ASLRRA joined the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO in letters to members of the House and Senate encouraging them to support the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act (REEF Act).
The bill, H.R. 2785 in the House and S. 1274 in the Senate, would eliminate cuts to railroad unemployment and sickness benefits. Budget sequestration in the Budget Control Act of 2011 mandated 5.7 percent cuts to railroad benefits through fiscal year 2030. These cuts were paused during the COVID-19 national emergency, but resumed in May 2023 after the emergency ended.