UP-NS employee data on planned job cuts, new roles and transfers must become public by July 27 under a Surface Transportation Board order in the merger case.

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific freight trains on parallel tracks
Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific freight trains run on parallel tracks. Photo: Union Pacific Railroad / Norfolk Southern Railway.

The Surface Transportation Board announced the decision⁠ on July 22, 2026, after several rail labor unions challenged the “highly confidential” designation applied to employee-impact exhibits in the carriers’ revised merger application.

What the UP-NS Employee Data Covers?

The materials described by the regulator cover craft and management positions at Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway. They include the numbers of jobs the proposed merger would abolish, create or classify as transferred, along with transfer locations for certain positions.

The ruling does not disclose those figures immediately. Instead, it requires UP and NS to redesignate the relevant exhibits as public and file the revised documents with the board by July 27.

UP and NS submitted their revised major merger application⁠ on April 30. On May 28, the STB accepted it for consideration⁠ but held the proceeding, including the environmental review, in abeyance while requesting supplemental information. The regulator specified that the pause did not stop discovery.

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Why the STB Ordered Disclosure?

Several labor unions filed a joint motion on July 2, arguing that the employee-impact exhibits had been improperly withheld from public view. The STB granted that motion, saying comparable information had been disclosed publicly in previous board proceedings and did not appear commercially or competitively sensitive.

The order gives labor organizations, employees and other interested parties access to a more detailed view of the proposal’s workforce consequences. Until the exhibits are refiled, however, the STB release does not provide the actual totals for abolished, created and transferred positions.

What Happens Next in the Merger Review?

The disclosure deadline coincides with the date set for UP and NS to submit other supplemental material requested by the board. That broader request covers competition, shipper access, service assurance, market-share projections, downstream merger effects, passenger rail and supporting workpapers.

The STB said open access is necessary for meaningful participation by interested parties. The merger proceeding remains paused pending the supplemental filings and the board’s assessment of them.

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