OMAHA, Neb. Union Pacific has cut more than 60 dispatching positions at its Harriman Dispatching Center in Omaha and its joint dispatching office in Spring, Texas, this week.
The affected dispatchers, who are management employees, were notified on Thursday and Friday that their jobs were being eliminated, according to a person familiar with the job reductions.
The dispatchers were told their jobs were being eliminated due to lower volumes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation of upgraded computer-aided dispatching software, and the implementation of positive train control.
UP employs about 500 dispatchers in Omaha, where the Harriman Dispatching Center controls nearly all of the railroads 32,000 miles of track.
The railroad also operates joint dispatching centers in Spring; San Bernardino, Calif.; Chicago; and Kansas City. Four positions were eliminated at Spring, near Houston. It was not immediately clear if dispatcher jobs were cut at the other locations.
To make up for the smaller workforce, some dispatcher territories have been expanded.
