Union Jobs for Life: An Unprecedented Pledge Enabled by Growth
Author: Josh Perkes, Chief Human Resources Officer | February 2, 2026
Key Takeaways:
● Unprecedented job security commitment: Josh Perkes emphasizes a “jobs-for-life” promise for all union employees at Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern, with formal agreements in place for multiple unions.
● Growth-driven workforce strategy: The merger will be a job creator, creating hundreds of net new union jobs by the third year following the merger driven by increased freight volume from a coast-to-coast, single-line network.
● Strong compensation and long-term employee value: Rail careers are highlighted as high-paying and stable (avg. ~$160K total compensation), with added benefits like healthcare, retirement, tuition-free education and support programs to reinforce long-term career sustainability.
● Unprecedented job security commitment: Josh Perkes emphasizes a “jobs-for-life” promise for all union employees at Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern, with formal agreements in place for multiple unions.
● Growth-driven workforce strategy: The merger will be a job creator, creating hundreds of net new union jobs by the third year following the merger driven by increased freight volume from a coast-to-coast, single-line network.
● Strong compensation and long-term employee value: Rail careers are highlighted as high-paying and stable (avg. ~$160K total compensation), with added benefits like healthcare, retirement, tuition-free education and support programs to reinforce long-term career sustainability.
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Josh Perkes
It’s also important to understand how different this is from what usually happens in Class I rail mergers. Traditional labor protection offers up to six years of income protection — and only if an employee can prove they were negatively impacted by the transaction. If you have less than six years of service, you only get protection for the length of your tenure. And when that period ends, so does the protection.
Our commitment supplements this protection; it does not replace it. While traditional labor protection provides a temporary income bridge, our unprecedented jobs-for-life commitment goes above and beyond — it promises that union employees working today can finish their careers with the combined company.
We can make that promise because growth creates jobs. A single-line, coast-to-coast railroad will bring on new freight and new customers. By the third year following the merger, we expect to add approximately 900 net new union jobs to handle that growth. As our CEO Jim Vena has said, this merger will protect union jobs and create more of them as shippers rely on more efficient service.
Railroading already provides some of the best-paid industrial careers in America. A railroad union employee’s average annual compensation and benefits is about $160,000, roughly 40% above the national industrial average. Employees have access to strong healthcare, paid leave and retirement plans, and average tenure exceeds 13 years. The combined company also will expand access to programs like free counseling, family services, tuition-free college and an employee stock purchase plan.
All of that matters because this isn’t just about today or the first year after a merger. It’s about whether people can see a future here and build a life around this work.
Railroads are built to last. This merger is about making sure the people who power them do, too.
Next Read: Keeping America on Track: Railroading Powers the Economy and Provides Secure, Good-Paying Jobs
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