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WEBVTT >> IN ALL HONESTY, NO, I DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING. TAYLOR: IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS’ TIME, JOANNA DRAPER SAYS SHE WENT FROM FEELING OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HER JOB, TO NOT HAVING ONE AT ALL. >> I ACTUALLY TALKED TO MY SENIOR SUPERVISOR ON MONDAY, WHO TOLD ME THAT I WAS GETTING A RAISE AND A BONUS, AND THEN TUESDAY MORNING, I WASN’T. TAYLOR: SHE SAYS THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT CALLED HER TUESDAY. 149 OTHER EMPLOYEES IN OMAHA, HEARING THE SAME WORDS SHE DID. >> THEY SAID, "WE NEED TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT SOME ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES." AND THEY SAID, "EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, YOU’VE BEEN TERMINATED." TAYLOR: SHE RECEIVED THIS LETTER, HIGHLIGHTING HER SEVERANCE AND CAREER TRANSITION SERVICES. PERHAPS THE MOST TROUBLING, DRAPER SAYS SHE LOSES HER HEALTH INSURANCE AT THE END OF FEBRUARY. DOCTORS DIAGNOSED THE SINGLE MOM WITH BREAST CANCER LAST SEPTEMBER. SHE HAS 11 CHEMO TREATMENTS AND RADIATION AHEAD. >> IT’S DEFINITELY GONNA BE TOUGH. TAYLOR: UNION PACIFIC OFFERED HER COBRA COVERAGE, WHICH DRAPER SAYS IS AN EXPENSIVE, SHORT-TERM FIX. SHE’S ALREADY APPLYING FOR JOBS, AND WHILE SHE WORRIES FOR HER FUTURE, SHE HAS A MESSAGE FOR THOSE WHO NOW ALSO FACE THE UNKNOWN. >> YOU’RE NOT ALONE, AND GOTTA STAY CHIN UP. AND EVERYTHING’S GONNA WORK

Advertisement Single mom with breast cancer speaks about struggles after being laid off by Union Pacific Union Pacific laid off 150 workers at its Omaha headquarters Tuesday Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Union Pacific laid off 150 workers at its Omaha headquarters Tuesday. JoAnna Draper puts a face and story to those employees, sharing her struggles and fears after being terminated.Draper worked as a fitness for duty nurse. She started working for Union Pacific as a contracted employee in 2017 and accepted a full-time position with the company in June 2018.She said she and another employee with her position were laid off and three kept their jobs."Our department has always been super busy, backed up, even," Draper said. "We reviewed medical records if the employees would go out on medical leave, have surgery (or) have an accident.""I don't know how they're going to do it with losing two full-time people," Draper said.The company said the layoffs are part of its 2020 plan to "boost efficiency and productivity." That's what Draper said makes it difficult for her to understand why she was terminated. "It's baffling to me how many people that they let go in the name of productivity and efficiency, who were very productive and efficient employees," Draper said.In less than 24 hours' time, Draper said she went from feeling optimistic about her job to not having one at all."I actually talked to my senior supervisor on Monday who told me that I was getting a raise and a bonus," Draper said. "Then Tuesday morning, I wasn't."Draper said the executive vice president called her."They said, 'We need to let you know about some organizational changes,' and they said, 'Effective immediately, you've been terminated,'" Draper said.She also received a letter highlighting her severance package and the career transition services available to her. Perhaps the most troubling part of losing her job is that Draper said she will lose her health insurance at the end of February. Doctors diagnosed the single mom with breast cancer in September. She had surgery in November and started chemotherapy in December. She still has 11 of those treatments remaining and will then start radiation."It's definitely going to be tough," Draper said.Union Pacific offered her COBRA coverage, but Draper said it's an expensive, short-term fix.Draper said Union Pacific had approved her to work from home since starting treatment. She also had Mondays off so she could attend appointments."They approved me to work a reduced schedule, because it's tough," she said.That's why she fears for her chances of getting another job."I want to work, but I'm not sure how I'm going to go on a job interview and tell them that I have to have every Monday off for the next two to three months," she said.Draper is already applying for jobs, and while she worries for her future, she has a message for those who now also face the unknown as a result of the cuts."You're not alone, and (you) got to stay chin up," she said. "Everything is going to work out."Some of Draper's former co-workers at Union Pacific have set up a GoFundMe page to help her.Union Pacific also terminated 100 additional positions outside of Omaha on Tuesday. Since 2015, Union Pacific has cut nearly 2,000 jobs.