If the merger with Norfolk Southern really goes through, just imagine for a moment how many people they will cut from both companies under the guise of redundancy, overlap, and who knows what else. I don't think anybody will be safe when or if the time comes.
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@m0 ask pipefitters about their buyouts. Oh wait they don't do that, they fire you or lay you off. They don't buy anyone out anymore lmfao.
Maybe in interchange yards and areas. Theres gonna be cuts- how else does a company stay profitable if they spend more than they receive? Does one expect them to keep a bunch of guys on just because they have seniority and are in the union? Its a lie that we tell ourselves. The mid sections and ports will be safe- play this move smart. I think this merger is gonna be great for all of us on the UP side for sure. NS, craft transfer to a spot where they will always need you (Signal, Track, Telecom, Etc)
Buy out! Early retirement. Pay me baby
I remember the sp merger. There were a ton of jobs eliminated and yes if you moved you could keep your job. This will be the same thing. Shops closing, jobs moving or just eliminated. The unions were much stronger then, now they’ve been tamed and bought off. The only good that could come of this is UP executives getting their walking papers, but I don’t believe in fairy tales.
UP dispatchers better get ATDA representation if they want a fighting chance at sustaining their careers or they are at the mercy of two railroads who don't care about them.
@ba Check out Union Pacific on you tube. It has already happened
FYI NS just like most other companies is about maximizing shareholder value .THATS IT... So if it means cutting...cut away... Past mergers don't mean a thing as upper management comes and goes ... There are no lessens learned just lessons revisited...
There is less regulation now than in 1997, the merger will happen.
But on TV, Jim just said there will be guarantees for union workers and Mark George said they would actually need more workers?? We know they are not trying to combine the railroads to create more jobs.
Who cares, I hope UP Fails and the stock crashes. Who gives a flying f**k about UP
Sign me up!
For those of you that are hanging onto the doom and gloom of a possible merger, listen up. In order for the merger between the UP and NS to happen, everything that the UP brings to the table for the merger, is going be under very heavy scrutiny. Those of you that were around for the UP-SP merger should know what I'm getting at. That merger is going to haunt the UP for as long as the UP is in business, and that merger alone is what's going to really haunt the UP during the merger talks with the regulators. The regulators are going to go over every detail like manpower(use your imagination for that), management detail(LOL), equipment usage(plenty of them sitting in storage), allocation of usable equipment(barely usable), and operational efficiencies(efficiency?). There's many more issues that the regulators are going to look before an approval will be considered. Now don't forget that there's many regulators that really don't like Vena at all. They know what he's all about, and that WILL be used against him during this merger. If the merger were to take place tomorrow, then those regulators will look at the UP's past issues and corrective actions, then make their decision based on the that. Also don't forget that the UP was involving in a few hearings regarding their problems. The CP-KCS merger took a year and a half to complete alone. The UP has to prove to the regulators that the merger can happen with minimal to no disruptions. I think some people are forgetting too that the NS has to approve of the sale as well. If they don't like the terms, then all they have to say is no and then it's all over. So rest easy folks! The big merger between NS and the UP is still quite aways off right now. I'm personally having a difficult time believing that this merger will go through. The UP just has too many problems, with a very incompetent management sector. Remember, the UP got worst employer in North America for 4 years in a row. You don't give any company with an award like that special consideration in regards to mergers and acquisitions.
CHOP that Fattened MGT Teams and executives.
Cutoffs at the mid to upper management level? Absolutely. There and maybe at interchange locations. But outside of those 2 areas where and why could headcount be affected? When UP mergered with SP the crafts actually saw jobs increase. Although UP had executives back then that understood SP had deferred maintenance under Anschutz’s ownership and they invested money into those lines. There is mention amongst industry insiders about current lack of executive level talent. We know there isnt a lack of people who know what needs to be done, there is a lack of people who want to listen to and hear the truth about what needs to be done.