Good Pay, Easy Job, Huge Responsibility - Conductor Union Pacific Employee Review

4.0
May 12, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent pay and great benefits. It's a fun job if you don't let the pessimists get to you. UP will be around for a long time. Just find a position that technology won't take sometime in the near future.

Cons

Expect to work shifts/jobs that you don't enjoy for the first 2 -5 years or more, depending on seniority. Many layoffs and cutting other essential resources in order to save money. Expect to pay dues to a Union every month that honestly doesn't do as much as we would all hope. Technology is growing exponentially on the tracks and my educated guess is that it won't be long until UP moves from 2 man crews-->1 man crews-->Trains operating themselves. Unfortunately, when it comes to managers and crews, there isn't much collaboration but rather confrontation and resistance. Front-line managers are usually great to work with but their superiors put a lot of pressure on them to make the impossible happen which is likely due to not really being exposed to the fine details of the actual operation.

Explore other reviews about Union Pacific

5.0
Apr 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great flexibility and opportunity to move around within the company

Cons

You travel a good amount for the role depending on your work location.

3.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits Work about every other day Pay has potential to be good

Cons

New hires do 100% of the work for 80% of the pay and won’t get fully compensated for the first 4 years. They are also expected to know every transportation job on site rather than focusing on one area like guys who have been here longer so 20% less pay but required to know more, do more, have to wear orange hats for a full year allowing management to easily identify them on camera or in person so they can watch them more closely hoping to catch them breaking a rule. So less pay but a more stressful work place requiring you to know more and get singled out hoping to catch them in a mistake. There is absolutely zero work life balance. Coming from a place where I had 20 plus years and able to hold a decent amount of PTO to getting a single day of paid vacation the first year and trying to balance a family life while also trying to provide for them is impossible. You sacrifice seeing your children grow up, play sports, go on vacations with them so you can provide for them. By the time you have enough years in to take a vacation with them they are grown and you missed the most important years of their lives. I know this as a child of a railroader and now as a parent who’s children barely get to see him.

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