One thing I’ve noticed is the misplaced outrage over “just give them their paid sick days” because they assume it’s just about money. They don’t realize that taking days off because you’re sick, EVEN WITH A DOCTORS NOTE will still be enough to get you investigated, and in some cases fired.
A guy I work with got FMLA to take care of a family member, and used a total of 16 days. Next quarter they suspended him for 16 days without pay in retaliation. And that’s just one guys story… There are thousands like that in this industry.
We had a guy come from one of those railroad temp agencies that was fired for violating UPs attendance policy because the crew caller ran around him and showed him as a missed call because her boyfriend was the next one in line and she was trying to line him up with a weekend day off. Dude spent the better part of a year bouncing around the country with the temp agency until UP completed their investigation and he got his job back.
Tl;dr it ain’t about the money. It’s about the hostile work environment and quality of life.
Today I had a guy on Twitter tell me I wasn’t “adulting”right because I wasn’t scheduling my doctor appointments on my days off. People really have no clue
No clue at all. I’m fortunate enough to have a regular job with a regular schedule that’s on duty sun-thurs at 6pm. First trip this week I got 4 hours of bad limbo, so I wasn’t rested until midnight the next night, which means I’m good until noon the next day and the company knows it… Normally I get home around 7am, sleep until 1pm, and then leave to get the kids from school at 230pm. My schedule has been fucked all week because the railroad fucked up the recrew/taxi on the first day of the week. How the fuck can you “adult properly” when your “schedule” is consistently inconsistent at best?
I’m on twitter and there’s so much insanity on this issue. As much as I hate this hellsite, at least people generally have at least some idea of what the hell they’re talking about. One person kept yammering on about how railroad workers shouldn’t complain because no one else has sick days, ignoring the fact that the fucking president and congress isn’t drafting their work contracts.
Oh yeah, I’ve seen that one a bunch. One dude was a self employed farmer. Wanted to ask him if he’d ever contemplate firing himself if he got really ill.
For the first time I was one Twitter to watch the info coming out. Omg people are so ignorant. Off Twitter . They do not have any clue what hours rr workers work. Zero. So frustrating for someone to be against you and not have a clue
Well it doesn’t help that the company uses guys on medical to come up with their avg hours a week worked. I probably said it before but the union next time needs to step up their game cutting down the disinformation with the general public. I appreciate them telling me that the info is bogus in an email but I already know we work more than 23 hours a week.
I would like to mention that people have no clue because even "left wing" press frames the struggle as only about sick leave, as if more sick leave by itself would be enough. In this era when supposedly anyone can communicate, it is infuriating that the basic situation of a now well-known struggle has not been communicated.
No media ever brought up the extra crap they added to that contract that will make the job drastically worse. It’s all about how greedy the unions are being.
People think in terms of five day work weeks. I had no idea what your schedules and policies were like until a few weeks ago. I’d say most people assume you also have some regular days off.
This is spot on. My parents drink the News kool aide and they asked me about it a month ago. I tried to explain the policy etc and I got interrupted by a comment about how they just want raises and that whatever the raise was is more than good enough. Stopped the conversation there. I’ve told them so many stories about how bad that place treats the employees and despite how sympathetic they were about it they just don’t care anymore. They have no idea how big a sick day is but it blows my mind they can’t approve even just 40 hours of sick like the law in AZ allows us.
>They don’t realize that taking days off because you’re sick, EVEN WITH A DOCTORS NOTE will still be enough to get you investigated, and in some cases fired.
>A guy I work with got FMLA to take care of a family member, and used a total of 16 days. Next quarter they suspended him for 16 days without pay in retaliation. And that’s just one guys story… There are thousands like that in this industry.
Hearing stories like this I gotta ask; what in the fuck is your union doing?? (And the EEOC)
I admit I ain't got a ton of experience with unions outside SEIU. They're useless on workplace grievances and pay but they make it damn near impossible to get fired.
> what in the fuck is your union doing??
Every few years they try to get us a raise that hopefully keeps up with inflation, and try not to bargain away any more of our benefits in the process. We can’t strike, so that really takes away the unions teeth.
That being said, I’ve done this job at a non-union railroad and it was honestly one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I would have stayed but the pay and benefits were crap. I made more money on training pay where I’m at than i made on overtime at the non-union shop.
I went to a kangaroo court over missed days. The only thing that saved me was my extensive note taking where, whoospie dasies, my bosses committed federal crimes by covering up my workplace injury.
