STB: Class I employment rose in April; unions question data

Class Is employed 121,391 workers in April, a 0.6% increase from March's level and a 5.09% increase compared with April 2022's count, according to Surface Transportation Board data.

Five of six employment categories registered increases between March and April. Those were transportation (train and engine), up 0.99% to 51,556 employees; maintenance of equipment and stores, up 0.7% to 18,030; maintenance of way and structures, up 0.35% to 28,715; transportation (other than train and engine), up 0.25% to 4,891; and executives, officials and staff assistants, up 0.15% to 8,159.

Professional and administrative was the only employment category that logged a month-to-month decrease, which was 0.31% to 10,040.

Year over year, all categories registered increases: Transportation (train and engine) rose 7.39%; executives, officials and staff assistants, 7.31%; transportation (other than train and engine), 4.22%; professional and administrative, 4.67%; maintenance of equipment and stores, 3.58%; and maintenance of way and structures, 1.8%.

Meanwhile, several rail unions told the STB in comments filed May 22-23 that the employment levels at the Class Is are not increasing as much as the board members may believe.

The unions filed comments on what they suggest is the Class Is' lack of progress in hiring more workers and improving rail service since the STB held hearings last year in response to complaints from shippers.

The unions say the railroads continue to pursue the precision scheduled railroading model (PSR) of cost-cutting. Under the PSR model, the Class Is dramatically reduced employment in all crafts in recent years, which led to the service issues that shippers complained about last year, according to the unions.

"The Class Is have attempted to persuade the board and industry stakeholders that they have increased employment. But they have not done so," the unions state in their latest comments. "As noted in prior filings by some of the unions, the Class Is have provided spreadsheets, pie sheets and graphs that show they have been hiring, but they have not provided information on net employment."

The unions' filings can be found through this link, document Nos. 306636 and 306648.