Non-Ops Protective Benefits
Overview
Protection is income maintenance for employees who are adversely affected by an operational, technological or organizational change which required governmental approval, or, which was negotiated.
Protection is a type of pay and benefits guarantee that may be given to an employee by collective bargaining agreement and/or by law. A protected pay rate means that if the employee maximizes seniority but is forced to a lower job due to a company action (e.g., cost-saving job cuts), the company will make up the difference in pay. Similarly, if an employee cannot hold a job and is furloughed due to a company action, the employee can apply for a furlough stipend, which pays an amount based around the employee’s protected rate. Benefits also continue during this time as if the employee were working.
Protection is NOT Guaranteed Extra Board.
Eligibility
| Craft | Eligibility | Application |
| BRS |
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| BMWE |
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| TCU-UP |
| Automatically will gain a protection rate. No application required. |
| TCU for A&S Brownsville, CNW |
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| Other Crafts |
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| Furloughed | Review the Furlough Protection Pay section below. | |
* All applications must be submitted through the online ticket system (TRM). No other form will be accepted.
Furlough Protection Pay
If you are furloughed and have a protection rate, then you can apply for furlough pay by submitting an online ticket (Category = Union Protection Pay/Benefits Program). Below are important items to note when you apply for furlough pay.
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) Requirement:
- In addition to submitting an online ticket, you must also apply for furlough pay through the RRB.
- Apply within 30 days from your first date of unemployment to ensure you receive the full amount on your stipend.
- When applying with the RRB, do not include wages from furlough pay in your totals (furlough pay from Union Pacific is from an approved supplemental program). The RRB pays its portion first, then Union Pacific supplements the remainder to your guarantee. Note - this is why Union Pacific's timing on furlough pay is AFTER the RRB.
- For more information, contact the RRB at www.rrb.gov or at 1-(877)-772-5772.
Deadlines:
- You must apply for protection pay within the first ten (10) days of the month for pay loss in the prior month. Example: If you are applying for January pay loss, you must apply between February 1 and 10 to receive a paycheck in February. Submit an online ticket to apply (Category = Union Protection Pay/Benefits Program).
- If you miss the deadline, pay will be issued the next month.
- Union Pacific will not accept requests for protection pay if the date is greater than three (3) months from the first date of unemployment.
- The RRB will not accept requests for pay if the date is greater than thirty (30) days from the first date of unemployment.
Paycheck Timing:
- You are eligible for furlough pay from Union Pacific once you are officially in "furloughed" status.
- Paychecks are issued approximately on the 25th of each month. The paycheck will be for the pay loss for the prior month. (Example: If you apply for furlough pay for the month of January, you will receive the paycheck around February 25.)
- The time on a bump board / bump clock and/or displaced between assignments does not count for the Union Pacific payments.
- Check your status in iTrak. If your bump clock has expired and you believe you should be in furlough status, contact your Timekeeper.
Furlough Protection Differential:
- The amount of the protection furlough differential depends on your protected rate and agreement. Protection pay differential is eligible for straight-time hours only and is calculated as the difference between your protection pay rate and the straight-time rate you earned. If you are worked at or above your protection pay rate, you typically will not receive a differential.
- For the February 7, 1965 Protection Agreement for BRS, BMWE, and TCU:
- If your rate is hourly, it would give you a standardized 8 hours/day straight time for every Monday-Friday day in the month, regardless of your normal schedule. The hours would be paid at your protected rate.
- If your rate is monthly, it may either pay out the straight monthly rate, or translate your monthly rate to hourly based on the protection monthly-to-hourly standard hours (monthly rate / 176 hours to determine hourly rate).
- For other agreements or special circumstances, especially in the mechanical crafts, the stipend is often 60% of the projected monthly value.
- For the February 7, 1965 Protection Agreement for BRS, BMWE, and TCU:
- Normal health and wellness deductions and taxes will be taken out of the amount. Any days you were not officially in "furloughed" status, or received compensation from Union Pacific, will be reduced from your payment.
- Payment will come around the 25th of the month for pay loss the month prior, provided you applied within the first ten (10) days of the month. If you missed this deadline, pay will be issued the next month.
- If you believe there is a problem with your protection differential, submit an online ticket (Category = Union Protection Pay/Benefits Program).
Furlough Pay Reduced by RRB:
- The amount you receive deducts what you could have received from the RRB, even if you did not apply for RRB benefits, because the Union Pacific protection program is a supplement to those benefits.
- Apply with the RRB to get your full amount.
How to Keep Your Protection
If you have or plan on receiving protection, it is important to know what your rate is / would be, and to maximize your seniority to keep that protection rate.
- For BRS and BMWE, your protected rate will be set based on the job you held as your first permanent assignment after ten years of seniority.
- For TCU-UP, it is based on your first permanent assignment held after six years of seniority.
Once you know your rate, be mindful of the jobs you hold. You will want to only accept permanent assignments at or above your protected rate. If you voluntarily take a lower-paying assignment, it could permanently impact your rate. There will be some instances where you cannot hold your rate, and that’s okay, as long as you did your utmost to reach or exceed your protected rate.
Keep Up Your Qualifications:
- Keep up your qualifications from past jobs if they impact potential for future job bulletins. (Example: If you had a CDL in the past, and many jobs require CDLs, make sure you keep up that qualification, as you never know if you could be furloughed in the future and need that CDL).
- If you are working below your protected rate, obtain qualifications for better-paying opportunities, if possible. Missing a required, on-demand computer-based training, is not a valid reason to miss a job opportunity.
Get the Best Job You Can:
- If you are working at or below your protected rate, you must bid to bulletins with a higher pay rate than your current rate. This is only required if:
- You could win the bulletins.
- The jobs would not require you to move your home residence. This is defined as the jobs are close to your home address (definition of “close” is typically 30-50 miles or less), or if the jobs pay a per diem for travel (no matter how far away).
- If you are bumped, make sure to bump to a job that pays your protected rate or higher. If you can’t reach your protected rate, make sure to get as high of a pay rate as you can. Get any qualifications required (if possible) if they would make you eligible for those best opportunities. You do not need to consider jobs that would require you to move your home residence.
- If you are furloughed and recalled, make sure you accept the recall. If you are furloughed and are offered temporary work, take opportunities as you can.
Contact
If you are faced with a question and wonder if it could impact your rate, feel free to reach out to your union representative.
Page last revised March 26, 2025