Union Pacific Railroad Fined $304K for Firing Employee During Severe Weather

A U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration whistleblower investigation has concluded that Union Pacific Railroad Co. violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by removing from service and later terminating a North Little Rock, Arkansas yardman who notified management of nearby lightning and federal safety standards. OSHA determined that the employee voiced concerns about nearby lightning, cited OSHA and NOAA lightening safety guidelines, initiated a safety stand-down, and refused to work until the storm passed. Within minutes of the stand-down, Union Pacific removed the employee from service and was later charged with insubordination. Union Pacific terminated his employment on May 30, 2024. On June 10, 2026, OSHA ordered Union Pacific to remove from the employee’s employment records any reference of the incident, and pay back wages, lost benefits, compensatory and punitive damages totaling at least $304,869, and attorney’s fees. Union Pacific filed objections to OSHA’s order and has requested a hearing before a U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge. Source: Department of Labor Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Here are more articles you may enjoy.