Thousands attend job fair hosted by congressman

Thousands gathered on the campus of Chicago State University to take part in a job fair hosted by Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush.

The Chicago Democrat says he was inspired to host Tuesday's event because of planned railroad improvements on Chicago's South Side.

Six railroad companies were present. BNSF human resources director Duncan Brown says the railroad has 75 job openings in Galesburg, with starting salaries around $58,000.

The fair attracted job seekers like 22-year-old Justin Echols of University Park, who has been out of work since ending a seasonal job with UPS in February. Echols told the Chicago Sun-Times he gets frustrated by a difficult job search. But he says he has no choice but to keep going at it.

An estimated 7,000 people attended the job fair.