Hourly wages vs 100 mile rule

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Hourly wages vs 100 mile rule



  • Can anyone help me out by giving me an idea of what hourly rates ( Canadian and US) locomotive engineers are earning as a replacement of the old daily 100 mile or so rule for a days work?
    Thanks
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  • after you do the math it works out to about 25 bucks an hour or so..
    csx engineer
    "I AM the higher source" Keep the wheels on steel
  • I work for a railroad that pays hourly. It is a short line in Texas and pays me $17.50 an hour. I have 25 years of railroad experience and since 1978 as a locomotive engineer. The biggest issue is the pay. I would like to know what other engineers are getting paid on short lines. Please help me so I can try to get our pay a little closer to the national average.
  • QUOTE: Originally posted by maury

    I work for a railroad that pays hourly. It is a short line in Texas and pays me $17.50 an hour. I have 25 years of railroad experience and since 1978 as a locomotive engineer. The biggest issue is the pay. I would like to know what other engineers are getting paid on short lines. Please help me so I can try to get our pay a little closer to the national average.
    you want to get closer to the national average.... get a UNION if you dont already have one... the short lines around here that are non union are getting around 15 an hour... and overtime after they work a 40 hour work week..not overtime for anything after 8 per day.....
    also... they are changing the set milage on the road jobs from a 130 mile basic day with a trip rate pay system... basicly they are taking all arbitaries that any pre-85 employees get..such as IDT and FTD... and lumping them into a bigger mileage number for the pool.... the 100 miles railroad basic day only applies to yard jobs...the basic road day is a min of 130 miles for pools that dont have a trip rate set yet...meaning that if your run is under a 130 miles ..you still get the 130 miles ..now anything over the 130 miles (such as the new trip rates) you get the mileage..but it cuts down on when you will go on overtime... on a 130 mile basic day... you will go on overtime after 8 hours on duty... anything over a 130 miles..it puts the time your on overtime back by how ever many mins per extra mile... so you make more money pure run..but they take the overtime off of you with extra miles... so the longer your on the train..your not makeing any extra money... the only places where the triprates win is with the post 85 employees since it brings all employees to the same level of pay (actuly a step backwards for pre 85 men)..and in pools where the mileage puts overtime almost of of reach for the hours of service... meaning... you will expire your hours of service befor you will see overtime.. which is a good thing for that run.. since overtime will not be a factor... unless you go on the law..and have to sit for hours and hours waiting for a taxi to get you....it hurts in the short run pools becouse your not going to make overtime as soon as you would have if it was just a basic 130 mile day... so in the short runs..you want to get over the road as fast as you can..and get back out as fast as you can..to make any real money

    csx engineer
    "I AM the higher source" Keep the wheels on steel
  • QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98
    you want to get closer to the national average.... get a UNION if you dont already have one... the short lines around here that are non union are getting around 15 an hour... and overtime after they work a 40 hour work week..not overtime for anything after 8 per day.....
    csx engineer


    Well said , Organization is the Key , Follow through and try not to stir anything up (with management) if Your planning on doing so .
  • I am an honorary member of the B.L.E.T. I know what unions can do for us and it is getting to where that is going to be our only alternative. It scares the hell out of management just mentioning unions. I know how to get the union started on my railroad and I am sure the government will someday let my short line know there is going to be a vote on their property to go union. Plus it does not help having management that does not know shi- about railroading with the class 1's. All my managers are from switching railroads and now they are trying to run on some BNSF mainline with no class 1 experience. I was an engineer for the ATSF then BNSF since 1978 to 1999 and it is driving me crazy some of the stupid moves these no railroading managers pull. It is time to organize under the table.
  • i AM A CONDUCTOR FOR THE c.n. OUT OF iLLINOIS AND WE JUST WENT TO THE HOURLY WAGE. iT SUCKS***AND HAS NO PERKS. WE GET 30 AN HOUR AND ENGINEERS GET 33 AN HOUR. ARE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN CUT 15% AND THEY HAVE CLOSED 3 YARDS DUE TO RUN-THROUGH AGREEMENTS. NEVER VOTE HOURLY WAGE IN. we NOW HAVE TO HANDLE UP TO 6 TRAINS A DAY WERE WE ONLY USED TO HAVE 1. ALL WE ARE IS DOG CATCH CREWS CHASING AND RELEIVING HOGGED TRAINS. HOURLY WAGE SUCKS PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • I am an engineer for CN on the ex GTW in Michigan. We also went hourly, as has all of CN including Canada. I cannot complain about the perks as does ICConductor as I didn't have any as a post 85 employee. As far as benefits, yes there have been cuts and we "contribute" through pay roll extortion....... I mean deduction. However my wife teaches school and she also pays a portion of her benefits. Seem to be the pattern in business now days.

    ICConductor is right we seem to spend alot of time releiving dead trains and will handle several trains a day. However, this is what road switcher agreements allow. At least now, when I die releiving trains, I am compensated for spreading my blood around the cab waiting for a ride. Overtime starts at the tenth hour and keeps going until I tie up. I have had 18 hours on duty account waiting for a ride. You all figure it out. $33.00/hour for the first ten hours then $49.50 for the next eight. IC Conductor is right this sucks! However if this had happened under mileage I would not have come close to what I get hourly for what is really poor management.

