Airlines, Railroads Say Local Sick-Pay Laws Don’t Apply to Them

Fed up with state and local laws that require private employers to offer paid sick days, the airlines and railroads have filed suit, claiming that the interstate nature of their businesses should make them exempt. Airlines for America, a trade group that includes American Airlines Group Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc., FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc., is asking judges in Washington and Massachusetts to exempt the airlines from the state laws, which provide for paid sick leave for all workers. CSX Corp. has also filed in Massachusetts, saying that the state law is overruled by a federal railroad rule that forbids local interference.