How modern Class 1 Railroads have ground down their own workforce.
We all know that without transportation, nothing moves. America can’t go without goods and services. No matter the economy structure of a country, products must move. Semi – trucks, cargo ships, oil and gas pipelines and trains. An intricate system, spread across America like the vessels in a human body. And the heart that keeps it flowing? Workers, day in and day out, without fail.
If they fail to show up? What happens? Since Covid, numerous setbacks dictated the flow of consumer goods from ports to the shelves. When workers fail to show, a company shutters, or products are backlogged, shelves stay empty.
Labor Doesn’t Contribute to Profit
In 2022, in the midst of negations between a major Class 1 railroads, and multiple worker’s unions, tensions grew until they hit a pressure point. The Presidential Emergency Board reported, “The Carriers maintain that capital investment and risk are the reasons for their profits, not any contributions by labor. The Carriers further argue that there is no correlation historically between high profits and higher compensation, either in the freight rail industry or more generally. To the contrary, one of the Carriers’ experts maintained that the most profitable companies are not those whose compensation is the highest. The Carriers assert that since employees have been fairly and adequately paid for their efforts and do not share in the downside risks if the operations are less profitable, then they have no claim to share in the upside either.”
These comments from the Board sparked an outrage. Thousands of railroad workers came to life. They took to social media, banned together in parking lots, and made phone calls to share their stories. Workers quit, they felt if they didn’t matter to the company, why stay. While the railroad companies tried to shuffle the bad publicity with acts of so-called kindness, the ripples flowed through the industry. Four years later, the ripples became waves.
What makes a comapny choose to not see labor as profit?
This is One Man’s Story
It’s midnight. The phone rings, breaking through the silence of a dark, otherwise quiet, night. Most people are fast asleep, and without a doubt, plan to hit the alarm at 6 A.M. and go about their day.
“Hello?” Silence… then the crackle of an automated voice, “This is BNSF, calling for Lucas Williams.”
This isn’t out of the ordinary. No matter the time of day, the phone will ring. As long, as there are 10 hours between shifts, and a standard hour and half call time, there’s a call.
“I don’t ever know when, I will get called. We have an app that is supposed to predict train lineups. It’s anybody’s guess as to if it will tell you the right time,” said Lucas. If it’s not one thing its another.
After the 2022 contract negations, things took a turn for the worst. Time off became a struggle, the schedule became unpredictable, and life at home nose-dived. After the announcement of “labor doesn’t contribute to profits,” policy changes where enacted. Those changes angered a lot of workers.
During Covid there were massive layoffs due to volume loss at the ports, and across the country. After the situation righted itself towards the end of 2020, BNSF had to recall thousands of workers. “It didn’t work for them. They shot themselves in the foot when they didn’t dispute that quote. People didn’t come back from furlough, and no one wanted to hire out,” said Lucas.
But the word was out. Along with a sullied reputation about caring for workers. The new policy changes included Hi Viz layoff rules, reduction in train car inspection times, and a restructure in how work was done in train yards. “We can’t take time for ourselves, the company cut locals, and last year they cut the brakeman job. It’s so unorganized,” said Lucas.
When the company cut the brakeman job, it reduced crew sizes. Because of this, conductors such as Lucas, had to pick up the slack. Instead of a workday only taking 8 hours, it takes the full 12-hour shift, and there is still work to do. “You can work all day and not make your full trip, because of that, cars aren’t getting picked up from industries, and trains are being parked left and right”, said Lucas. How does that keep profit coming in steady? It makes no sense. If we don’t contribute, then why do the numbers show that reducing the workforce has made it harder to get freight hauled?”
But How Can It Not?
Lucas Williams
“I don’t feel like I spend quality time with my wife. And that’s heavy in my heart.”
Aside from feeling like he gets nowhere at work, he is tired and feels like life is passing him by. He doesn’t get to have much time off because the boards are always turning to pick up the slack from less crew members. Home life feels like a foreign concept, and he feels the effects of it. “The lack of sleep is catching up to me. I go to work, come home, and that’s it. I don’t feel like I spend quality time with my wife. And that’s heavy in my heart,” said Lucas. “I tried to go to college online and flunked out because I just couldn’t get my class work done with the off – kilter schedule.”
As time ticks by, Lucas considers where he will be in the next 10 years. He isn’t sure he wants to continue with the railroad. He can’t find work life balance, feels glued to his phone waiting for the next call to go to work, and the lack of sleep has aged him rapidly.
“It can’t be healthy to work like this. I’m tired more than I feel awake. It’s nothing to be up 24 hours now days,” said Lucas. “Trains are massive and being tired while operating them just isn’t safe. Since people have quit its normal to be tired and must go right back to work. You are either exhausted or you have a home life.”
What does this mean?
Looking at the future, Lucas doesn’t know what will happen. There is more push to reduce crews to one-man crews, leaving the engineer in the train, and a conductor in a car traveling to help him. People hire out, then quit after a few weeks. The crew pool in Aberdeen is getting smaller, forcing the company to hire people from other states to come up and work.
For now, Lucas feels he can keep going. But he knows eventually, there will be a tipping point. “I don’t know what will happen down the line. I don’t mind the work, I like it, it’s one of the easier jobs I’ve ever worked,” said Lucas. “I can’t see the companies being able to continue agreeing with labor not contributing to profit. When they drive the workers away, things will get out of hand and safety and well-being of everyone involved will be at risk. I just hope something changes before that happens. Workers keep a company going.”
Written by Moriah Williams for JTC 326 at Colorado State University. @mwilliams45 2026
All thoughts expressed in this article are not a endorsement or relflection of any company.