UP engineers, conductors hit by economy (40 percent laid off)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10487591

Published Friday November 14, 2008
UP engineers, conductors hit by economy
BY JOE RUFF
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

About 1,500 of Union Pacific’s 21,000 engineers and conductors have been laid off or are working under reduced hours due to the nation’s struggling economy.

More than half the affected workers have been working or training eight days a month. They continue to receive health benefits and service credit toward retirement benefits, railroad spokesman Mark Davis said today.

About 40 percent of the impacted train crew members have been laid off and have not been working, Davis said.

The economic slowdown began to be felt at the railroad in January last year and some work reductions occurred, Davis said.

About 110 of the workers under the "auxiliary work and training status" were in the North Platte, Neb., area, a major staging ground for the Omaha-based railroad’s operations. About 70 workers have entered that status in the Council Bluffs and Boone, Iowa, service area, Davis said.

No employees have been impacted at the railroad’s headquarters, he said.

Union Pacific also has continued to hire people in some areas, including diesel mechanics and electricians, Davis said.

Union Pacific employs 49,000 people across its 23-state network.

[catgirl]

1. Thanks for keeping us updated Steve

My heart goes out to the affected workers here. The whole railroad system needs to be updated
and to progress. We need to look at Europe and their rail system to see that their system works- for
everyone involved, not to mention the impact it can have on our energy/global warming crisis...