In a statement sent to us from Union Pacific it said:
As part of Union Pacific’s ongoing initiative to align resources with customer demand, we unfortunately are furloughing Mechanical Department employees in North Platte and South Morrill, Nebraska. The furloughs experienced thus far in these locations and across UP’s network have primarily been employees working in our Transportation Department (train, engine and yard, or TE&Y, employees).
These furloughs tie directly to the nation’s well-documented decline in coal usage and corresponding decrease in coal shipments, which has diminished the need for car and locomotive repairs in these locations. Specifically, Union Pacific’s coal shipments were down 37 percent through April 2.
