Bailey Yard shop employees, unhappy with long hours and increased scrutiny, marched in an informational picket from noon-2 p.m. on Saturday at the corner of Leota and the one-way streets of Jeffers and Dewey, near Nebraskaland Bank.
The workers urged others to boycott Union Pacific’s annual “Family Days,” gathering on the same day, which this year will include the renowned Big Boy Locomotive parked across the road from the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor’s Center. The Visitor’s Center tower overlooks Bailey Yard, the world’s largest railroad classification yard.
Workers say they are overwhelmed because the diesel shop is understaffed. Workdays can stretch up to 16 hours and they can be forced to work on scheduled days off. Even so, they can’t keep up with demands to keep the fleet’s locomotives in good condition.
A request for comments from Union Pacific on Friday evening went unanswered.
Pat Pfeifer, a spokesman for the CLC, said two locomotives hooked to trains in the last two days have been unfit for service. One couldn’t get out of Bailey Yard and the other broke down two miles out of North Platte, he said.
Critics said the trouble is the consequence of the layoffs of some 200 mechanical shop employees in 2019, which the company said would right-size the workforce under a “Unified 2020” plan and “Precision Scheduled Railroading” with longer trains and fewer locomotives.
The machinist’s local union (IAM LL180), the electrical workers union (IBEW Local 1920), and the laborer’s union NCFO/SEIU have lost nearly half of their membership through furloughs, resignations and un-recouped attrition, said Jeff Cooley, the head of the Central labor Council, an organization representing several unions.
“It’s a self-inflicted issue by Union Pacific,” Cooley said. “On one hand, we have more than 200 displaced electricians and machinists, and on the other hand, we have the fallout impact on spouses. Moms and dads are not home and families are breaking down.”
Cooley has heard reports that the company needs up to 30 more locomotives a day in safe operating condition in North Platte.
Also, workers are closely scrutinized for compliance with work rules, which are too numerous to remember while trying to do the job, leading to low morale, an anonymous worker said.
Cooley said laborers, with a minimal amount of training, are forced to do work that has historically been done by certified machinists and electricians.
“Also, they have taken machinists from non-diesel shop locations in Bailey Yard and put them to work in the diesel shop,” he said, “and given the yard machinist’s tasks to the electricians with hardly any, or no training.”
Starting Sunday, Sept. 1, an employee who declines to work four hours of overtime will be disciplined, the company says. If it happens three times, they can be laid off.
“This is not likely to be the last demonstration of this type,” Cooley said.
(This report was updated at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.)
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Hello
Bet they cant wait for the beef plant to finish so they can all get proper jobs!
Thanks for covering this George. We need to keep the pressure on UP. I remember the late 90’s, UP was working their employees to death. The families put a lot of pressure on UP, and the company finally caved to the public pressure and bad publicity. It’s even more important now that UP essentially has a gag order on their employees. They are threatened with discipline if they publicly portray the company in a negative light, including social media. The employees may not be able to speak out, but their friends and family can. Thank you!