I’ve been in the railroad business for a long time, and I can say with certainty that job safety was at a higher level 20 years ago than it is now. We all know that the main reason for that isn’t anything else but the willingness of the leadership to sacrifice the safety of its workers to squeeze out a little more profit and to cut a little more costs. However, that’s like playing with fire, and it’s only a matter of time before people start getting seriously hurt or even worse (not that I would like that to happen) How close are we to a point, when these risky practices backfire on the company?
5 replies (most recent on top)
Nothing will wake them up. They don't care anymore. That's the point.
The five fatalities and multiple derailments over the past year wasn't getting "hit on the head"? If those incidents didn't wake anyone up then it's hard to say what will.
You can (rightfully) pin it on Lance if you want. But remember that Lance takes his orders from the majority-share stockholder.
Pershing Square Capital Management, Mantle Ridge LP, and BlackRock. These are names every UP employee should know. Google them. Learn about how they used PSR to tear apart the CP, CN, and CSX. Learn about what they tried to do to the NS, and why they failed.
Bill Ackman and Paul Hilal are the two Harvard-educated financiers who were pushing Hunter Harrison. They started all this. Google their names. Read their bios. Every UP employee should know their names, and how they operate. They are calling the shots, not Lance.
If you want to blame someone for ruining communities, the five recent fatalities, and the undoing of decades of safety improvements, etc. now you know where to start. Educate yourself.
They don't respect your life. They don't respect your work. They don't even care about your job performance. They just want to make money by forcing a merger between two of the remaining big railroads. That is all. Plan accordingly.
I agree. When a town or community gets damaged badly...…($$$$)…… will lance and his country club companions think this was all worth it?
We've had 5 fatalities this year. I'd say it has already happened. The public and lawmakers won't care until the corner-cutting causes a major derailment with fatalities and/or a toxic spill. Even then it will be difficult to pin it on PSR and executives. The blame will fall on the guy who cut corners because he was afraid that if he didn't his job/location would be shut down.