The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Army to join the Partnership for Your Success Program (PaYS), a recruiting initiative that prepares Army soldiers for their future after honorably serving their country.

The partnership is the latest in a series of initiatives the CTA has taken to recruit and support the veteran workforce.

“CTA is committed to becoming an employer of choice for veterans because we recognize and value their unique experiences, skills, and knowledge,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “Through recruitment and partnership efforts, we strive to offer the support and resources our Veterans and their families need to succeed in our community and workforce.”

The CTA has a long history of welcoming veteran workers and is committed to recruiting even more veterans whose skill sets and experiences gained through the military translate well and are a natural step into numerous CTA positions. 

To help increase veteran recruiting and better serve those who are currently employed by the CTA, several new initiatives have recently been implemented, including:

• Participation in multiple local and military-based job fairs.

• Partnering with organizations, such as Recruit Military to post positions and expand the veteran applicant pool.

• Building a CTA veteran resources website that includes a career transition assistance tool which matches Military Occupational Specialty codes to CTA-specific positions.

• Establishing Veteran Employee Resource Group — also known as VERG — an internal veterans’ committee called to expand the Veteran footprint at CTA and better serve veteran employees and their families, by providing them with information on available benefits, offers, discounts, and opportunities

The Army PaYs partnership will provide the CTA a new direct recruiting channel for veteran men and women of the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserves, Army National Guard, and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. — a vital asset as the agency works to aggressively recruit and strengthen its workforce. 

CTA has expanded recruitment and hiring efforts as part of the “Meeting the Moment” Action Plan, a multi-tiered effort to provide more reliable service and improve the customer experience. New operators and mechanics are critically needed in helping the CTA address an industry-wide worker shortage, the main contributing factor behind current service reliability challenges.

Operator and mechanic positions are often the first step in establishing a long, rewarding career within the diverse field of transportation. Several of CTA’s executives and management began their careers at the CTA as mechanics and operators and have quickly risen through the ranks. 

The CTA is currently offering a $1,000 hiring bonus, plus eligibility to earn retention bonuses through December 2023, based on hire date. In addition, the starting hourly rates for select union positions have recently been increased, including that of full-time Bus Operators (now $28.99, with a top pay rate of $38.66), and for Bus Mechanics (start at top rate now $40.59).