WASHINGTON — Several rail unions are among organizations that have announced support for the Holiday Pay Act, a bill introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) that would require employers to pay time and a half for working federal holidays.
“Many Americans are working holidays because they need the money and giving up precious time with family and loved ones to do so,” Gallego said in a press release. “They deserve to be fairly compensated for their sacrifice. The Holiday Pay Act ensures hardworking people are rewarded for the extra hours they put in – raising paychecks and making life a little easier for those who keep our country running.”
Full text of the bill is available here. The federal government currently observes 11 annual holidays: New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday; President’s Day; Memorial Day; Juneteenth; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; and Christmas Day.
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division are among the labor organizations across several industries that have endorsed the legislation.
“This bill will ensure that when we work on federal holidays (as we always have), we are compensated fairly for that sacrifice,” Jared Cassity, SMART-TD national safety and legislative director, said in a press release. “Just as important, it offers long-overdue acknowledgment and respect for the essential service rail workers provide every day of the year.”
Gallego introduced the Holiday Pay Act about a week after proposing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $20 an hour. The current rate, $7.25 an hour, was set in 2009.
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I agree on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, and for those affected, important swing holidays for Muslims and Jews. (The latter named people would in turn have to work on Christmas straight time.)
I didn’t get premium pay for working on Veterans Day, MLK Birthday, Columbus Day and Juneteenth. Neither should anyone else.