WASHINGTON — America’s freight rail industry dominated the fifth annual America’s Top 50 “Military Friendly-Employers” list published by G.I. Jobs, the nation’s premier career guide for military job-seekers.
The magazine named four Class I freight railroads in the top half of the most military-friendly employers for 2007, selecting BNSF Railway as the No. 1 employer of military personnel. Also making the list were Union Pacific, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
“The nation’s freight railroads maintain a strong commitment to the men and women who serve our country,” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads. “We are proud to do our part to employ the country’s finest citizens. Military service is great training for a future railroader. Their work is 24/7 and so is ours.
“We’re proud that we can provide steady, good-paying jobs to America’s veterans and military,” said Hamberger. “It’s a win-win. Veterans are highly skilled and possess maturity, discipline and strong work ethic”
The G.I Jobs list surveyed companies with earnings of more than $1 billion in annual revenues and based the rankings on areas such as active recruitment efforts and results in hiring America’s former service members. The survey also looked at which companies have the best company policies for employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) offers career opportunities for transitioning military personnel as well as veterans, retirees and members of National Guard and Reserves.
In 2007, BNSF has recruited more than 610 veterans as new hires — 29 percent of all hires. Currently, more than 170 BNSF employees are serving on active duty and over 500 have been called to active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. BNSF also offers enhanced benefits for those employees called to active duty, including make-whole pay and continued health care benefits.
CSX maintains a military section in the employment area of its Web site. Included on the site are videos about making the transition from the military to CSX, a feature that enables prospective hires to match their military experience with job opportunities. The site also offers testimonials from CSX employees.
Norfolk Southern (NS) actively recruits potential hires with military backgrounds for careers in railroad operations and management.
“It is simple: veterans make great railroaders,” said Cindy Earhart, NS vice president, human resources. “We encourage veterans to consider careers with us because they have the safety, leadership and problem-solving skills that we need as our business grows.”
Union Pacific (UP) is no stranger to hiring veterans. Some of UP’s first employees were Civil War veterans, and through its 145-year history, it has supported the military –whether by moving troops and supplies, or by providing good jobs for veterans and active-duty soldiers.
UP has held military-specific recruitment events such as the Nov. 16 “Hire A Vet” All Veterans Job Fair in Tucson, AZ; December 4th “TAP Class” Military/Veterans, in Fallon, NV and the Nov. 16 Military Veteran Career Fair in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Kansas City Southern (KCS) includes targeting military personnel in all of its recruitment efforts. The company’s efforts include job fairs, placing hiring stories in the media and advertisements in magazines such as G.I. Jobs.
— PRNewswire-USNewswire
