rail employees

Maintenance-of-way rail union and Union Pacific tussle over furloughs

Debate about furloughs at Union Pacific and how many employees could be affected continue to play out in the public arena following a recent industry conference where Surface Transportation Board Chairman Marty Oberman called out Union Pacific leadership.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division (BMWED) sent two letters to the STB: one on Oct. 27 before the RailTrends conference in November hosted by Progressive Railroading and independent Wall Street analyst Tony Hatch and one...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/maintenance-of-way-rail-union-and-union-pacific-tussle-over-furloughs

Norfolk Southern moving away from furloughs to help improve labor relations

Norfolk Southern will deemphasize the use of furloughs as a way to cut costs during market down cycles.

The plan comes as two activist investors are pressing NS (NYSE: NSC) and Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) via shareholder proposals to address paid sick leave.

The Class I railroads have used furloughing as a means to reduce costs during cycles when freight demand might be down. It has also been used on a seasonal basis to align workforce needs with operational needs.

Furloughing is when a railroad...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-moving-away-from-furloughs-to-help-improve-labor-relations

Class I rail headcount plunges to new low in November

A photograph of a train crossing over a bridge. The train is hauling intermodal containers.

Employee headcount among the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in November was at its lowest level since at least early 2012.

U.S. operations of the Class I railroads employed 114,960 in mid-November, which is 13.7% lower than November 2019 and 1.58% lower than October, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board. 

November’s total is the lowest in 2020 and the lowest total since January 2012, which is the earliest date for which FreightWaves has data.

All six employee...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/class-i-rail-headcount-plunges-to-new-low-in-november

US Class I rail headcount rises for the first time since April

A photograph of two locomotives parked in a field.

Employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads rose in July on a monthly sequential basis, increasing nearly 1% from June.

The number of employees totaled 117,230 in mid-July, up 0.95% from June, according to data received by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The last time that employee headcount rose was between March and April of this year.

A 5.3% gain in the number of train and engine (T&E) crew employed by the railroads helped push July’s total higher. T&E crews...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-class-i-rail-headcount-rises-for-the-first-time-since-april

Employee headcount at US Class 1 operations tumbles 17% in May

A photograph of two men in front on a train locomotive.

Rail employment in the U.S. Class I operations fell below 120,000 workers in May, reaching a new low as the railroads trimmed their workforce levels to match the steep declines in rail volumes.

May’s overall headcount among the U.S.operations of the Class I railroads totaled 118,880, a 16.9% drop from May 2019 and a nearly 4.5% decline from April 2020, according to freight rail data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The total is the lowest since at least January 2012, which is...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/employee-headcount-at-us-class-1-operations-tumbles-17-in-may

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