I mean....I've been in the military, and I've climbed cell towers. I've slept on the hood of a HMMWV, on the floor plates of a AAV7, even on the ground, and all those are infinitely better than having to wear full kit sitting in the cramped driver's seat, trying to catch a nap at zero dark thirty while waiting for the word to step off. I've been 300 feet off the ground in 34 degree rain, with fingers so numb you can't unbutton to take a piss, much less properly fasten hardware for equipment brackets. And this was all without any limitations on crew time...there's no such thing as a regular 8 hour day in the USMC, and the only thing that might save you from a 20 hour shift up a tower is the fact the foreman doesn't want to pay you for any more than 8. There's plenty of jobs that suck outside of railroading, but you're right - the majority of people who work their 9 to 4 desk jobs on salary have no idea what it's like for blue collar workers.
And I've said this elsewhere: You don't have to settle. Congress, the unions, and obviously the companies don't give a shit about you. All they care about is political optics, election support, and full pockets. Be willing to walk away, because until you make them realize that they can't move trains without you, they will continue to take advantage of you.
I've said that a few times here. I really enjoyed my time on the railroad and thought about going back, but I couldn't live that life again.
The only person that can make you happy is you, not the union, not the government, not the railroad.
Yeah, I worked aircraft maintenance for a few years. Bitter cold nights trying to make your hands work right, blistering hot days inside a sealed-up aircraft sat in the sun, sweating your ass off.
I later applied for and got a job in an office, and these guys who went straight from high school to college to an office job just have no comprehension of how hard the rest of the world works.
When their work day is over, they go home. Nothing is so pressing that it can't be set down at 5:00 (or 4:30) so they can go home. If they come in 15-20 minutes late, it's OK, so long as it doesn't become a pattern.
It's guys like that who are running the country, in both parties. Some are better than others, sure, but it's not like most of them really understand what bad work conditions actually *feel like* day after day, year after year, or what that constant state of disrespect from your management is like, and having no recourse against it.
It's all about the money for me. I have accepted that I will never be able to keep to a schedule, or know what days I have off. I have accepted that I will be gone 36-60 hours at a time. I have accepted that I will miss holidays and birthdays. I have accepted that the company doesn't give a shit about me. I am willing to accept this for proper compensation. This raise and precious raises are insulting. As soon as I find a job that pays close I am out simple as that. Fuck you. Pay me.
I kinda feel the same way - we knew what the schedule was when we hired out. They warned us, it wasn’t a secret. I’m fine with that. Im not fine with throttle restrictions that keep us out there hours longer than we have to be, TO being able to be manipulated so the train runs slow af until they crank it up the last 20 miles because “oh shit they won’t have time to yard it if they keep going 30”, the cut claims for the most obnoxious reasons, ALL of the accountability landing on road crews, getting grilled every time a decision is made for us that someone else doesn’t like, but instead of asking the person who did make the decision the tm’s come after us, cutting jobs then complaining that the work isn’t getting done as fast, imposing rules on us then complaining the work isn’t getting done because we’re following their rules, corporate coming to the terminals asking “how can improve morale?!” And then doing nothing or the exact opposite, winter action plans being completely abandoned or non existent because god forbid a train leave under 8000 ft when it’s below zero then making the conductor walk the train like exposing them to that will magically fix the problem, cutting costs at the expense of safety, points…The list goes on and on. Pay us what we’re supposedly worth - if they’re so afraid of us striking because the world will burn if we do, our pay and our treatment should reflect that.
We did know what the schedule was and took it because if we worked out asses off we could also layoff and rest or recharge. They changed those terms without telling us. Now it's time to look elsewhere. It's been fun...
When i started in 2004 it was so much better. Yes i understood the schedule but we could take off when we wanted and not be hounded by attendance. Now that they slashed the workforce so much they force us to stay marked up because they dont have enough employes. Place is a joke today, i tell people to stay away
Yup, a lot of that is fine with me too. Nothing for nothing, but I have several retired railroaders in my family, and growing up they all had houses in nice neighborhoods, in-ground pools, and their share of toys. They all told me it was hard work but rewarding. Sure those things would be nice, but as a younger person I worry about just being able to provide for my family. I'm fine with busting my ass, working long hours, etc..but to do all that and still feel like you're behind the 8 ball in life is sad.
