What if rail workers just quit?

Any exodus of workers would only exacerbate staffing shortages brought on by railroads laying off around 30 percent of their workforce over the past six years. That, in turn, has led to exhausted workers and persistent delays and cancellations when demand for shipped products spiked.



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Voluntary Quit With Good Cause - If you leave either railroad or nonrailroad work voluntarily and the RRB determines you had good cause for doing so, you will be disqualified from receiving railroad unemployment benefits for any day that you are qualified to receive State unemployment benefits.

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More than 700 BNSF employees have quit their jobs since the policy was rolled out in February, union officials say, increasing the workload for those who remain.

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Railroad workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in fact, railroad employees are approximately twice as likely to die on the job as the average American worker.

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Generally, if your train is cancelled or rescheduled, you are entitled to a full refund from the firm you were due to travel with for any ticket type, including advance tickets (see how to claim your money back). This includes where the train is cancelled due to strike action.

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The schedules are of particular concern with rail workers citing a lack of sick leave, inability to routinely visit the doctor or tend to family emergencies, and weekslong stretches of being on call.

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U.S. employment in rail transportation At the same time, working conditions for the employees remaining at these railroads have deteriorated. “Even the good pay and pensions aren't worth it anymore, because they're being so overworked,” said Schuhrke.

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Because trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Federal regulations require a minimum number of rest hours for train operators.

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How often do railroad workers get laid off? Over the last six years, the leading freight carriers laid off 45,000 employees, or nearly 30 percent of their combined workforce, according to the Surface Transportation Board. Most of the layoffs came before the pandemic, which ushered in a huge demand for shipped items.

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BNSF Railway is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits and Union Pacific is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits. Learn more, read reviews and see open jobs.

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Employee Ratings BNSF Railway scored higher in 10 areas: Overall Rating, Culture & Values, Diversity & Inclusion, Work-life balance, Senior Management, Compensation & Benefits, Career Opportunities, CEO Approval, Recommend to a friend and Positive Business Outlook.

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Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, with which it shares a duopoly on transcontinental freight rail lines in the Western, Midwestern and West South Central United States.

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Parent company BNSF (NYSE: BRK-B) told FreightWaves the layoffs are due to duplicate roles within the companies. “Some employees with duplicative responsibilities may not move over to J.B. Hunt upon the conclusion of the sale of BNSF Logistics' brokerage operations to J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.,” BNSF said.

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