Is it just me, or does it seem UP is now gravitating more towards straight-out firings instead of layoffs?
I know a few people who were let go for laughable reasons (and I really do hope they decide to sue the company) and this seems to be happening more and more often.
Talk about reaching a new low...
Non-agreement employees are employees at will. They can fire you whenever they want and you are free to quit whenever you want. (Aside from EEO, ADA, and other federal protected statuses). That said, Nebraska is one of the few states to have acknowledged "the covenant of good faith and fair dealing" despite at will employment. I'm sure many could potentially contend this if they had bottomless pockets, an army of lawyers and ok with poor odds.. At will employment is not quite as iron clad as it used to be though. Implied contracts, whether verbally, PDR's, policies, handbooks, etc have been found to modify the at-will status at times also. They effortlessly bury all the frivolous claims and their resources prevent most from ever challenging them. UP had enormous amounts of fat to cut. Rather than trim with "precision" cuts, they brought the chainsaw out in good faith and fair dealing. Not going to lie....I love the company and the pride in the work. Sad to watch it bleed
What percentage of people win in arbitration?
https://www.alllaw.com/articles/employment/article21.asp
I actually haven’t worked there in a while either but I’m just telling u that they are firing plenty of people as in don’t come back ever have a nice life. I’m sure there is paperwork behind the scenes we’re not privy to before they walk everyone out the door, but firing at UP is not as rare as implied. At will employment.
@1wej You're right, it's been a while, and from what I've read here I'm not missing anything. I got out while the getting was good.
They (UP) still have to follow due process when firing someone, because that's the law. If they don't then they end up in court. No employer, including UP, can just walk up to you and take your job, including non-agreement. Furloughing is different.
Some who still work there, should have been fired loooooong ago.
@1ubn, you must've been gone from UP for a while now. It is true the process they used to use was to put someone on probation for a while and then if they didn't improve they would eventually fire the individual. Those days are gone. Now, they fire people in large numbers under the guise of PSR and adjusting the numbers, but they always include people they wanted to fire anyway in addition to the others.
They could always fire non-agreement anytime they wanted even before. they just did what they did back then because they were running the company differently. The only reasons they can't fire a non-agreement employee is protections under EEO. And unless you have actual proof they fired you for your race, religion etc, then good luck.
You got fired for what you didn’t do... your job.
I was sr management in omaha and was fired for b—s— i didnt do.
I would love to have been given a reprimand while i collect my bonus and stock and look for a new job.
Right to work state in nebraska. They can fire you for any reason, no reason. Cant sue either.
I would guess they continue this behavior because they can.
Firing someone is a tricky business, and it happens more rarely than a lot of people think. Short of breaking a law while on the job, violations of safety policy, threats, or failing a d–g test, It is almost impossible for a company to fire someone, no matter how bad they are as an employee.
UP's termination process, at least when I was there, began with a reprimand, followed by an IDP for (usually) six months. after that the employee was reevaluated and a final decision was made to keep/dismiss them. EEO was also involved. Nobody working for UP full time can be fired without due process. Most companies (including UP) usually try to pressure the employee into quitting instead, but that has risks, and if the employee can show that this was the intent, they will have grounds to sue.
Look at the bright side: if they fire you, at least you don't have to payback relocation or training costs.
They have been pulling people out of service on bs charges a lot lately. I had seen two people in 6 years pulled out of service where I’m at. Now I have seen 7 in the last 4 months.
they fire nonagreement. agreement gets layed off when they cut jobs or boards and there is more bodies than positions.
so word to the wise don't give them two week's notice when quitting unless you want the perp walk.
They elect to fire senior employees versus laying off the youngsters.
they've been straight up firing people since 2014. where u been?