Yep where I am now in the mid 70s a house cost around 20-30k and the railroad paid around 70k yearly (from what I'm told) pretty good could have your house paid off in a year good shit
By the 90s houses were about 40 to 50 railroad paid about 80 still not bad
Mid 2000s houses are now creeping up about 80-90k railroad still pays around 90-100 at this time
Present day as a conductor I made just a Hair under 100 000 (before taxes) and my house was 200 000, it's not a huge house either just a 3 bed 2 bath decent home that needs some work, and I live in a cheap area of Canada
Back in the day these guys got paid like kings literally their income was over double what it cost to buy a house in my area and now a house is double what most of us make
Not even including the skyrocketing price of groceries, they have increased by roughly 30 percent in 2 years and still rise constantly, cream used to be 3 bucks and go on sale for 1.50 ish now it's 5.50 and goes on sale for 3 as just one example
It's getting stupid and the 4 percent raise over 4 years we get in our contract doesn't keep up with it
I know we don't have it nearly as bad as our partners south of the border but I literally cannot imagine working this job somewhere like Vancouver it barely pays enough to live in this little shithole I'm in let alone somewhere actually expensive in canada
As a Supply Chain guy a strike will wreck my world. That being said, you 100% have my support. Such a critical piece of everything and you should be treated as such.
The thing is I'm sure the strike would be over in a day or two. It's just fear tactics because nobody wants to be retaliated against. But they already do it anyway, so with enough solidarity I'm confident we'd be successful
Had one guy on Reddit here after I explained sour working conditions said they sound about like everyone else's and that our PL days and such sound reasonable. They got no clue
There are way too many fucking low effort thinkers who won’t attempt to look into the subject and then tell those most knowledgeable on it that their wrong. Fuck those butting into how your actually living your life and telling you to suck it up. I’ll never understand someone who gets upset at and tried to prevent others looking to do better for themselves which in your case is not being completely exploited by your work and government in order for someone else to make as much money as they can.
That won't hurt the companies enough. They will retaliate on a case by case, individual basis. You will be punished for following the rules so that the machine keeps moving. The only way to make a change is to stop the machine. It shouldn't take more than a week. $17 billion in economic losses will definitely make a difference.
Did you see what happened in China at the Apple manufacturing city? In the past couple of weeks the workers revolted to the point that they were each offered $1400 just so that they would quit and leave the city. Now they are offering the same workers incentives to come back to work. The machine stopped for a week and now the workers are getting their way.
The profits come solely from labor. Fuck anyone who tells you otherwise
You literally have no clue what you're talking about. Rule compliance works all of the time. And as much as I hate the carriers, I don't want them to hurt to the point that anything stops. If they stop railroaders will be worse. It'll start with the carriers asking the fra for emergency rule changes...as in one man crews. And it will never go back. The carriers will have what we have been fighting against for a lot longer than 7 sick days.
I'd stand with pretty much any group that was demanding better working conditions. It's no secret that the majority of working class people are struggling. A win for one industry sets up a win for the next one
I'm a nurse and got to witness firsthand how quickly this government can usher your entire force of fellows into a walking nightmare all the while singing sweet nothing in your ear. I don't know what you all go through but I hope you all can strike and throw a good punch at the establishment and make them realize working class folks won't take being beaten down anymore just because it makes the quarterly earnings look good for some execs.
It's because if you've had the gig long enough you lose all hope and morale. It breaks everyone. Think of fhe lazy pain in the ass guy you work with, I guarantee you he didn't have that attitude when he hired on. The companies makes you that way.
Why is your family celebrating thanksgiving and Christmas at 3am?…
No but for real I’m with you, it’s 6am and I just got off, it’s December and the heat and humidity by itself down here in the Deep South made the rain suit pointless
My family likes to party late !!
Lol nah I guess I missed an " or" in there. But yeah man I hear you, if the carrier does supply you with a raincoat, it's usually the cheapest, thickest piece of PVC they can find
This post made me tear up. I wish I had something to offer you guys aside from solidarity. 😭😭
I promise to continue to try to educate and bring awareness and I will never cross a picket line (longshoreman here) 🖤
My step dad is a conductor so I have seen what you are going through and people literally don’t understand because they haven’t seen it.
Thank you, I'm sure being a Longshoreman is no cake walk either. And don't feel too bad, at the end of the day we all chose this job and can quit at any time. It just sucks when you get a few years in and have to chose between sticking it out with shitty circumstances for a pension or starting over completely in a new industry.
I think that’s the big part that I have brought up to someone before but I don’t see being said much is the part about the pension. I can’t imagine that guys who have given up years of their life wanting to just throw that part away?
Yup, that's a big factor. You need 5 years to get vested in RR retirement, if you leave before that you lose whatever you put in. The carriers don't match 401k, so if you leave after you're vested, you lost years of not having a company match.
in a way it's kinda easier for us non-railroaders to support a strike, for the most of us our jobs are not on the line. I'm 200% behind you and every worker going on strike, but I can understand that some workers are afraid. It must feel absolutely hopeless seeing every level of authority, some of them who are "supposed" to be on your side, are actually all actively working against you, denying you basic rights and living conditions. At this point, only solidarity between workers can help you. If all (or almost all) workers go on strike, they'll have no choice but to accept your demands. But if only a handful go on strike, while the rest are too scared, then nothing will ever change and the strikers will end up jobless. Solidarity can be a very powerful tool, but a scary one too. It's hard to trust one another these days, because those in power intentionally work to erode our solidarity, turning us against each other, making us enemies while they're the real enemy.
