Paid sick days is less of an issue than would be providing train & engine service employees "guaranteed" time off under the federal "hours of service" laws.
On the railroad, you're on call 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 12 months of the year. And you get few if any "days off" by contract.
As it stands now, I don't believe that freight T&E on the major carriers get ANY "guaranteed relief days" under existing agreements. Or if they do, the time off is almost "not there at all".
For you folks who don't work on the railroad, a "relief day" is what you call your "weekend".
You DO get paid vacation (up to 5 weeks after around 20 years of service or so), but even that may be difficult to get scheduled in a way that is useful to you.
It was only during my last, say, 6-7 years that I was able to schedule vacation time when I wanted it (one had to bid for such weeks on the basis of seniority).
On Amtrak and the commuter/regional rail lines, the employees DO get the opportunity to work "regular" 5-day jobs with 2 relief days. On Amtrak, the engineer's "extra board" was entitled to take 1 day off if they wished.
But in freight... no way. The exceptions are "short lines" and "regional" freight lines, but they aren't the ones that are involved in the current dispute.
I'd like to see a mandatory (as in, "government required") right to "mark off" for a 48-hour period after 6 or 7 days' continuous service.
Would that be too much to ask for?