The freight railroads, intercity passenger and commuter railroads, and rail supply companies of the United States expect to hire more than 5,000 veterans in 2012.
The Association of American Railroads announced Thursday that Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH) has become its newest full member.
Represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, the major U.S. railroads late Thursday reached tentative agreements with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the American Train Dispatchers Association, which together represent about 26,500 employees in collective bargaining. The last remaining union without a settlement, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE), agreed with the railroads to extend the “cooling off” period until Feb. 8, 2012, eliminating the immediate threat of a national rail strike, which could have occurred as soon as Dec. 6.