(The following appeared on the Journal of Commerce website on May 24, 2011.)
washington, D.C. — The seven largest railroads added 935 employees to their U.S. operations from mid-March to mid-April, for a new high since the recovery began in 2009.
The Surface Transportation Board said the seven Class I railroads employed 156,777 workers on tracks inside the U.S. as of the first payroll period in April. That marked the third straight monthly gain after declines in the Class I workforce in December and January.
The April level was the highest since February 2009, when the Class I railroads were rapidly laying off workers as freight demand plummeted while the downturn continued.
Full story: Journal of Commerce