U.P. Takes a Hit in its 2nd Quarter Report.

Well brothers and sisters, the numbers are in.  It appears that U.P. made a profit...BUT, according to Russell Hubbard / World-Herald staff writer "The company already this year has furloughed — or temporarily laid off — about 900 employees. Union Pacific has said decreased demand for its services made the cutbacks necessary. Analysts say additional cuts are likely."  Then Mr. Hubbard goes on to say "Union Pacific hasn’t disclosed where the furloughs have happened or in what job categories. The company not only operates freight trains, but also terminals, yards, workshops, offices and myriad other installations."  Here are the true numbers of the furloughs just in OUR hub.  Keep in mind these aren't just numbers.  Each number represents a person, a family, an employee cut off to preserve the proverbial "bottom line".

Herington:   68
Salina:             15
Wichita:         25

Of the 900 employees reportedly furloughed, TE&Y represents 749 employees.  That's 83.2% of the "non-disclosed" job categories.  The following is a list, by region, of the current TE&Y cut off employees.

Northern Region:   318
Southern Region:   98
Western Region:   333

So, of the 900 employees reportedly furloughed...our hub alone represents 108 employees of that statistic!  That's 12% of the total layoffs for the company.  I understand that each of us has dealt with our fair share of being cut off, but the company must shoulder the responsibility of over hiring.  

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By Daniel Niepow, Associate Editor of 

A decrease in demand and overall volumes in several sectors, including a sharp decline in coal traffic, offset the positive impact of core pricing gains in the second quarter, Union Pacific Railroad reported this morning.

The railroad's net income for the quarter fell 3 percent to $1.2 billion versus $1.3 billion in the same quarter last year. Earnings per diluted share decreased to $1.38 from $1.43 in the year-ago period.

Volume fell 6 percent to 2.3 million units as coal traffic plunged 26 percent to 309,000 units, industrial products carloads tumbled 13 percent to 306,000 units and agricultural products volume declined 7 percent to 225,000 units.

Despite several headwinds, the railroad "made meaningful progress by right sizing our resources to current volumes, and I am encouraged to report that we made these improvements while posting strong safety performance," UP President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Fritz said in a statement.

The railroad's operating ratio of 64.1 rose 0.6 points while operating revenue decreased 10 percent to $5.4 billion. By commodity group, coal revenue plummeted 31 percent to $679 million, industrial products revenue fell 14 percent to $970 million, ag products revenue declined 7 percent to $867 million, intermodal revenue decreased 5 percent to $1 billion, chemicals revenue slipped 1 percent to $905 million and automotive revenue inched up 1 percent to $560 million.

Both operating expenses and income fell during the quarter: the latter decreased 11 percent to $1.95 billion, while the former decreased 9 percent to $3.48 billion.