(Reuters circulated the following article by Nick Carey on August 11.)
WEST CHICAGO, Illinois — As a boy, Rick Stanics never considered working for the railroad, nor did he imagine that such a career would be so like the Navy.
After 14 years as a U.S. Navy aviation technician, he joined the Union Pacific Corp.,
“Over the years, this company has become more like the military,” the 44-year-old instructor said.
“Like the military, we focus on repetition, doing everything again and again until trainees can be trusted to do it alone,” Stanics explained. “We find that recruits with military experience adapt better to that.”
Of his present class of 15 trainees, two have military service. Jamin Seabert, 28, served two years in the Army, and former Marine Jason Paulson, 36, is training to become a yard operations manager.
“When you work for the railroad, you get a real sense that you are part of something,” said Paulson, adding that Union Pacific’s motto “Building America” gives him a sense of purpose.
Over the coming decade, tens of thousands of experienced engineers and conductors will be joining the retirement ranks after 30 or more years of toiling on the rails.
In a concerted effort to plug that looming workforce gap, U.S. railroads have launched intensive recruitment drives.
One group in particular has become a prime target for rail and other recruiters: military veterans. Adaptable, accustomed to hard work and mission-focused, they have the mindset as well as the skill sets that railroads are seeking.
“(Veterans) are ideally suited to work on the railroads,” said Fred Green, CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.
“This is a tough job 24/7 in all weathers outside and veterans are used to working in adverse conditions,” Green said.
HIRING CRUNCH
Following deregulation in 1980, U.S. railroads were in poor shape and for two decades had to shrink their networks to maximize productivity. After the hiring wave in the 1970s, the companies also had to focus on job cuts.
The last three years have brought a turnaround. Imports have risen as the U.S. manufacturing base has shifted to developing nations like China, while power plants seek more coal as natural gas prices rise.
These trends have boosted business for the railroads, as have rising oil prices and a driver shortage in the U.S. trucking industry.
Add to this the looming vacancies in engineering and conductors jobs, and the railroads’ mission is clear.
Seeing veterans as a beneficial solution, the second-largest U.S. railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.
“(Veterans) like clear objectives,” said McLendon, who served in the U.S. Navy in the 1980s. “They are also highly skilled and easy to train, which makes them a good hiring choice.”
In 2005, one in five of BNSF’s 3,000 new hires were veterans. McLendon said active members of the military begin looking for a new career well in advance, and she spends months talking to them before making a job offer.
“Making the transition to civilian life is a big step and we take time building trust with service members,” she said.
About 200,000 active service members make that transition annually, according to U.S. Department of Defense statistics.
The main recruiting-hiring venues are jobs fairs and veterans-oriented publications such as “G.I. Jobs.”
Union Pacific came in No. 1 in the “G.I. Jobs” 2005 annual list of “Top 25 Military-Friendly Employers.” Others included Johnson Controls Inc.
“Competition is fierce. Many companies target members of the military for the same reasons we do,” McLendon said.
BNSF will receive a Freedom Award from the Defense Department in September for what a department spokesman said was “going above and beyond the call of duty.”
BNSF pays full benefits for its employees who are called into active service, and makes up the difference between their military pay and railroad salary. Major Robert Palmer, spokesman for the Defense Department committee providing employer support to National Guard members and Reservists, said that kind of employer commitment is laudable and works both ways for troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Members of the same units look out for each other so if an employer goes the extra mile, it gets noticed,” he said.
Tony Hatch, an analyst at New York-based ABH Consulting said targeting military veterans was a sound policy.
“In this computer generation many people don’t want hard work like that,” he said. “You can’t say that about veterans.”