Union Pacific Railroad has been ordered to pay more than $200,000 in damages, back wages and attorney’s fees to an employee who was fired after reporting a work-related injury.
The order from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration came after an investigation into the employee’s claims that he’d been fired in retaliation for reporting the injury.
The investigation found that Union Pacific disciplined the employee for speaking out and then fired him for a separate reason to cover up the company’s actions.
Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said he couldn’t comment on the department’s order because it had not yet been reviewed by company officials.
A press release from the Department of Labor’s office in Kansas City, Mo., did not name the employee or provide additional information on the events that led to his termination.
But the release says the railroad charged the injured employee with the most severe form of discipline under its progressive discipline policy even though the investigation found that he was not at fault.
Union Pacific also has been ordered to reinstate the employee to his former position, with the same pay and benefits, and to provide information on whistleblower rights to its employees.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1543, erin.golden@owh.com
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