rail employment

Maintenance-of-way rail union and Union Pacific tussle over furloughs

Debate about furloughs at Union Pacific and how many employees could be affected continue to play out in the public arena following a recent industry conference where Surface Transportation Board Chairman Marty Oberman called out Union Pacific leadership.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division (BMWED) sent two letters to the STB: one on Oct. 27 before the RailTrends conference in November hosted by Progressive Railroading and independent Wall Street analyst Tony Hatch and one...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/maintenance-of-way-rail-union-and-union-pacific-tussle-over-furloughs

Employment with US Class I railroads up 4.4% year over year

Employment numbers with the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in mid-November were the highest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, according to data collected by the Surface Transportation Board.

However, some are questioning whether some aspects of other employment data collected by the board truly reflect the state of employment in the industry. There is also a broader question of whether the pace of hiring is going fast enough to surpass pre-pandemic levels. 

In...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/employment-with-us-class-i-railroads-up-44-year-over-year

Overall US Class I rail headcount flat despite efforts to boost hiring

An man wearing a hard hat and a neon work vest looks closely at a railcar.

Despite headcount gains over the first six months of 2022 for train and engine employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads, the six-month average accounting for all categories of employees has barely moved from the first six months of 2021, according to data submitted by the Class I railroads to the Surface Transportation Board.

The year-over-year changes come as rail stakeholders are wondering if and when the Class I railroads’ efforts to ramp up hiring to match network...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/overall-us-class-i-rail-headcount-flat-despite-efforts-to-boost-hiring

Employee headcount falls in August at US Class I rail operations

A photograph of a train at a rail crossing.

Employee headcount at the U.S. Class I railroads fell both year-over-year and sequentially in August, amid a rise in U.S. carload traffic but a decline in intermodal volumes.

Employees working at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in August totaled 114,431, a 2.83% decline from August 2020 and a 1.07% drop from July 2021, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.

The steepest declines year-over-year came from the maintenance of equipment and stores category and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/employee-headcount-falls-in-august-at-us-class-i-rail-operations

June US Class I rail headcount flat even as volumes grow

A photograph of a man turning the steel wheel of an intermodal car.

June employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were roughly flat with May, growing 0.8% amid a 21% growth in U.S. rail volumes.

Headcount at Class I U.S. rail operations totaled 115,931 employees in June, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board. That’s a 0.37% increase from May but a 0.17% decrease from June 2020.

The slight increase between May and June comes as the U.S. Class I railroads originated 2.56 million carloads and intermodal units in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/june-us-class-i-rail-headcount-flat-even-as-volumes-grow

CSX wants to grow headcount so it can grow network capacity

A photograph of a CSX train at a rail yard.

CSX is looking at how it attracts new hires as the railroad strives to add employees so that it has enough capacity to handle demand.

Like other industries, the railroads have encountered challenges finding potential employees, and that challenge has stunted CSX’s (NASDAQ: CSX) plans to improve service metrics such as terminal dwell and train velocity, said CSX President and CEO Jim Foote during his company’s second-quarter 2021 earnings call on Wednesday.

Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX needs to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/csx-wants-to-grow-headcount-so-it-can-grow-network-capacity

US Class I rail headcount sees modest gains in May

A photograph of a man walking by a locomotive in a rail yard.

Employment levels for the U.S operations of the Class I railroads in May were at their highest point in 2021 year to date, although overall headcount is still down year-over-year, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

The increase in U.S. Class I headcount comes as a number of Class I railroads tell federal regulators that they are actively recruiting and hiring for new train conductors (see below).

Headcount for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-class-i-rail-headcount-sees-modest-gains-in-may

STB presses Class I railroads for workforce, equipment input

A photograph of a train rolling by.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has asked the Class I railroads through a series of recent letters to keep in close touch with regulators as the U.S. economy recovers, fall peak approaches and port congestion and chassis availability clog the supply chain.

Specifically, the board is asking the Class I railroads to provide their long-term plans in hiring as well as continue to provide information on demurrage and accessorial charges. 

Last Thursday, STB Chairman Marty Oberman sent a letter...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stb-presses-class-i-railroads-for-workforce-equipment-input

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