The Union Pacific Railroad remained in the headlines this week over its wrongful termination of a BLET member.
As reported in our August 29 Weekly Recap, a BLET member received more than $184,000 in back pay after the BLET’s UP-Southern Region GCA got him his job back. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that the railroad had violated a federal whistleblower law when it fired the Houston-area engineer in March 2024 after he reported a workplace injury.
The member was awarded an additional $150,000 in punitive damages after the federal investigation found that UP violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by terminating him after he reported and sought medical care for a work-related injury.
A September 8 article from the Dallas Morning News (paywall) further examines the issue and features a quote from General Chairman Scott Alexander of the UP-Southern Region GCA.
“For too long, railroads have tried to create a culture of silence around injuries. This ruling pushes back against that culture,” Alexander said. “It shows that when a railroad employee reports an injury and follows medical advice, he cannot be punished for it.”
The article concludes: “It’s unclear if the case will have any impact on Union Pacific’s plans to acquire Norfolk Southern… The acquisition is subject to approval by the Surface Transportation Board, which considers ‘fair working conditions for employees’ as part of its review process…”