(The Gazette News Services circulated the following article on July 10.)
CASPER, Wyo. — Union Pacific Railroad expects 40 percent of its work force to retire over the next decade, prompting the company to seek new hires while older employees are around to help train them.
“What we’re doing now, rather than waiting until the last minute, we are advertising and promoting jobs — especially train service jobs,” said UP spokesman James Barnes.
A UP employee with 30 years of service is eligible for full retirement benefits at 65.
Barnes said most of the workers will be needed on the UP mainline in southern Wyoming to handle the heavy eastbound traffic from the West Coast. He said replacements also will be needed in the Powder River Basin, where UP is a major coal hauler.
The railroad employs about 1,500 people in Wyoming. Engineers and conductors can earn up to $40,000 their first year and $75,000 in future years.