The following is an online version of the companies attendance policy revision from May 15, 2017 followed by an FAQ section.

If you would like your very own copy of the attendance policy revision...click below.

The retention period for signing a waiver of hearing, accepting responsibility for an Attendance
Policy violation, will be reduced from thirty (30) months to twenty-four (24) months effective May
15,2Oi7. Attendance cases in which 1st Offense, 2nd Offense, or Dismissal charges were upheld
at formal investigation and hearing are not impacted by this change.
 
Retention periods for attendance cases that meet the following criteria will be adjusted as noted
below provided that:

• The employee signed a waiver accepting the attendance charge,
• The agreed upon 3O-month retention period has not expired, and
• No subsequent attendance charges are pending assessment as of May 15,2O17.

​This does not impact the terms and conditional reinstatement/leniency agreements.

As a Union Pacific employee, you were hired for and are expected to protect your job assignment on a fulltime basis. "Full-time" means being available to work as required by your assignment.

    Unanticipated absence from work, particularly a missed call, refused call, no show or tardiness, can negatively impact operations, commitments to our shippers, and your co-workers' ability to plan on and off-duty activities. ln addition, absences that are conditional, pending Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) certification, can revert to unexcused absences. Such absences are taken into account for purposes of managing attendance.

    It is your responsibility to notify your manager in advance of layoffs and to retain documentation related to your absence from work. However, notification and documentation alone do not excuse your responsibility to protect your job. You may be considered in violation of this policy regardless of the explanation offered if you are unable to work full time and protect all employment obligations.

In cases where an employee does not work full-time, the following process applies:

1. Employees who do not work fulltime, will be identified using one or more of the following criteria:
   1. Missed calls, no show, tardy, or refusal
   2. Frequent or pattern of weekend layoffs.
   3. Frequent or pattern of holiday layoffs. Note: For the purposes of this policy, the following holidays are included: New Year’s Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fathers Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. 
   4. Frequent personal layoffs.
   5. Frequent sick/sickness in family layoffs without authorized leave.
   6. Lower availability days when compared to peers.
2. An employee's fulltime work opportunities compared with the employee's opportunities for time off are taken into account in attendance evaluations. Opportunities for time off include, but are not limited to, assigned rest days, layover days, vacation, time off between duty periods, as well as authorized personal layoffs that may be granted by management as the needs of service permit. If the employees attendance record warrants, an investigation will be held; and, if appropriate, discipline will be issued based on the investigation results.

1.    Who is governed by this Attendance Policy?
This Attendance Policy applies to all agreement professionals who are in the following departments: Engineering, Transportation, Mechanical (car and locomotive), Safety, Operating Services, Supply and Executive.

2.    Why did the Attendance Policy change?
Effective September 15,2015, the policy was updated to include all Engineering, Mechanical, Transportation, Safety, Operating Services, Supply and Executive department agreement professionals to improve consistency in attendance management throughout the Operating Department. This policy replaces all previous attendance policies for Operating Department agreement professionals.

An important change for employees to consider is that violations of the Attendance Policy progress independently from MAPS. Previous attendance policy violations for agreement professionals other than TE&Y were combined with progression of rules violations under prior discipline policies. Now, violations of the Attendance Policy do not impact an employee's MAPS status.

3.    Why is the Attendance Policy separate from MAPS?
The Attendance Policy is a progressive system like MAPS; however, MAPS is oriented toward engaging employees to modify their behavior at work. The objective of the Attendance Policy is to set expectations regarding fulltime employment.

4.    Was the Attendance Policy negotiated with the Unions?
No. Company Attendance Policies are a managerial right and are not negotiated

5.    How are "frequent absences from work” defined?
Frequency depends on the employee's work opportunities compared to absences from work. A review of the employee's availability compared to similarly assigned employees may be the subject of an attendance investigation. Employee attendance records are reviewed to determine if an employee reports to work as assigned or when called to duty. Failure to meet fulltime employment expectation may require fellow employees to work additional hours or to be called to work sooner than expected, thus potentially affecting other employees' ability to plan rest and/or may negatively impacting peers' quality of lfie due to unanticipated changes to their off-duty schedules.

6.    What is the purpose of the Attendance Alert Letter?
An Alert Letter is a reminder to employees of their obligation to report for work on time, protect their employment on a full-time basis, and to inform them of the various resources available to them should they need assistance. Notices of investigation (NOl) are not issued under these circumstances.

7.    Are personal leave or single vacation day(s) subject to review under the Attendance Policy?
Personal leave and/or single vacation days may be subject to review if the use of these days indicates a frequency or pattern of avoiding work and failing to protect one's employment on a full-time basis

8.    How does an employee request an authorized medical leave of absence from work?
If an employee requires a regular or extended absence due to his/her medical issues or that of a family member, he/she may be eligible for FMLA or MLOA leaves. Employees must submit honest, complete, and accurate documentation in advance if possible or as soon as possible prior to the expiration of an authorized leave. Additional resources on the processes for requesting an authorized leave can be found on the Wellness and Medical Leave/Return website, through instructions located in the eHealthSafe portal, or by contacting your local Occupational Health Nurse.

Keep in mind that employees who are permitted to be absent for FMLA, MLOA, or other authorized purposes must use that time off for its intended purpose.

Specific and limited absences may be authorized when documentation is provided in advance to management.  Examples include bereavement leave, jury duty, and other authorized absences as provided for in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Documentation may be requested by management to substantiate an absence in circumstances other than those described above. Managers are not required to ask for documentation or to retain such documentation unless an employee is providing the documentation as evidence for an investigative hearing. As stated in the policy, employees should retain documentation for absences and may provide such documentation as evidence in the event of a potential charge for an Attendance Policy violation.

Note that the Policy provides: "However, notification and documentation alone do not excuse your
responsibility to protect your job. You may be considered in violation of this policy regardless of the explanation offered if you are unable to work full time and protect all employment obligations."

9.    How long will an absence be considered when evaluating an employee's attendance record?
An employee's record may be reviewed following a single absence or may be reviewed over an extended period of time, depending on case circumstances. Holiday absences, for example, are typically reviewed over a one year period. There is no fixed time an absence will be considered "under review”.

10.    How does the time limit for issuing charges apply in attendance cases?
if there is a time limit requirement in the collectively bargained agreement(s) regarding the issuance of a Notice of Investigation (NOl) it is measured from the last day in the review period.

11.    Will 1.13 or 1.15 charges be issued for attendance violations?
No. The Attendance Policy conditions control and the operating rules are no longer cited as attendance violations. However, some absences can rise to the level of insubordination and be subject to a 1.6 charge.

12.    Are new hires covered by the Attendance Policy?
Yes. Each department/service unit will monitor new hire employees to determine whether applications for employment are to be disapproved based on unacceptable attendance.

13.    When does the retention period for a First Offense or Second Offense begin?
The retention period begins with the date of the Notice of Discipline assessed (NODA) letter. lf the First or Second Offense is waived, the retention date will begin with the date the waiver is signed by the employee.

14.    If an employee is dismissed for an Attendance Policy violation and later reinstated to service by an Arbitration Board what attendance level does an employee return to service at and what is the retention period?
lf a dismissed employee is returned to service as a result of a court decision or an arbitration decision or award, the conditions of the decision or award will be controlling for the purposes of adjusting the employee's record. lf a decision or award is silent with regard to the employee's record, the employee's record will revert to the status of a "second offense" with a thirty-six (36) month retention period. The time spent in dismissed status will not apply to the retention period of a prior violation.