SPECIAL BULLETIN:

RWU Remains Adamantly Opposed to the

Proposed UP-NS Merger

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While some organizations may see the proposed Union Pacific - Norfolk Southern merger as inevitable, Railroad Workers United (RWU) believes it can be stopped. While other organizations are willing to grovel for crumbs, RWU believes that there is nothing in this merger for the vast majority of railroad workers and our unions in the short-term, medium, and long-term. We encourage all railroad workers and concerned parties to read the information below.

REPORT:

The New Railroad Barons: Why the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern Railroad Merger Must Be Blocked

As recent history with rail mergers illustrates, this merger would reduce competition in the rail industry, create service and shipping delays, increase prices for shippers, hurt workers, and threaten the viability of many independent businesses. Several major labor unions have opposed the merger, which would increase safety risks for American rail workers, while shipping associations have expressed concerns about possible price increases and more limited service should the merger be permitted. As Wick Moorman, the retired CEO of Norfolk Southern, said in 2016, “A well-executed large railroad merger is an oxymoron. … Every rail merger of significant size, and a couple that weren’t, have been extremely disruptive for a period of time.” This deal is also likely to embolden the other two railroad giants, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and CSX Transportation (CSX) to merge as well. This pair of mergers would make the railroad industry into a national duopoly, a scale of railroad consolidation not even met by the railroad barons of the Gilded Age. For all these reasons, this illegal merger should be blocked.



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Railroad Workers United

Solidarity — Unity — Democracy