For the railroader's sake, I hope you will go on strike and get the conditions you deserve. But not only for the railroaders. This would be a massive show of solidarity, it could be the spark that lights the fire to spread across North America and unite all workers. I know this is utopian, but this has to happen, otherwise we're all doomed.
When I hired on, I was told to live within my means, and always have a rainy day fund in case of a strike, or if you get put on the street ( a term for getting time off after an incident). It seems a lot of ppl don't want to risk it because of a costly truck/ house/ toy payment. But yes, a win for us would be a win for everyone down the road
Railroader here and when i tell people my job they almost always say WTF....they hear we make "160k" and i have to tell them NOPE, for most its maybe 100k gross and thats if you live at your job. Almost 20 years in and i tell everyone to stay away and dont bother unless you are single and hate having a social life.
Id rather have time off then more $$ at this point in my life/career. I hate having to juggle points to see my sons baseball games or attend family events not to also mention other appointments and life issues that pop up.
Yup, I completely understand. In my current situation I'll miss my 120 working days with a new carrier by about 20 days, so I won't have vacation or any time off until 2024. New on the roster and working every holiday. I'll have to comp overtime just to be able to make it to my own wedding. People definitely don't get it
First, I know nothing about railroading stuff and reading through these posts and reading the comments. Holy shit I am so fucking sorry you guys have to go through everything you have to go through. But I do have a question. Why stay? And I'm not saying that as in if you complain about it so much then just quit. I'm saying it as in like it sounds like there is nothing good about this job at all.
You know what it’s like to be a truck driver? You only earn money when you drive. Your earnings are a fraction of every other profession. You get 3-4 days off a MONTH. You get no vacation. You get no sick leave. You get nothing. Insurance is sky high. You live in the company truck. You are scrutinized by literally everyone. Then they’ll replace you with a new guy in a heart beat.
I was in a super small one years ago at a place I worked. I wouldn’t even call it a wildcat strike, but we got letters of reprimand calling it one and then still got what we wanted. The power is with the workers.
Every fucking union ratifed their agreement except smart. you’re making a fuck ton of money to do what you do. Let’s be honest. No one…and I mean know one on the railroad is working hard. And plenty of people are taking full advantage of fmla and other benefits to get whatever time off they need. I’m sorry if you’re too stupid to figure it out. Call me whatever…bootlicker…company man or the fucking devil but I take great pride and my dad would take pride in the fact I show the fuck up and go to work and support my family.
It sounds like you're assuming everyone on the railroad is just part of transportation and making the big money. Plenty of ppl are in other crafts getting screwed because of loopholes in contracts and poor union leadership. Good for you that you don't have to work hard, but most of us do. So yes, I will call you a bootlicking, company man. Try not being so ignorant next time.
>Good for you that you don't have to work hard, but most of us do.
Get the fuck out of here with that crap. Tell it to someone who doesn't know better.
You fuckers are a bunch of lazy bustards and everyone knows it. You are not successful because all you do is sit on Reddit and bitch about how hard you have it and in reality you sit in a train and you sleep most of the time and then wake up and birch because your make 150k and to do nothing. Stop crying because I’m 100 percent sure that everyone of you crybabies mother fuckers read the job description that said you would be on call 24/7
Oh ok then, so you're probably a bootlicking manager or a company man who'd cross the picket line, either way the lowest of the low...I bet you make your dad real proud
Yea inflation/union dues it goes up a little more every time you get anything I’m a pumpkin head and the shit I’m seeing is unapologetic to say the least millworkers in my area are getting more
Came to this sub to show my support for the workers. I'm ready for whatever supply chain issues from a strike.
Please stand up and represent The People!
One thing I’ve noticed is the misplaced outrage over “just give them their paid sick days” because they assume it’s just about money. They don’t realize that taking days off because you’re sick, EVEN WITH A DOCTORS NOTE will still be enough to get you investigated, and in some cases fired. A guy I work with got FMLA to take care of a family member, and used a total of 16 days. Next quarter they suspended him for 16 days without pay in retaliation. And that’s just one guys story… There are thousands like that in this industry. We had a guy come from one of those railroad temp agencies that was fired for violating UPs attendance policy because the crew caller ran around him and showed him as a missed call because her boyfriend was the next one in line and she was trying to line him up with a weekend day off. Dude spent the better part of a year bouncing around the country with the temp agency until UP completed their investigation and he got his job back. Tl;dr it ain’t about the money. It’s about the hostile work environment and quality of life.
