The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division is continuing to express its disappointment over planned furloughs at Union Pacific. But UP insists that it will call back furloughed employees as the railway pursues rail service and safety goals.
Surface Transportation Board Chair Marty Oberman at a national rail shippers conference urged the railroads to increase their employee levels as a way to improve rail service.
The unions blast the Class I railroads’ public statements on the railroads’ efforts to bolster employee head count in a filing to the Surface Transportation Board.
The number of employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads rose 4.4% year over year in November. But some of the employment data submitted to the board should be provided in a more user-friendly way, an attorney representing several unions said.
While headcount for train and engine employees is up for the first six months of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, the freight rail headcount across all categories hasn’t risen.
Transportation & Warehousing Employment by Transportation mode
Despite flat-to-higher rail volumes in August both year-over-year and sequentially, the number of employees working at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell slightly.
Transportation employment update
Employment levels in June for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads held steady from May, although U.S. rail volumes grew by one-fifth over the same period.
CSX wants to come up with long-lasting strategies to hire talent so that it can ensure that it can grow capacity in the future, said CSX President and CEO Jim Foote during the company’s second-quarter 2021 earnings call on Wednesday.
Employment levels at the U.S. operations of Class I railroads were flat to higher from April to May. But year-over-year totals show a nearly 3% decline. Meanwhile, the Class I railroads say they’re actively hiring and training in 2021.
Transportation Employment Update
The rail regulatory body sent several letters to Class I railroad heads last week, asking them to provide plans on how they expect to handle workforce and equipment in light of broader supply chain disruptions and anticipated service demand post-pandemic.
April employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads were up 0.42% from March but down 7% year-over-year.
Adoption of technology has influenced U.S. Class I railroads’ staffing. Will additional technological innovation cut headcount even more, or will other factors have greater weight?
U.S. Class I rail headcount totaled 113,461 employees in January.
U.S. operations of the Class I railroads employed fewer employees in 2020 than in any year since at least 2012. Headcount was 14% lower than in 2019.
Total employment among the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads fell nearly 14% year-over-year amid the railroads’ continued deployment of precision scheduled railroading.
The Eastern U.S. railroad attributed its decision to furlough employees to changing market conditions.
October’s total employment level among the U.S. Class Is was the second lowest for 2020 as railroads implement PSR.
Rail stakeholders debate the legacy of precision scheduled railroading and the common carrier obligation.
Lower volumes blamed for the job reductions in Kansas.
The rail equipment and technology provider is one of many companies that have laid off or furloughed employees because of the lower-volume environment exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The railroad didn’t say where the layoffs occurred, but they affect union and management employees across the 23-state network.
An increase in U.S. rail traffic pulled headcount higher in July.
The reduction in employee levels comes as the railroads deploy cost-cutting measures to match network capacity needs with market demand.
Pandemic-induced rail volume declines, operational changes among reasons for falling employment figures
The coronavirus pandemic and declining coal volumes hit employee levels at freight and passenger rail companies.
Employee counts at U.S. Class I railroads continue to be lower in 2020 than 2019, although total headcount rose slightly from February.
Total headcount falls to its lowest level amid continued declines in U.S. rail volumes.
Slumping rail volumes and the Class I railroads’ operational efficiency efforts contribute to the headcount decline.
The Eastern U.S. rail company cites declining coal volumes and fewer utilized locomotives as contributing factors for the closure.
Employment levels at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads hit their lowest point in years, according to data from the Surface Transportation Board.
Improving rail volumes and service are among the crucial issues to look out for as the railroads reveal their 2020 guidance in the coming days.
The U.S. operations of the Class I railroads continue to shed employees.
The notice of proposed rulemaking pertains to training for Class II and Class III rail employees.
Headcount within U.S. Class I rail operations tumbles amid declining rail volumes and the deployment of precision railroading.
The railway cited challenging economic headwinds and could release up to 1,600 employees.
