(The following story by John O’Connell appeared on the Idaho State Journal website on January 16.)
POCATELLO, Idaho — Based on an improving economy combined with a shortage of conductors and engineers, Union Pacific Railroad will hire more than 1,000 workers systemwide, including positions in Pocatello.
UP spokesman John Bromley did not say how many new jobs Pocatello will get, but he said the local positions will be conductors, whose starting annual salaries are about $40,000 per year, should they work 12 months.
Many current Pocatello conductors will be trained and promoted to engineers, he said.
The deadline to apply for the new jobs is Jan. 25, and applications will be accepted on the Internet at www.up.com.
Bromley said UP added 2,500 new jobs in 2003, mostly toward the end of the year.
“I don’t have specific numbers, but I can tell you we expect like numbers this year,” Bromley said. “We’re trying to recruit as many applicants as we can.”
The new jobs are further proof Pocatello is headed for recovery, Mayor Roger Chase said.
“UP jobs are the greatest jobs we have, and we’re always excited when we get those in our community,” Chase said. “We’ve always been a UP town.”
As the economy has improved, so has the demand for rail shipping, Bromley said.
He said UP predicted a continuation of a slow economy for 2003 and offered an early retirement incentive to reduce its staff. More workers than expected took advantage of the early retirement option, he said.
Bromley said UP has been short staffed for several months throughout its system.
“We had originally forecast at the beginning of 2003 the economy was not going to be very robust. We hoped to reduce the work force through attrition,” Bromley said. “Traffic has been increasing. That’s why we need more trainmen.”
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Hiring sessions will be conducted in Pocatello to select the best applicants.
Last year, Union Pacific transferred several Pocatello train car service jobs to other locations.
“The jobs that have left Pocatello are in car repair. This is an entirely different arena,” Bromley said.
At one point, UP was Pocatello’s largest private employer. The nation’s largest railroad now employs 536 workers in Pocatello.