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RR Carriers Bring One-Person Crews to the Table

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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by HighIron2003ar I think we agree that cutting manpower does not do any railroad any good. Why cannot the people pull together and claim what is thiers? Companies with nothing but CEO's and no market for product is not the world we need to live in. [/quote] I don't entirely agree that cutting positions is necessarily a bad thing. The reason that RRs have historically cut jobs through technology (as have many other industries) is that the payroll is the largest cost on the balance sheet. If it is possible to use fewer people to handle the job, RRs need to take a good hard look at how it can be done. RRs need to move towards earning their cost of capital and giving their investors a return on their investment if they are to survive. Part of the pressure on the RRs is brought by investors who won't invest unless the company makes them a return on their investment. The other large pressure is the constant downward pressure on prices by customers intent on trucking or barging their freight. The question is, what can be done with the minimum manpower and what is really the minimum manning. Is it two men, one man or perhaps in certain circumstances, none? There are already mine, industrial, and other operations of rail vehicles by remote control only. The companies will always look for the minimum unless and until employee reduction doesn't have a significant position in company finances or they are prohibited from seeking reductions by the laws of man or physics. There is no such thing as being able to claim something that belongs to someone else. Luckily, those of us in the business probably have a few more years to work. I expect to make retirement without much difficulty. I do worry about the younger employees, especially those recently hired. LC
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