BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Union Pacific Railroad has been ordered to reinstate and pay more than $300,000 in back wages and damages to an Idaho employee who was fired by the company after an on-the-job injury.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced the decision Tuesday after concluding its investigation. The agency did not identify the name of the employee who was working in Pocatello.
The employee accused the Nebraska-based railroad of wrongdoing after being suspended without pay and then fired 23 days after reporting the injury. OSHA investigators found reasonable cause to side with the worker and against company claims the employee broke a work rule.
Union Pacific Spokesman Mark Davis says the company intends to appeal. Davis says a separate government review under the Railway Labor Act found the company acted appropriately.
