FRONT ROYAL, Va. — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen has joined the list of unions opposed to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger.
In an announcement today (Dec. 22), the union cited concerns about rail safety, impacts on workers, and “the concentration of market power” the merger would create. The union urged the STB to reject the transaction.
“UP’s public assurances that the transaction will improve efficiency and strength are not supported by its recent record,” the union says. “Federal regulators have already raised concerns regarding UP’s safety culture …. Expanding the size and reach of an organization with unresolved safety deficiencies presents unacceptable risk to workers and the public.”
The union also says the merger would reduce corridors and limit shipper options, and says mergers have repeatedly led to staffing reductions, forced relocations, and decreased institutional knowledge. “Signal work is not interchangeable or easily replaced. Fewer skilled workers covering larger territories increases failure risk, lengthens response times, and undermines the very safety claims advanced by merger proponents.”
The union says it will work with other rail labor organizations and submit comments to the Surface Transportation Board “to ensure that the voices of frontline safety workers are heard.”
The BRS joins two Teamsters unions — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division — and the Transport Workers Union in opposing the deal despite UP promises of lifetime job protection. The BLET and BMWED announced their opposition last week [see “Engineer and trackworkers unions to oppose …,” Trains.com, Dec. 17, 2025]. The TWU had done so earlier.
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Ironically one of the UP+NS merger deliverables is the replacement of Conrail era cab signals with wayside signals between Cleveland OH and Harrisburg PA. Seems like that will keep signalmen busy for quite a while.
Good decision to oppose this merger. Historically mergers and or consolidations rarely end well for the working men and women of the companies involved.