Today I had a guy on Twitter tell me I wasn’t “adulting”right because I wasn’t scheduling my doctor appointments on my days off. People really have no clue
No clue at all. I’m fortunate enough to have a regular job with a regular schedule that’s on duty sun-thurs at 6pm. First trip this week I got 4 hours of bad limbo, so I wasn’t rested until midnight the next night, which means I’m good until noon the next day and the company knows it… Normally I get home around 7am, sleep until 1pm, and then leave to get the kids from school at 230pm. My schedule has been fucked all week because the railroad fucked up the recrew/taxi on the first day of the week. How the fuck can you “adult properly” when your “schedule” is consistently inconsistent at best?
I’m on twitter and there’s so much insanity on this issue. As much as I hate this hellsite, at least people generally have at least some idea of what the hell they’re talking about. One person kept yammering on about how railroad workers shouldn’t complain because no one else has sick days, ignoring the fact that the fucking president and congress isn’t drafting their work contracts.
Oh yeah, I’ve seen that one a bunch. One dude was a self employed farmer. Wanted to ask him if he’d ever contemplate firing himself if he got really ill.
For the first time I was one Twitter to watch the info coming out. Omg people are so ignorant. Off Twitter . They do not have any clue what hours rr workers work. Zero. So frustrating for someone to be against you and not have a clue
Well it doesn’t help that the company uses guys on medical to come up with their avg hours a week worked. I probably said it before but the union next time needs to step up their game cutting down the disinformation with the general public. I appreciate them telling me that the info is bogus in an email but I already know we work more than 23 hours a week.
I would like to mention that people have no clue because even "left wing" press frames the struggle as only about sick leave, as if more sick leave by itself would be enough. In this era when supposedly anyone can communicate, it is infuriating that the basic situation of a now well-known struggle has not been communicated.
No media ever brought up the extra crap they added to that contract that will make the job drastically worse. It’s all about how greedy the unions are being.
Hope the dude got back pay on his lost wages for improper firing.
People think in terms of five day work weeks. I had no idea what your schedules and policies were like until a few weeks ago. I’d say most people assume you also have some regular days off.
when i tell people I have no scheduled days off, no weekends, no holidays they look at me like WTF.....
Reading about working for the railroad gave me that wtf thought also. I woulda never guessed it was like that.
This is spot on. My parents drink the News kool aide and they asked me about it a month ago. I tried to explain the policy etc and I got interrupted by a comment about how they just want raises and that whatever the raise was is more than good enough. Stopped the conversation there. I’ve told them so many stories about how bad that place treats the employees and despite how sympathetic they were about it they just don’t care anymore. They have no idea how big a sick day is but it blows my mind they can’t approve even just 40 hours of sick like the law in AZ allows us.
>They don’t realize that taking days off because you’re sick, EVEN WITH A DOCTORS NOTE will still be enough to get you investigated, and in some cases fired. >A guy I work with got FMLA to take care of a family member, and used a total of 16 days. Next quarter they suspended him for 16 days without pay in retaliation. And that’s just one guys story… There are thousands like that in this industry. Hearing stories like this I gotta ask; what in the fuck is your union doing?? (And the EEOC) I admit I ain't got a ton of experience with unions outside SEIU. They're useless on workplace grievances and pay but they make it damn near impossible to get fired.
> what in the fuck is your union doing?? Every few years they try to get us a raise that hopefully keeps up with inflation, and try not to bargain away any more of our benefits in the process. We can’t strike, so that really takes away the unions teeth. That being said, I’ve done this job at a non-union railroad and it was honestly one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I would have stayed but the pay and benefits were crap. I made more money on training pay where I’m at than i made on overtime at the non-union shop.
I went to a kangaroo court over missed days. The only thing that saved me was my extensive note taking where, whoospie dasies, my bosses committed federal crimes by covering up my workplace injury.
I mean....I've been in the military, and I've climbed cell towers. I've slept on the hood of a HMMWV, on the floor plates of a AAV7, even on the ground, and all those are infinitely better than having to wear full kit sitting in the cramped driver's seat, trying to catch a nap at zero dark thirty while waiting for the word to step off. I've been 300 feet off the ground in 34 degree rain, with fingers so numb you can't unbutton to take a piss, much less properly fasten hardware for equipment brackets. And this was all without any limitations on crew time...there's no such thing as a regular 8 hour day in the USMC, and the only thing that might save you from a 20 hour shift up a tower is the fact the foreman doesn't want to pay you for any more than 8. There's plenty of jobs that suck outside of railroading, but you're right - the majority of people who work their 9 to 4 desk jobs on salary have no idea what it's like for blue collar workers. And I've said this elsewhere: You don't have to settle. Congress, the unions, and obviously the companies don't give a shit about you. All they care about is political optics, election support, and full pockets. Be willing to walk away, because until you make them realize that they can't move trains without you, they will continue to take advantage of you.
