Rail road layoffs and the media

[csxengineer98]

with the layoffs that are taking place all over the country, in many job fields, such as the airlines, hows come when the rail roads lay off emplyees, the media isnt so quick to make it a story. but if an airline, a factory, or some other industry is going to lay off people, they make just about evey news station in the country. it is as if the rail road sector of the transportation industry donst exsist unless thier is a major derailment,or a some kind of fatality involving a train...
what do you people think of this?
csx engineer

[csxns]

They think RR,S are not important as Airlines and Industry.

[Anonymous]

Railroad layoffs get media attention in the local areas where the jobs are affected. It also gets noted in certain trade and rail enthusiasts' publications.
That the media doesn't sensationalize these unfortunate events is a blessing to both labor organizations and management. As far as national media, I guess its just not sexy enough. It gets much more public attention to say United Airlines laid off 1,700 flight crew than it is to say CSXT layed off 100 T&E employees. Count your blessings, meager though they may be.
Good luck, Sir. Have a safe day! gdc

[Anonymous]

Because we are the ugly step sister of the transportation industry I have a friend in the media told me the only time the editors want the railroad covered is when there is a accident that way they can point the finger at the train and say it should not have been teir and becides a first or second year conductor on lay off does not make as much money as the airline pilot. Rodney Conductor BNSF

[Anonymous]

First of all, this is just my OPINION. Not factual information in anyway, shape, or form. So hold back on the flaming replies.
In my 30+ years of being a railfan, I have noticed that the railroads have always got a certain number of employees on "lay-off". I think that it stems from management's lack of ability to properly schedule their crews. I realize that X-number of trains might be needed on say, Tuesday, and Y-number of trains are needed on say, Wednesday, but come on! The big boys that get paid the big bucks oughtta be able to get that through their college-educated heads, and not have an excess of crews one year, and a lack of same the next year. I truly feel for these fellows out there, about 6 hours sleep between assignments. And I also feel for the poor sap who has signed-on and is spending more time in the unemployment line, than he is on the job. Now, most of you guys out there must have known about all this before you hired on with the R.R. But that STILL doesn't make it right. I recall several years ago, Illinois Central started a program of "turns" where about 90% of their road crews were home every night. I don't suppose that CN has continued this.....
Of course, lay-offs are affecting more than just the RR industry. In my neck-of-the-woods, SW Michigan that is, this new "economy" has been devestating!! Without getting too political here, I'd just like to say that I'd like to turn the old clock back about 10 years, and pray to god that NAFTA never happened.
Once again, I am not a RR employee, so if I am off-base here, please forgive. I do think that these times have affected ALL us "blue-collars", not just the RR's.
Todd C.

[wabash1]

This is a opinion also but it could be that it is becouse we dont pay into the social securit tax system. we pay our own system for retirement called tier one and tier two. these funds are never made public. and until recently the goverment could not touch them. now they have a part of tier one. what dont draw out of the public money wont be missed. and railroad has its own unemployment also. right now on the ns we have no layoffs. everyone is working.

[Anonymous]

With all due respect, that was an unprofessional comment for your friend's editor to make. If that media is one of the "If it bleeds, it leads" type, well...I have my opinion of that. You and I know the difference. It's a pretty personal thing to the second year conductor.
Regards and have a safe day. gdc

[Anonymous]

Sir, I'm not going to flame you for anything. But the railroads would dearly love to have work rules that would simplify employment peaks and valleys and still maintain an established level of fair pay for a fair work period. Hiring and layoffs are not done without planning or forthought. It's just not an easy process, especially with the complexity of T&E payroll. Over my 35+ years on the RR, though, I have seen many improvements. When I came to work, it was a 16 hour day, now 12. And we're making strides with time off,rest periods, call times, sleep deprivation, etc.
Regards and have a safe day! gdc

[edblysard]

