By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-25 22:46:43 | Updated at 2026-09-26 02:20:41
6 hours ago
Under President Donald J. Trump, Republicans have become the party of the working class. We got here because voters came to believe this party would stand up for them, not just the boardroom.
We believe in free markets, low taxes, and common-sense regulation. But we also believe that when powerful corporations squeeze the people who do the work in this country, somebody in Washington needs to fight for working Americans. Republicans must never take that support for granted.
That is exactly why Republicans should pay close attention to the proposed $85 billion merger of Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS), a transaction that would create the largest railroad in American history.
Affordability remains a defining concern for American families. Republicans who want to continue winning working-class communities should understand what is at stake when two of the nation’s largest freight railroads seek to combine.
The proposed merger would create an enormous coast-to-coast railroad at the center of America’s supply chain. That raises legitimate questions about competition and what greater consolidation could ultimately mean for farmers, manufacturers, small businesses and consumers. That is probably why opposition has come from such a broad coalition.
Farmers, energy producers, manufacturers, shippers, small businesses and labor organizations have raised concerns about the merger. When groups representing different corners of the American economy are asking similar questions, elected officials should listen.
The polling reinforces that concern. A survey conducted by McLaughlin & Associates and published by The Daily Signal found that 71 percent of likely voters oppose the proposed merger, while only 27 percent support it.
Democrats clearly see a political opening. Sen. Cory Booker and other Senate Democrats have opposed the merger and are trying to make themselves the face of the fight.
Republicans should remember what happened with organized labor in 2024. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse the major presidential candidates after endorsing Democrats for president for decades. Now, the Teamsters Rail Conference is helping lead opposition to the UP-NS merger as currently proposed. That matters.
In their public relations campaign, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have made promises that sound appealing. But workers are entitled to look beneath those promises and ask what they mean.
Union Pacific has advertised a “jobs for life” commitment for union workers. Yet both companies’ merger filings anticipate workforce changes and efficiencies, including through attrition. More importantly, workers initially had to fight for greater transparency about those plans.
The Surface Transportation Board ordered Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to publicly release employee-impact exhibits the companies had designated “highly confidential.” Those documents detail positions that could be abolished, created, or transferred because of the merger.
Workers deserve to know that information before Washington approves a transaction of this magnitude.
When good-paying railroad jobs disappear, the consequences extend beyond individual workers. Those paychecks support families, small businesses, and communities across America.
Some center-right allies of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have responded to union opposition by attacking the credibility or motives of the workers raising these concerns rather than addressing the substance of their arguments. That is the wrong approach.
The Teamsters Rail Conference says its Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division represent nearly 20,000 Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern workers – more than half of the companies’ unionized workforce. Those workers argue that the companies have not provided adequate protections and are asking for enforceable commitments. That cannot simply be dismissed as a fringe complaint.
Republicans would be foolish to squander the progress they have made with working Americans by treating workers’ concerns as political noise rather than substantive issues that deserve answers.
That does not mean Republicans must agree with organized labor on everything. Nor does it mean handing unions a veto over corporate transactions. It means listening when workers raise legitimate concerns about their jobs, their families and their communities. It means demanding transparency from corporations seeking government approval for one of the largest railroad transactions in American history. It also means insisting that promises made to workers are promises that can be enforced.
Republicans built a winning coalition by taking working people seriously. This is a moment to prove it.
The Hon. Lori Chavez-DeRemer served as the 30th United States Secretary of Labor and represented Oregon’s 5thCongressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.
