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Unfortunately, a handful of rail labor organizations - led by SMART-TD - have signed onto the merger as a result of a corporate promise of a so-called "jobs guarantee." Prior to cutting this deal, SMART-TD originally had been highly critical of the proposed merger, and had issued a Statement on July 29, 2025 condemning the proposal because of a long list of concerns over "service quality, worker safety and operational culture, labor relations and discipline practices, threats to infrastructure access and local service, impact on shippers and network access, and labor practices in flux," concluding that, "Our labor organization has every intention to oppose this merger when it comes before the Surface Transportation Board for approval."
However, once the "jobs deal" was sealed, SMART-TD has spoken no more of these myriad concerns, as if by magic, they simply no longer exist. Having been so emphatically critical of the proposed merger just a few short weeks earlier, it appears disingenuous - to say the least - on the part of the union to now be mute on all of those concerns after having obtained its "jobs for life" pledge from the corporation. At a meeting of UP CEO Jim Vena and U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, September 19th, 2025, the President stated that the merger "Sounds good to me". Adding, "Union Pacific is a great railroad." Curiously, just days later on Monday, September 22nd - without consulting the membership on the question, and in spite of having just a few weeks earlier issued the above referenced statement of opposition - SMART-TD did a complete 180 and issued a statement in favor!
Note that this "agreement" reached nearly 6 month ago, has still not been disclosed to the membership, who apparently will not be afforded the right to vote on it either. And ironically, Union Pacific now claims that, "Every union employee who has a job at the time of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger will continue to have one," on its Facebook Page and website, and in countless press releases and public statements. Which begs the question of course, if UP has given railroad workers (and thereby the Surface Transportation Board) a public pledge of "jobs for life" for "every union employee," then just why the need for a behind-closed-doors written agreement with unions that the members cannot see or vote on? In addition, the Teamster Rail Conference and its affiliate rail unions Brotherhood of Maintenance-of-Way Employees Division (BMWED) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) - which issued a statement of opposition to the merger on December 17th - has thoroughly debunked said "jobs guarantee" in a Statement Released January 8th.
At the end of the day, the majority of rail labor remains staunchly opposed to the proposed merger, along with countless other organizations of shippers, passengers and community organizations, the remaining Class One Railroads and political figures from both political parties. RWU remains committed to the struggle; we will continue to build the broadest possible coalition; and we will continue to wage our Campaign to Oppose the UP-NS Merger. We can and will win this fight! Please join us!!
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