Sister Kim Collier Paves the Way Forward for Women in Wyoming

Over the past 36 years, Sister Kim Collier (Local 1857, Green River, Wyo.) has learned firsthand that it takes a special kind of person to work on the railroad.

Whether it’s being on call 24/7, working in the yard in the middle of the night, or descending on the State Capitol in Cheyenne to talk with lawmakers about the most significant issues facing rail workers, there’s nothing she hasn’t seen.

“It’s men and women…you definitely have to be able to handle your own,” she told SMART News in an interview. “Common sense, first and foremost. Can you make a decision without [questioning it]? You can make this job very hard, or it could be the easiest job out there.”

Her words of wisdom don’t come lightly: they’re born from more than three decades on the rails, the experiences she’s had, and the knowledge she’s gained along the way.

A Pause During College Leads to a Major Career Change

After graduating from high school, Sister Collier planned to go to college but wanted to take a break first, even though her mom wasn’t thrilled with that idea.

She ended up going to college for two years as a double major in chemistry and zoology with a pre-med focus before going back to her original plan.

Remembering the conversation at the time, she said “Look, I’m paying for all this. I’m taking a break. That way I get some money saved up and not be frazzled at the other end of it.” She took the long-awaited break but ended up working three jobs at the same time.

One day at work, she got a call from her dad who was a conductor based out of Rawlins, Wyo. This was something he never did, so she was convinced that something was wrong.

Fortunately, Sister Collier was wrong: her dad told her that one of the big names at Union Pacific wanted to see her in his office.

When she got there, she was asked one direct question: if Sister Collier were on her dad’s turn, would he give her preferential treatment? Her response: “You don’t know him very well if you’re asking that question, and I’d ask to be the first one out the door doing the job.”

That was the answer he wanted to hear, and she was immediately sent to job services to fill out an application, even though they weren’t hiring. She had an interview two days later and the rest, she says, is on her.

A Legacy That Sister Collier Never Intended to Follow

If you ask Sister Collier if she ever thought she’d hire on the railroad, her response is very honest: never. Part of that is rooted in watching what her dad experienced while she was growing up.

“We never had Christmas on Christmas, but I think three times…whenever my dad was in,” she remembers. “Thanksgiving, the same thing. He never took any time off. He just worked constantly all the time until his vacations came.”

But when it came time to start her two weeks of class, his advice proved invaluable.

“My dad always told me ‘You have respect for this equipment out here. It will kill you in a heartbeat. It has no remorse.’”

More than three decades later, she’s the only one from her class who’s still working on the railroad.

Making Safety Her Personal Mission in the Yard and at the Capitol

One of Sister Collier’s many roles within our union is serving as the Wyoming Legislative Chairperson, whose state board is helmed by Safety & Legislative Director April Ford.

As she puts it, both were “kind of thrown into the fire” in their respective roles, but their complementary personalities and skills have made them a powerful force both at the Capitol and for our brothers and sisters in Wyoming.

“You give [April] something and she’s like a hound dog,” Sister Collier said laughing. “She just keeps on it and on it and on it. And I love that part of it. It’s a very good balance.”

At the Capitol, the women are focused on moving bills covering important issues like train length through the legislature, highlighting a particular passion for Sister Collier: safety.

“Safety is first and foremost in my book,” she emphasized. “All that stuff that was just overlooked [for so long].”

Considering the national spotlight on rail safety, she’s hopeful the bill will finally pass. But if nothing else, her conversations with lawmakers center on a simple question: are you with us or against us?

“It’s not Democrats and Republicans. It’s who’s with us or who’s against us,” she explained. “I think that’s a better way to look at things, because either you’re there for your safety or your health [or you’re not]. Almost 85% of all hazardous materials go through the I-80 corridor on the Union Pacific.”

Building a Bench of Strong Union Sisters Starts with Us

To bring more women into the transportation industry and our SMART-TD union family, Sister Collier points out that education needs to be at the center of that effort.

“What we could do is make more women realize what is out there,” she suggested. “A lot of them never even thought about the railroad.”

Even though the mission is still a work-in-progress, Sister Collier is optimistic based on what she’s seen over the past three decades.

“When you meet women at the union meeting and regionals and stuff like that, it’s like ‘Wow, we do have a bunch of women who are strong,’” she said. “We just need to find more.”