Rail Industry Plans To Hire 5,000 Veterans In 2012

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that the nation’s rail sector, for the second year in a row, will hire more than 5,000 veterans. The railroad association and the Department of Veterans Affairs are working with 500 railroad companies committed to offering jobs to veterans. “The railway industry clearly recognizes that hiring veterans is good for their companies, bottom line, and we are appreciative of their efforts to serve veterans as well as they have served the country,” Brad Cooper, executive director of Joining Forces, a White House initiative to provide opportunities and support to service members and their families, told CNN. Earlier this month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $29 million in grants to improve access to local transportation jobs for veterans.