(The Associated Press circulated the following article by David Pitt on November 27.)
BOONE, Iowa — The hours are irregular and the work means long days away from home, but 22-year-old Brady Foster is following in his father’s footsteps and signing on with the railroad.
The need for young workers like Foster is enormous, as thousands of baby boomers retire at a time when railroad companies are seeing a surge in business.
The companies are stepping up recruitment, targeting Iraq war veterans and laid off factory workers.
”I saw one of my dad’s paychecks and I decided that was for me,” said Foster, who chose a career with Union Pacific Railroad Co. over teaching.
Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific, the nation’s largest freight carrier, will hire about 6,000 new employees this year, said Roy Schroer, assistant vice president for human resources.
Too many employees over 40
”Our hiring needs have grown dramatically,” Schroer said. ”I think, generally, forecasts would say assuming a level economy or a strong economy, we’re going to have the need to hire at least 5,000 people a year for the next several years.”
The hiring is a marked change from the 1980s, when the railroad industry was in a rapid consolidation, combining the work forces of many railroads and prompting layoffs. Union Pacific, for example, is the product of seven mergers in the last 27 years.
As a result, many railroad companies haven’t hired many people until the last few years. They now find themselves with lots of employees in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
‘They’re afraid’
The jobs typically pay well. At Union Pacific, an employee can become a train engineer within three to five years at a salary of $75,000.
Pat McGovern, a conductor and former manager in Chicago, moved to Iowa to be an instructor.
He said the work isn’t for everyone.
”A few people are book smart but they get out here and they’re afraid of the equipment. It’s huge,” he said. ”After three weeks, you can tell whether they’re going to make it or not.”