Rail Industry set to hire 5000 returning US veterans

Rail Industry and White House Task Force to take care of returning veterans
By: Riley Whitelock Volunteer Intern

    The White House 'Joining Forces' initiative backed and promoted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden has found new success in a thriving rail industry ripe with retirements and full of opportunity.  The taskforce is one that seeks to find stable and well-paying jobs for our nation’s veterans to enter upon their return from war.  The website proudly declares, “1% of Americans may be fighting our wars, but we need 100% of Americans to be supporting our troops and their families.”  It is in this spirit that the rail industry has stepped up to the plate when, earlier this year, they committed to hire more than 5,000 veterans in 2012. 

    The Association of American Railroads (AAR) recently announced that the rail industry – freight trains, commuter railroads, and metropolitan rapid transit lines – expect to exceed that number.  America’s railroads have a long and proud history with the U.S. military dating back almost 200 years.   Approximately 25% of the industry employs workers who have a background in military service.  What other industries fail to understand is the leadership skills, discipline, and values of integrity and honesty that are so imperative in the military are highly transferable skills in the workplace.  These are highly desirable qualities that the AAR, Amtrak, and other rail companies are wisely tuned into. 

    Many veterans face steep hurdles upon return from war zones in adjusting back to civilian life and finding employment from employers willing to invest into their future and realize the value of their backgrounds.  President and CEO of the AAR, Edward R. Hamberger said, “We’re proud to be able to offer military men and women with not only jobs, but true potential careers in jobs that are a great fit with the skills they’ve acquired while serving our country.”  For the railroad industry, it is not simply an end to a means to pay the bills for transitioning veterans, it also offers them a stable career track with opportunity for advancement.  An older management and workforce of the baby-boomer generation are beginning to retire in droves in many rail and rail-related companies.  There is an abundance of openings in these fields not only because of retirement but also because of a bright future of growth and expansion of American’s railroad industry.  With cities increasingly realizing the pluses of expanded rapid transit subway systems and regional, state governments, and Congress beginning to pump stimulus money into high-speed rail projects (such as the recently approved line in California) the industry will continue to see growth as more Americans demand an increased choice in transportation due to rising fuel costs and road congestion.

    A further breakdown of the hiring numbers shows the vast majority of the veterans employed are being placed in the field of freight railroads with hiring targeted at 4,700.  Commuter rails such as Amtrak intend to hire 500, and railroad supply companies round out the list with a planned 200 additions in 2012.

    With the unemployment rate stalled at 8.2% and in the height of a partisan-charged election year, the issue of how to treat our nation’s veterans and find them secure work will be one that garners much debate and dialogue from both sides.   

To read the full story check out the AAR's website.