CSX railroad promises paid sick time to 2 more unions

OMAHA, Neb. — CSX railroad has promised to give more of its workers the paid sick time they demanded in contract negotiations last fall.

CSX is the only major freight railroad so far to agree to give its employees sick time in the wake of contentious negotiations last year that ended only after Congress stepped in to block a potential strike.

The Jacksonville, Florida-based railroad said Friday that it had reached agreements with two more of its unions, just days after announcing pacts with a pair of other unions.

CSX said about 500 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union and the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers union, which represents the company’s utility workers, will soon get four paid sick days. The workers will also be able to convert three of their personal leave days into sick days to give them a total of seven days.

The machinists union said employees will be paid for any unused sick time at the end of each year, or they can have the value of those days added to their 401k retirement accounts.

Mixed finish to tough week on Wall St.

NEW YORK — The toughest week for Wall Street in nearly two months came to a quiet end on Friday, as stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, but it still ended the week with a drop of 1.1%, which was its worst since December. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.6%.

Stocks have been struggling amid worries a still-strong jobs market could push upward on inflation and keep interest rates at a higher-for-longer level.