    As far as yard closers, we have had our share such as Battle Creek (reopened) and East Yard in Hamtramck, MI (Detroit). I am afraid IC Conductor we have not seen the last of this. I am sure EHH wants to run more trains through as it is part of his plan. Read the Book he sent to everyone.

    Saxman
  • I'v heard that it is not uncommon for engineers to make over hundred grand and up to 150 a year, not bad for a job that has a great pension and really fun!!!
  •  Clover1 wrote:
    I'v heard that it is not uncommon for engineers to make over hundred grand and up to 150 a year, not bad for a job that has a great pension and really fun!!!

    You have to live on the railroad to make that.   Never in my career (I'm a post 1985 employee), have a made close to that.  About 70 grand is more realistic figure.   If you go to work everytime the phone rings, or work a 12 hour - 6 day a week job you can make 90 to 100 grand.  Only the really old pre 1985 employees will make over 100 grand.

    How your wage is calculated also depends on your local union or lack there of agreement.    The latest thing over here on CSX is a trip rate.   The trip rate, rolls your basic day, common arbitraries, and your Intial and Final Terminal Delay into one rate that everyone gets.  The rate is higher then a basic day, but you have to be on duty between 10 and 13 hours, depending on the agreement, before you go on overtime.

    Nick

    Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/

  • NOT ENOUGH !And the railroads don't want to give a raise this time in the current negotiations.And they are asking for engineer only thru frieghts Angry [:(!] .But it depends on the job classification.Some of our shifters aren't working on a "trip rate" plan right now.And some of our ID jobs are paid higher from one home  terminal ,than the crews from another home terminal running on the same track,same distance.Also the pencil pushers have come up with these hair brain methods of adding mileage to a route that's 100 miles in length.How do they do that Question [?]Then there's the famous "flip trip" they like pulling on us.Don't even ask me how that works,because I don't think they do either.All I know is that it pays you less for more than 100 miles than what it used toSad [:(].As far as $100 grand a year.I know several engineers and conductors,that made over $100 grand last year.I can't live on the railroad to make that much.But right now it's no sweat to make $3,500.00 to $4,000.00 a half (every 2 wks.).We are out of engineers everyday.I have stepped up on yard jobs,outlaw releives and vacant pool jobs.I wonder how long it will last ?

    Collin ,operator of the " Eastern Kentucky & Ohio R.R."

  • 30$ an hour? Thats quite a lot of money. Be happy, thats about 5 or 6 times minimum wage, you make more in 1 hour than alot of people make in 5.
  •  Saxman wrote:
    I am an engineer for CN on the ex GTW in Michigan. We also went hourly, as has all of CN including Canada. I cannot complain about the perks as does ICConductor as I didn't have any as a post 85 employee. As far as benefits, yes there have been cuts and we "contribute" through pay roll extortion....... I mean deduction. However my wife teaches school and she also pays a portion of her benefits. Seem to be the pattern in business now days.

     

    CN has NOT gone hourly here in Canda and probably will not go because the crews absolutely hate it and there is too much of an uproar about it. If the hourly wage goes here ... there is an automatic 35% reduction in the amount of train crew personnel and you will work 72 hours a week, 6 days a week - That is a GUARANTEE. The hourly wage will be the death of the railroad thats already kinda dead.

    10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ... 

  •  Clover1 wrote:
    I'v heard that it is not uncommon for engineers to make over hundred grand and up to 150 a year, not bad for a job that has a great pension and really fun!!!

    I'm not a railroader but have had the priviledge of meeting a good number of them in the past 2 decades.  The engineers I've spoken to enjoy their jobs overall but they would tell you in a nanosecond that with the job comes the stress of: 

    1. Derailments 

    2.  Collisions with grade crossing violaters........or other trains 

    2. Punks throwing rocks or bottles at you,

    3. Injuries just climbing on and off locomotives in heavy rain,

    4. Supervisors out on the line, checking to see if you're speeding or violating any other safety rule, 

    5.  Fatigue from not being able to get enough sleep due to the crazy unpredictable hours, struggling to stay awake during extended stops while on duty.

     6. Except for the senior guys with regular runs, most can't even schedule to attend important family or social events because at any minute after your "off time" the crew clerk's calling you for your next assignment whether at 8am, 8p.m, or 1:30a.m. 

    7. Boredom from sitting at red signals for 1 to 2 hours sometimes, 

    8. Having to make mechanical or electrical repairs because the closest help may be 90+ miles away

    Hmmmmmmmmmm.   Doesn't seem like an easy cake walk at all.

     

    "I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"

     


  •  Clover1 wrote:
    I'v heard that it is not uncommon for engineers to make over hundred grand and up to 150 a year, not bad for a job that has a great pension and really fun!!!

    I don't know about the really fun part, remember it IS a career, not a hobby.

    As for the $100-150,000, that's for the people who live on the extraboards, take any call that comes down the pike, and have NO life.

    But I do love what I do, and won't trade with anyone!