When Union Pacific combines with Norfolk Southern, every union employee working at the time of the merger is guaranteed a job for life. At a time when layoffs are the norm across corporate America, this commitment is both unprecedented and meaningful.
It’s a guarantee that’s not contingent on a formal agreement, nor impacted by volume, economic cycles or business dynamics. It’s a firm commitment to every union employee at both railroads, including those who may not yet see the full benefits of the merger.
We’re confident making this promise because a single-line, coast-to-coast railroad will attract new customers. Rail’s total market share against truck is roughly two to three times higher when single-line service—which is much more cost efficient—is available.
Hauling this new freight will take more than iron horses. We expect to add about 900 net new union jobs by the third year following the merger to handle volume growth.
We commend the unions that recognize the merger’s value and the long-term growth it represents for their crafts. To date, we’ve formalized jobs-for-life agreements with six rail unions – including the industry’s largest, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD), and most recently the American Train Dispatchers Association.
Instead of requesting unrelated concessions, these six mutual agreements focus on practical opportunities that empower our employees to work safely and efficiently as one combined company.
Union Pacific’s jobs-for-life commitment—which applies to every union employee, regardless of formal agreement—is in addition to the New York Dock labor protection typically imposed by regulators in large railroad mergers and goes above and beyond.
While New York Dock provides temporary income protection up to six years—and only to those who prove they were negatively affected by the merger—Union Pacific’s guarantee promises career-long employment.
Our commitment could not be clearer: From the Maintenance of Way employees inspecting track to the locomotive engineers and train service employees moving freight to the mechanics maintaining equipment, you will have a job for life with America’s first transcontinental railroad. To protect our nation’s best-paid industrial careers, our rail industry must take an innovative step forward to reclaim market share from trucking. Our vision is bold, but it’s clear, grounded in growth and backed by thousands of union employees who understand the time for standing still is over.
Editor’s Note: The above commentary is in response to Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner‘s April 2026 Watching Washington column, “UP-NS Job Pledge Fragments Labor.” Wilner comments: “Union Pacific has no formal agreement with SMART-TD, BMWE and BLET, which requires spelling out in detail what ‘no furloughs’ means. Ergo, the concerns of labor I wrote about. UP’s editorial didn’t address this. They used the same boiler plate of previous announcements without filling in the details, which they cannot until they actually reach a formal deal—and then it has to be approved by members. Each one of the considerations I mentioned, none covered by New York Dock, requires negotiation and agreement through a formal ‘implementing agreement.’ Those questions include, but are not limited to, ‘explicit and enforceable job protection provisions relating to new technology, seniority retention, relocation, assignments outside their craft, and unforeseen, extraordinary disruptions in traffic volume.’ In a Sept. 19, 2025, letter to SMART-TD President Jeremy R. Ferguson, Jim Vena wrote: ‘This commitment [to ‘no furloughs’] is conditioned upon the usual requirements for continued employment including … accepting available work opportunities in accordance with rules, interpretations and practices under the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements and implementing agreements. In the event of an unforeseen extraordinary disruption in traffic volume, e.g., COVID, that the parties anticipate will last for 90 days or longer, the parties will work together to reach an equitable agreement to provide stability for employees and Union Pacific.’” – William C. Vantuono
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