Union Pacific, BNSF: $25K signing bonuses to woo job seekers

Written by Railway Age Staff
Union Pacific train engineer

Photo: Union Pacific

It’s not just investment bankers and Wall Street traders who are getting big bonuses. Add newly-hired railroad workers to the list.

Both Union Pacific and BNSF have posted generous incentives in a bid to invite would-be railroaders to join their ranks, as the economy surges and available labor thins out.

Union Pacific is offering signing bonuses of as much as $25,000, along with incentives, according to the Wall Street Journal. Incentives for new hires start at $15,000 at BNSF, the Dallas Business Journal reports.

Why? Unemployment across the U.S. has fallen to new lows, particularly in rural areas where the railroads are hiring.

“Hiring has become more difficult,” BNSF Railway spokesperson Amy Casas told the Dallas Business Journal. “This year, BNSF expects to fill more than 3,500 hourly positions across our network in areas including our transportation, engineering, dispatching and mechanical crafts.”

Other reasons for the scant labor ranks, according to executives in the railroad industry: Potential job applicants in some areas don’t possess the skills for railroad jobs, or won’t take, or can’t pass, a drug screening.

There are strings attached. Union Pacific Corp. bonuses are being paid out over time and new employees are expected to work out of specific for three years. Those who don’t last the full term have to pay back the bonuses, the Wall Street Journal writes.

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