Workin’ on the railroad
Nell McGarity Callahan, who says he works with the Association of American Railroads wrote to tell us what they’re doing for veterans who might be interested in working in our rail system;
· The nation’s freight railroads have an almost 200 year commitment to the nation’s service men and women. Between 20-25 percent of current employees are veterans.
· Today, we continue this tradition by especially targeting veterans as we plan to hire more than 15,000 new employees, approximately 3,000 of whom are expected to be veterans.
· GI Jobs ranked four freight railroad companies in the top twenty of its 2011 “Military Friendly Employers” list.
· With an average annual salary and benefit package of $107,000, veterans who join the freight rail industry can expect a well-paid job—and one that can never be shipped overseas.
You may find the following resources helpful as well :
Veterans Working in the Industry:
AAR on Twitter: AAR_FreightRail
Recent News Coverage of Railroad Hiring:
Thanks,
Nell
Just thought I’d pass this along, because I want all of you dickweeds employed and happy.
Category: Veterans Issues
My father in law was a railroad man.
My paternal grandfather worked on the railroad when he was young, at the turn of the last century.
I’ve been employed since I was 13. I’ve been a dick (as opposed to dickweed) pretty much my entire life. Happy? Meh. Like I tell my boss, as soon as you put the words, “cheerful” or “happy” into my job description, you can’t afford me anymore.
10 minutes of Gandy dancing was enough for me during college summer break employment at a local paper mill. They would hire a bunch of us college duckweeds for entertainment. One mission was working the siding line. Enjoyed rail cutting with a torch though, carbon steel cuts real nice with the right technique. Had just finished the Welding II course so it was neat to see the theory in action. Most memorable moment was pulling old ties using a cow foot pry bar. Two of us are loading the handle and it gives way. The other guy was twice my weight and landed on me. Broke the signal mirror I used to keep in my back pocket (why? I have no idea now…). It was an orginal indestructible glass one from USMC days.
H1, it might please you to know that now, the railroads have a hydraulic operated tie extractor/installer. Gandy dancers are still around though
@5,Roger. This was a couple of years ago.
Like 1981….
@ #2 PN? We must be related – so was mine! Mine was a “carpenter.” He would go to wrecked trains and decide which to salvage, what to repair on the spot and such.
@7 OWB: My grandfather was very young when he got the job; 15 or 16, I think. I don’t know what he did on the railroad, but at 19, he slipped under a train just as it moved, and it nipped off a leg, just below the knee. That was the end of his railroad days.
My paternal grandfather started on the railroad when he left the Navy in the early 30s. He worked for them 40 years, finishing as a yard foreman and I remember going to the railroad yard to see him when I was very young. I’ve got his watch on display here at my house in a glass case.
One of my E5s got back from Iraq last year, and was watching TV. He saw an ad by GSX for railroad controllers (like an air traffic controller for trains).
Took the exam, got the job, went to school, passed the course. 80K to start. 24 years old. No alimony, no child support….just more money than a 24 year old can spend!
My grandfather fixed telegraphs and later telephones for the railroad when he came back from Korea.
My grand father was a employe of the rail-board, he told me there are many worker which were doing hard work insufficient salary.