chokehold the wealthy CPKC has on its railroad workers in denying them regular sick leave.

Frustrated with one railroad’s stance on paid sick leave, members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED-IBT) staged an informational picket on behalf of Canadian Pacific Kansas City workers Tuesday in downtown Minot.

About 50 union members – many of them employees of other railroads – rallied to demand CPKC offer annual paid sick leave, which is standard among other Class I railroads. They picketed in shifts during the three hours of the CPKC steam locomotive event taking place nearby.

BMWED General Chairman George Loveland from west-central Illinois said pickets are occurring at multiple locations along the CPKC steam locomotive tour from Canada to Mexico.

CPKC workers have asked for four days of annual sick leave. CPKC has offered a proposal for four sick days, but those days off would come with many restrictions and penalties for use, Loveland said. CPKC, which is short-handed, also wants to be able to have a manager fill in for a sick worker, which union members say erodes their collective bargaining agreement.

Currently, workers receive no sick leave. Loveland said workers often work when ill because they need the pay and would face repercussions for unexcused absences.

Loveland said the union finalized a contract with CPKC last year with the understanding sick leave would be addressed separately, but there has been no action. However, he said, CPKC agreed to meet with the union on July 8.

“We’re not going to give up until we get our sick days. These men and women deserve it,” he said.