JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. has been awarded the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
The award, given by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) agency, is the Department of Defense’s highest recognition for companies that provide exceptional support for employees serving the Guard and Reserves. In addition to being the only Class I railroad to receive the award this year, CSX is the only company to ever win the award twice, having first received it in 1998.
As one of 15 award recipients, CSX stood out from the more than 4,000 nominees as an employer that actively supports employees who serve both the Guard and Reserves. The honorees distinguished themselves by going to extraordinary lengths to support military employees and their families, through both formal and informal initiatives.
“We are proud to be a major employer of America’s servicemen and women, whose superior training, experience in logistics and ability to work safely in demanding, team-based environments makes them uniquely qualified for railroading. We thank the members of our Guard and Reserves for volunteering to protect our country and its citizens, and as their employer, we remain committed to supporting them,” saidMichael J. Ward, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, CSX.
In addition to programs supporting active members of the Guard and Reserves, CSX has made a strong commitment to employing and supporting veterans. Nearly one in five CSX employees has served in the military and many continue to participate in the Guard and Reserves. CSX has been recognized as one of the top 100 military-friendly employers since 2006 – ranked third in 2011 – by G.I. Jobs magazine. In addition, CSX supports the Jacksonville, Florida-based Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services for injured service members to aid their transition from active duty to civilian lives.
CSX was nominated by Guard and Reserve service members or their families, and selected by a national board comprised of senior defense officials, business leaders and prior awardees. CSX will be recognized along with the other award recipients September 22 at an annual ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The Freedom Award was established in 1996, and employers are only eligible to win the award once every ten years. The ESGR was established in 1972 in order to coordinate efforts to promote employer awareness and engagement of issues faced by employees who are members of the Guard and Reserve.
