March 6, 2026

US Labor Department finds Union Pacific Railroad wrongly terminated employee for reporting, seeking medical care for work-related injury

SAN ANTONIO, TX – A federal whistleblower investigation has revealed that Union Pacific Railroad Co. again violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by terminating a switchman/conductor after they reported and sought medical care for a work-related injury.

An investigation by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Union Pacific violated the law by firing the worker after they reported their work-related injury to management and sought medical treatment.

OSHA has ordered Union Pacific to reinstate the employee and pay back wages, interest, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney's fees totaling over $315,000.

OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program enforces 25 whistleblower statutes that protect employees from retaliation for reporting violations of workplace airline, anti-money laundering, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, criminal antitrust, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, maritime, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, safety and health, securities, and tax laws.

For information on whistleblower protections, visit OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Programs webpage.

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Editor's note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.

Media Contact:

Joanna Hawkins
OPA-WEST-Media@dol.gov
Release Number: 26-323-DAL