Investing in the American workforce

“I knew nothing about the railroad other than it ran on rails,” said Kimberly Vaughn. Yet after a friend encouraged her to apply for a job as an Environmental Specialist with CSX, Kim suddenly became one of two women working in a rail yard in Nashville, TN. More than 20 years later, Kim has become the first female manager of environmental programs for a Class I railroad in the United States.

Chances are that when you think of freight trains, you don’t think of the people keeping the trains running safely and efficiently. Yet for America’s freight railroads, the truth is that human capital is just as essential as tracks and rail ties.

That is why railroads continue to invest in the success of their employees by offering high-paying and long-term career opportunities. In fact, railroad employees are among the best-compensated workers of any U.S. industry. The average total compensation for a railroad employee – including wages and other benefits – is $109,700. The higher-than-average wages paid by freight railroads provide employees and their families the financial security not often found in other sectors of the economy.

Railroads are also providing long-term career opportunities to employees, even as other industries increasingly rely upon temporary workforces. From high school graduates to those holding Master’s degrees, railroads are providing career development opportunities and the chance to build lifelong careers with freight rail.

See how freight railroads deliver career opportunities.

Women like Angela Booker illustrate the career opportunities available with freight railroads. In less than a decade, she has risen from a transportation clerk processing paperwork at Canadian National’s Johnson Yard Tower in Memphis, TN, to a retail logistics coordinator who oversees operations throughout the rail yard. While Angela’s new role has meant a new schedule for her and her daughters, she says, “It’s a big change, but we welcome it.”

Every year, more men and women like Angela start a career with America’s freight railroads. In 2013, railroads planned to hire 11,000 new employees and this year they expect to hire 12,000 more. Many of the newest hires to join the industry are military veterans, who are well prepared for the jobs available. Veterans currently compose almost 25 percent of the rail industry workforce, and more than one-in-five new hires are expected to be veterans. Thanks to the railroads’ long history of hiring our nation’s heroes, today the freight rail industry offers specialized resources to ease the transition between the Armed Forces and a career in railroading.

As a result, veterans like Mark Major feel at home working for America’s freight railroads. After more than 18 years in the military, Mark took a job as a Manager of Yard Operations for Union Pacific and today is Manager of Intermodal Operations in Oakland, CA. “Second to the military, I look at the railroads as the backbone of American infrastructure,” said Mark. “I love my job. I’m contributing to the economy, and I’m committed to this industry. We take servicing our customers very seriously. We’re helping them build America.”

From this year’s graduating class of high school students to our military veterans returning home from overseas, our nation’s railroads are providing thousands of American workers with opportunities for high-paying and long-lasting careers. By investing in their employees, freight railroads are building a world-class workforce to match their world-class rail network and helping to move America toward a more prosperous future.

Interested in a career with the railroads? Visit aar.org/jobs.