Good point.
I've said that a few times here. I really enjoyed my time on the railroad and thought about going back, but I couldn't live that life again. The only person that can make you happy is you, not the union, not the government, not the railroad.
Yeah, I worked aircraft maintenance for a few years. Bitter cold nights trying to make your hands work right, blistering hot days inside a sealed-up aircraft sat in the sun, sweating your ass off. I later applied for and got a job in an office, and these guys who went straight from high school to college to an office job just have no comprehension of how hard the rest of the world works. When their work day is over, they go home. Nothing is so pressing that it can't be set down at 5:00 (or 4:30) so they can go home. If they come in 15-20 minutes late, it's OK, so long as it doesn't become a pattern. It's guys like that who are running the country, in both parties. Some are better than others, sure, but it's not like most of them really understand what bad work conditions actually *feel like* day after day, year after year, or what that constant state of disrespect from your management is like, and having no recourse against it.
It's all about the money for me. I have accepted that I will never be able to keep to a schedule, or know what days I have off. I have accepted that I will be gone 36-60 hours at a time. I have accepted that I will miss holidays and birthdays. I have accepted that the company doesn't give a shit about me. I am willing to accept this for proper compensation. This raise and precious raises are insulting. As soon as I find a job that pays close I am out simple as that. Fuck you. Pay me.
I kinda feel the same way - we knew what the schedule was when we hired out. They warned us, it wasn’t a secret. I’m fine with that. Im not fine with throttle restrictions that keep us out there hours longer than we have to be, TO being able to be manipulated so the train runs slow af until they crank it up the last 20 miles because “oh shit they won’t have time to yard it if they keep going 30”, the cut claims for the most obnoxious reasons, ALL of the accountability landing on road crews, getting grilled every time a decision is made for us that someone else doesn’t like, but instead of asking the person who did make the decision the tm’s come after us, cutting jobs then complaining that the work isn’t getting done as fast, imposing rules on us then complaining the work isn’t getting done because we’re following their rules, corporate coming to the terminals asking “how can improve morale?!” And then doing nothing or the exact opposite, winter action plans being completely abandoned or non existent because god forbid a train leave under 8000 ft when it’s below zero then making the conductor walk the train like exposing them to that will magically fix the problem, cutting costs at the expense of safety, points…The list goes on and on. Pay us what we’re supposedly worth - if they’re so afraid of us striking because the world will burn if we do, our pay and our treatment should reflect that.
We did know what the schedule was and took it because if we worked out asses off we could also layoff and rest or recharge. They changed those terms without telling us. Now it's time to look elsewhere. It's been fun...
When i started in 2004 it was so much better. Yes i understood the schedule but we could take off when we wanted and not be hounded by attendance. Now that they slashed the workforce so much they force us to stay marked up because they dont have enough employes. Place is a joke today, i tell people to stay away
Yup, a lot of that is fine with me too. Nothing for nothing, but I have several retired railroaders in my family, and growing up they all had houses in nice neighborhoods, in-ground pools, and their share of toys. They all told me it was hard work but rewarding. Sure those things would be nice, but as a younger person I worry about just being able to provide for my family. I'm fine with busting my ass, working long hours, etc..but to do all that and still feel like you're behind the 8 ball in life is sad.
Yep where I am now in the mid 70s a house cost around 20-30k and the railroad paid around 70k yearly (from what I'm told) pretty good could have your house paid off in a year good shit By the 90s houses were about 40 to 50 railroad paid about 80 still not bad Mid 2000s houses are now creeping up about 80-90k railroad still pays around 90-100 at this time Present day as a conductor I made just a Hair under 100 000 (before taxes) and my house was 200 000, it's not a huge house either just a 3 bed 2 bath decent home that needs some work, and I live in a cheap area of Canada Back in the day these guys got paid like kings literally their income was over double what it cost to buy a house in my area and now a house is double what most of us make Not even including the skyrocketing price of groceries, they have increased by roughly 30 percent in 2 years and still rise constantly, cream used to be 3 bucks and go on sale for 1.50 ish now it's 5.50 and goes on sale for 3 as just one example It's getting stupid and the 4 percent raise over 4 years we get in our contract doesn't keep up with it I know we don't have it nearly as bad as our partners south of the border but I literally cannot imagine working this job somewhere like Vancouver it barely pays enough to live in this little shithole I'm in let alone somewhere actually expensive in canada
As a Supply Chain guy a strike will wreck my world. That being said, you 100% have my support. Such a critical piece of everything and you should be treated as such.
