Union Pacific Wins Dismissal of Suit Over Attendance Policy

Union Pacific Railroad won dismissal of a court challenge by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to a change in the company’s attendance policy after the Seventh Circuit ruled that the matter belongs in arbitration.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit also sanctioned the union and ordered it to reimburse the railroad for costs and attorneys’ fees, finding its argument against arbitration to be frivolous.

The union pursued its appeal despite knowing that the railroad had met its burden of showing the claim belongs in arbitration, the court said.

The Railway Labor Act has a strong ...