Acctulay Todd, your right on the mark, railroads have always hired up to the need for today, then lay off when the need evaporates. And railroads have historicaly been the whipping boy of the press, due in part to the history of abuse and greed thats assocaited with them, we have allways been the bad guys, it easier to point the finger at railroads than it is to explain how we really are, and what we really do. So now we are back to bare bones on crews, the carriers are really pushing remote control locomotives, their claim is that "payroll" is costing to much, and is an easily controlable expense. Why pay three people to switch, when you can do away with the engineer and the helper, and have one guy, with a switch list in one hand, a remote control chest pack, who cant see where the locomotiveis, doing all the work? Sound insane, huh? Bet you didnt read anything in the newspapers about un manned locomotives running thru their comunities, but I bet the first time one wipes out a car load of school kids, then we "the employees, not the officers" are going to be strung up. The press will show up after the fact, instead of reporting whats happening now, when it will be to late for public opinion to help keep this from happening.
Ed

[csxengineer98]

i have 5 years service with csx as an engineer, and csx has cut eveything system wide... extra boards that had 10 men are down to 4..same with conductors... this isnt just a local thing, this is system wide, like i said, now... lets look at the big picture. 10, 15, 20 men per craft per terminal ads up to alot more then say 1500 airline piolts, even with the publices poor view of the rail industry. it still should make some kind of mark on the media.
as for NS not laying anyone off...thats good... at least in your area, but from what i here around here, some NS emplyees arnt so lucky.
but i here csx isnt the only ones laying off, i have a few people i converse with online that work for BNSF and UP, they both say that thier companys also took the ax so to speak to thier emplyee base... laying off men. add them into the over all rail layoff picture, your looking at alot of people on the street...
csx engineer

[wabash1]

this is true , and thru history the last week of december and all of january is slow for the railroads, it picks up in febuary. i guess i been lucky i have never been laid off . the ns is hiring in alot of places this year including the terminal i work out of.

[jsanchez]

At least the Railroad industry is surviving in the USA, the industry I work in Semiconductors is moving lock stock and barrel out of the USA, in my state alone we went from ten of thousands of jobs to less than 1,000 and what is sad is these jobs were supposed to be our high tech new economy future, at least this won't impact railroading much, because the semiconductor computer chip business had almost no need for railroads. Yes NS, CP Rail and the shortlines are all hiring up here but not Lucent or Agere. Its funny when I was in college it seemed like high tech was the future and railroading offered no opportunity, I think it has really changed.

[Anonymous]

Hello all I am Rodney I am a conductor/switchman for the BNSF in Galesburg Il. on January first in my terminal they set back 20 of the youngest engineers then a week later they set back another 12 being a first year new hire it was becoming clear that a layoff was comeing I was lucky that I got to turn hard for about 3 months making some good checks per half so I have some money set back some of my friends that are still working have asked me if I could do some work on there house for them as they do not have time as they are on the road I realy enjoy my job with the railroad and would not trade it for anything else yes the hours suck with the phone ringing in the middle of the night getting ordered to go to work but I would not have it any other way besides the biggest share of us was told we would be recalled in the last of Febuary or the first part of March. Rodney Conductor BNSF

[Anonymous]

Rodney,
I'm sorry you're caught in the first-of-the-year business turndown. You should be congratulated for the forsight to put $$$ back in anticipation of this event. I hope you don't lose your enthusiasm for the railroad and stick it out.
Hang in there. Regards and have a safe day! gdc

[Anonymous]

Thank you GDC I sure won`t let it get me down here is a little about me I grew up on a farm here in Illinois and wnet in the U.S. Navy when I was 18 years old took early retirement in 1995 worked in a steel mill after the Navy and did not like it the money was good but the job SUCKED and i hated it I would rather be outside ao at least close to it I have had to walk several trains that got tagged by the detector some of them were in the rain but i enjoyed the walk even if it was a 3 mile walk round trip some of the people in my training group just did not understand that a bad day on the rail beats a good in the factory. Rodney First year Conductor/Switchman BNSF
P.S. This is all that I ever wanted to do in life was work for a railroad thank god that in a country that I was ready to die for lets a person chase his/her dreams

[Anonymous]

Amen! gdc

[csxengineer98]

i think we as a group have lost what this question was dealing with. it started off on the right foot, but lost its focus...