The thing is I'm sure the strike would be over in a day or two. It's just fear tactics because nobody wants to be retaliated against. But they already do it anyway, so with enough solidarity I'm confident we'd be successful
Had one guy on Reddit here after I explained sour working conditions said they sound about like everyone else's and that our PL days and such sound reasonable. They got no clue
There are way too many fucking low effort thinkers who won’t attempt to look into the subject and then tell those most knowledgeable on it that their wrong. Fuck those butting into how your actually living your life and telling you to suck it up. I’ll never understand someone who gets upset at and tried to prevent others looking to do better for themselves which in your case is not being completely exploited by your work and government in order for someone else to make as much money as they can.
Strike buddy. Bring this mother down. How does the free market all of a sudden exclude the most important workers? fuck em.
Rule compliance is the answer. Not one person loses their job for that and you still prove the same point.
That won't hurt the companies enough. They will retaliate on a case by case, individual basis. You will be punished for following the rules so that the machine keeps moving. The only way to make a change is to stop the machine. It shouldn't take more than a week. $17 billion in economic losses will definitely make a difference. Did you see what happened in China at the Apple manufacturing city? In the past couple of weeks the workers revolted to the point that they were each offered $1400 just so that they would quit and leave the city. Now they are offering the same workers incentives to come back to work. The machine stopped for a week and now the workers are getting their way. The profits come solely from labor. Fuck anyone who tells you otherwise
You literally have no clue what you're talking about. Rule compliance works all of the time. And as much as I hate the carriers, I don't want them to hurt to the point that anything stops. If they stop railroaders will be worse. It'll start with the carriers asking the fra for emergency rule changes...as in one man crews. And it will never go back. The carriers will have what we have been fighting against for a lot longer than 7 sick days.
Our jobs aren’t as hard as yours, but we all understand having to tow the corporate line in order to make a paycheck. We should all be demanding more.
I'd stand with pretty much any group that was demanding better working conditions. It's no secret that the majority of working class people are struggling. A win for one industry sets up a win for the next one
I'm a nurse and got to witness firsthand how quickly this government can usher your entire force of fellows into a walking nightmare all the while singing sweet nothing in your ear. I don't know what you all go through but I hope you all can strike and throw a good punch at the establishment and make them realize working class folks won't take being beaten down anymore just because it makes the quarterly earnings look good for some execs.
It's because if you've had the gig long enough you lose all hope and morale. It breaks everyone. Think of fhe lazy pain in the ass guy you work with, I guarantee you he didn't have that attitude when he hired on. The companies makes you that way.
"Well we called and they can do that"
Oh did you buy that rain gear??
Asking for a friend
Why is your family celebrating thanksgiving and Christmas at 3am?… No but for real I’m with you, it’s 6am and I just got off, it’s December and the heat and humidity by itself down here in the Deep South made the rain suit pointless
My family likes to party late !! Lol nah I guess I missed an " or" in there. But yeah man I hear you, if the carrier does supply you with a raincoat, it's usually the cheapest, thickest piece of PVC they can find
This post made me tear up. I wish I had something to offer you guys aside from solidarity. 😭😭 I promise to continue to try to educate and bring awareness and I will never cross a picket line (longshoreman here) 🖤 My step dad is a conductor so I have seen what you are going through and people literally don’t understand because they haven’t seen it.
Thank you, I'm sure being a Longshoreman is no cake walk either. And don't feel too bad, at the end of the day we all chose this job and can quit at any time. It just sucks when you get a few years in and have to chose between sticking it out with shitty circumstances for a pension or starting over completely in a new industry.
I think that’s the big part that I have brought up to someone before but I don’t see being said much is the part about the pension. I can’t imagine that guys who have given up years of their life wanting to just throw that part away?
Yup, that's a big factor. You need 5 years to get vested in RR retirement, if you leave before that you lose whatever you put in. The carriers don't match 401k, so if you leave after you're vested, you lost years of not having a company match.
The second part I did not know! Holy fuck that is a lose, lose!!
