A U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration whistleblower investigation has concluded that Union Pacific Railroad Co. violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by removing from service and
later terminating a North Little Rock, Arkansas yardman who notified management of nearby lightning and federal safety standards.
OSHA determined that the employee voiced concerns about nearby lightning, cited OSHA and NOAA lightening safety guidelines, initiated a safety stand-down, and refused to work until the storm passed.
Within minutes of the stand-down, Union Pacific removed the employee from service and was later charged with insubordination. Union Pacific terminated his employment on May 30, 2024.
On June 10, 2026, OSHA ordered Union Pacific to remove from the employee’s employment records any reference of the incident, and pay back wages, lost benefits, compensatory and punitive damages totaling at least $304,869,
nd attorney’s fees. Union Pacific filed objections to OSHA’s order and has requested a hearing before a U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, from January to June 2021, a male manager for Ingram Park Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram created and maintained a hostile work environment by subjecting a female fleet service advisor to fre
quent and offensive sexist comments about her and other women, such as statements that women were ignorant, lazy or unqualified to work as service advisors.
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The suit charged that the manager also directed clients away from the fleet service advisor and
excluded her from important communications regarding business operations — resulting in a loss of sales and negatively affecting her commission-based compensation.
Additionally, the manager excluded the fleet service advisor and another female employee
from an employee group chat announcing competitions for monetary bonuses, resulting in denial of earnings opportunities based on sex.
The lawsuit also charged that the fleet services advisor made several reports to the dealership about the male manager’s discriminatory conduct, and the dealership sub
sequently fired her on June 11, 2021 in retaliation for those complaints and because of her sex.
