Tri Cities Reporter

Nearly 200 local warehouse employees are to lose their jobs because Union Pacific has decided to shut down one of its services, the Tri-City Herald reported.

“On Friday, May 8, we notified employees that Cold Connect, a Loup Logistics service that moves refrigerated products from the West Coast to Union Pacific’s warehouse in Rotterdam, New York, will permanently close and most Cold Connect-related positions have been eliminated,” the company said in a statement. 

Union Pacific decided to shut down its refrigerated railcar service, which linked Washington and California growers to markets on the east coast, Tri-City Herald reported. The decision to shut it down came from a drop in shipping rates and less demand for fresh produce, which was partially due to the coronavirus.

The Cold Connect line had been operating for more than a decade and was in the facility since 2017 when it stopped operating as Railex. Many of the 170 employees whose jobs were eliminated were residents in the Tri-Cities area, Tri-City Herald reported.