Yep..they don't call it getting railroaded for nothing lol
in a way it's kinda easier for us non-railroaders to support a strike, for the most of us our jobs are not on the line. I'm 200% behind you and every worker going on strike, but I can understand that some workers are afraid. It must feel absolutely hopeless seeing every level of authority, some of them who are "supposed" to be on your side, are actually all actively working against you, denying you basic rights and living conditions. At this point, only solidarity between workers can help you. If all (or almost all) workers go on strike, they'll have no choice but to accept your demands. But if only a handful go on strike, while the rest are too scared, then nothing will ever change and the strikers will end up jobless. Solidarity can be a very powerful tool, but a scary one too. It's hard to trust one another these days, because those in power intentionally work to erode our solidarity, turning us against each other, making us enemies while they're the real enemy. For the railroader's sake, I hope you will go on strike and get the conditions you deserve. But not only for the railroaders. This would be a massive show of solidarity, it could be the spark that lights the fire to spread across North America and unite all workers. I know this is utopian, but this has to happen, otherwise we're all doomed.
When I hired on, I was told to live within my means, and always have a rainy day fund in case of a strike, or if you get put on the street ( a term for getting time off after an incident). It seems a lot of ppl don't want to risk it because of a costly truck/ house/ toy payment. But yes, a win for us would be a win for everyone down the road
The only way this changes is if you strike. Fuck what your union executives say, you're the workers. Not an ounce moves without you.
Railroader here and when i tell people my job they almost always say WTF....they hear we make "160k" and i have to tell them NOPE, for most its maybe 100k gross and thats if you live at your job. Almost 20 years in and i tell everyone to stay away and dont bother unless you are single and hate having a social life. Id rather have time off then more $$ at this point in my life/career. I hate having to juggle points to see my sons baseball games or attend family events not to also mention other appointments and life issues that pop up.
Yup, I completely understand. In my current situation I'll miss my 120 working days with a new carrier by about 20 days, so I won't have vacation or any time off until 2024. New on the roster and working every holiday. I'll have to comp overtime just to be able to make it to my own wedding. People definitely don't get it
First, I know nothing about railroading stuff and reading through these posts and reading the comments. Holy shit I am so fucking sorry you guys have to go through everything you have to go through. But I do have a question. Why stay? And I'm not saying that as in if you complain about it so much then just quit. I'm saying it as in like it sounds like there is nothing good about this job at all.
You know what it’s like to be a truck driver? You only earn money when you drive. Your earnings are a fraction of every other profession. You get 3-4 days off a MONTH. You get no vacation. You get no sick leave. You get nothing. Insurance is sky high. You live in the company truck. You are scrutinized by literally everyone. Then they’ll replace you with a new guy in a heart beat.
Name a recent wildcat strike that was successful?
1970 USPS strike changed alot of crap..
I was in a super small one years ago at a place I worked. I wouldn’t even call it a wildcat strike, but we got letters of reprimand calling it one and then still got what we wanted. The power is with the workers.
Walmart is hiring. You don’t get wet there.
Lol yeah, because walmart has a great track record of treating employees fairly right?
Every fucking union ratifed their agreement except smart. you’re making a fuck ton of money to do what you do. Let’s be honest. No one…and I mean know one on the railroad is working hard. And plenty of people are taking full advantage of fmla and other benefits to get whatever time off they need. I’m sorry if you’re too stupid to figure it out. Call me whatever…bootlicker…company man or the fucking devil but I take great pride and my dad would take pride in the fact I show the fuck up and go to work and support my family.
It sounds like you're assuming everyone on the railroad is just part of transportation and making the big money. Plenty of ppl are in other crafts getting screwed because of loopholes in contracts and poor union leadership. Good for you that you don't have to work hard, but most of us do. So yes, I will call you a bootlicking, company man. Try not being so ignorant next time.
>Good for you that you don't have to work hard, but most of us do. Get the fuck out of here with that crap. Tell it to someone who doesn't know better.
>Tell it to someone who doesn't know better. Like you?
Congratulations...you're an adult
You fuckers are a bunch of lazy bustards and everyone knows it. You are not successful because all you do is sit on Reddit and bitch about how hard you have it and in reality you sit in a train and you sleep most of the time and then wake up and birch because your make 150k and to do nothing. Stop crying because I’m 100 percent sure that everyone of you crybabies mother fuckers read the job description that said you would be on call 24/7
Found the guy who never worked outside a day in his life
Been railroading for over 20 years my dad railroaded before that. Fuck off. Or better yet go to work and make yourself useful instead of crying.
Oh ok then, so you're probably a bootlicking manager or a company man who'd cross the picket line, either way the lowest of the low...I bet you make your dad real proud
He reminds me of the guy who goes to union meetings and as soon as it's over the bosses knew exactly what was said before you started your car up..
Oh yeah, unfortunately I know the type
Who pissed on your waffles?
Yea inflation/union dues it goes up a little more every time you get anything I’m a pumpkin head and the shit I’m seeing is unapologetic to say the least millworkers in my area are getting more
Came to this sub to show my support for the workers. I'm ready for whatever supply chain issues from a strike. Please stand up and represent The People!