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5/22/2020
Union Pacific Railroad earlier this week laid off an unspecified number of workers in the mechanical department at Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska.
The layoff was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Platte Telegraph reported.
Raquel Espinoza, UP's senior director of corporate communications and media relations, confirmed the workforce reduction in an email. She declined to indicate how many people were affected.
"Union Pacific is experiencing volume declines as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the country," she said in a statement to the Telegraph. "We are operating fewer locomotives and rail cars, requiring us to reduce our workforce in the mechanical department."
Bailey Yard lost about 250 jobs last year, based on local estimates, as the Class I implemented its Unified Plan 2020 operating model throughout its network, the newspaper reported.
For the week ending May 16, UP handled 67,603 carloads, down from 92,535 during the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads data.