December 19, 2025
Cleveland, Ohio. — Following Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s filing of its merger application with the Surface Transportation Board this morning, the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) today announced its opposition to the proposed merger, citing confirmed job losses among train dispatchers, potential relocation impacts affecting its members in Atlanta, along with unresolved safety and workforce concerns embedded in the merger application.
Despite assurances from Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena that “[t]he transaction will preserve employment for union employees and grow union jobs for the combined entity’s employees,” the applicants project a net reduction of 33 train dispatcher positions in just the first three years following merger approval. ATDA notes that, despite the anticipated traffic growth touted by merger proponents, the application contains no independent analysis of the merger’s impact on dispatcher workload, fatigue risk, territory expansion, or safety margins associated with the proposed staffing reductions.
“These job losses are not a coincidence, they are intentionally built into the merger plan and tied directly to expanding dispatcher territories and consolidating operational control by leveraging unregulated technologies,” said ATDA President Ed Dowell. “These cuts, driven by Wall Street, jeopardize the very safety and efficiency the railroads claim to improve. This merger is about cutting, not improving; corroding, not strengthening. It isn’t leadership. It is exploitation dressed up as progress. So, we will not support this merger as long as it is paid for at the expense of our members’ livelihoods or the safety of the general public.”
In addition to dispatcher job reductions, the merger application also confirmed that large scale dispatcher relocations are planned. While the current dispatching centers will initially remain independent, Norfolk Southern dispatching functions based in Atlanta, Georgia are expected to be relocated to Omaha, Nebraska. ATDA remains deeply concerned about these long-term implications, along with the risks they pose to national security, workforce stability, and loss of institutional knowledge. The concern for workforce disruption is particularly acute, given that the 2018 NS train dispatching centralization resulted in nearly a third of all train dispatchers leaving the workforce.
“Our members are being asked to do more with less, across a larger and more complex network, without a demonstrated plan to protect safety or workforce sustainability,” ATDA Vice President Brandon Denucci added. “That is a risk not only to our members, but to the public and the national supply chain as well.”
ATDA emphasizes that its opposition to the merger is grounded in the public record and reflects concerns shared by rail workers, shippers, and other stakeholders across the country. The organization will continue its detailed review of the merger application and expects to submit comments to the Surface Transportation Board as the regulatory process moves forward.
“Our members understand innovation and change, but safety, jobs, and accountability cannot be treated as afterthoughts,” President Dowell said. “We will remain fully engaged to ensure the voices of train dispatchers are heard.”
