CatFoodFlambeWe don't have "insurance police", but corporate security does have employees with law enforcement creditation - and we contract with security companies to provide same in smaller locations.
I've been involved in calling the local police to assist...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
CatFoodFlambeHow 50 out of 175 persons could fail a drug test announced two months in advance is beyond me.
Well, that was plenty of time to study, wasn't it?
Norm48327 Jeff, They have to be somewhat cryptic to protect their a**es. Can't say that I blame them for that. Balt ACD can now let loose without fear of retribution. Retired and free. After 51 years plus he deserves his freedom. OTOH, I occasionly fly into Ames, and have friends in Story City. Your base of operations is not far away from Ames. Given the chance I would like to meet you for lunch. Old Chicago in Ames makes one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. Mouth watering to say the least. It's only second to a hole-in-the-wall shop a young couple opened about forty miles away from me. Wanna share one when I'm lucky enough to land there? It may come to pass in late June. A former Story County sheriff's deputy is a close friend of mine there. I insist we eat at Old Chicago when I am in town even if I get stuck with the tab. I thought about contacting you in 2015 but it was in in late in the the evening and out early in the morning. The guy I fly with is definitely an early bird.
Jeff,
They have to be somewhat cryptic to protect their a**es. Can't say that I blame them for that. Balt ACD can now let loose without fear of retribution. Retired and free. After 51 years plus he deserves his freedom.
OTOH, I occasionly fly into Ames, and have friends in Story City. Your base of operations is not far away from Ames. Given the chance I would like to meet you for lunch. Old Chicago in Ames makes one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. Mouth watering to say the least. It's only second to a hole-in-the-wall shop a young couple opened about forty miles away from me. Wanna share one when I'm lucky enough to land there? It may come to pass in late June.
A former Story County sheriff's deputy is a close friend of mine there. I insist we eat at Old Chicago when I am in town even if I get stuck with the tab. I thought about contacting you in 2015 but it was in in late in the the evening and out early in the morning. The guy I fly with is definitely an early bird.
I just came across this. Let me know when you're in the area. Old Chicago is one of our favorites, so I know what you are talking about.
Jeff
Norm
n012944 While I hate to rain on this parade of people looking at this from the outside in, however I have a different opinion on the last month. Locals have been put back on, extra boards have been beefed up. Ridiculous rules have been trashed and managers of walking the halls have been shown the door. U men have brought back, remotes have been banished, and car department are now back in yards doing brake tests before the train crews are on duty. Morale is up in my office, better than it has been in a long time. It feels like I am working for a railroad again. As for those "angry customers" here are a couple of quotes from another board. "I don't know if it is a direct result of EHH or if it is changes made prior to EHH just now kicking in, but I will say, as a customer, CSXT has gotten a heck of a lot easier to deal with in the past week or two. I don't know if it is those fearing job elimination just going rouge and making decisions on their own, figuring whats the worst the can do, fire me? Or if "the fog" is truely lifting at Water Street and those positions being eliminated are truely dead weight bureaucracy freeing up the managers to do their job and make their own decisions. We've been working a lot with car management. We've bought a bunch of bad order Gons and woodchip cars from CSXT, refurbished them, and put them back in service with them. Decisions that where taking 3 to 5 days to make because they had to get a whole series of people to sign off on it are now being made on the spot by the manager or in just a couple hours after consultation with just 1 or 2 other people. Quite the refreshing change." "Color me cautiously optimistic, but as s customer I give EHH an early B+"
While I hate to rain on this parade of people looking at this from the outside in, however I have a different opinion on the last month. Locals have been put back on, extra boards have been beefed up. Ridiculous rules have been trashed and managers of walking the halls have been shown the door. U men have brought back, remotes have been banished, and car department are now back in yards doing brake tests before the train crews are on duty.
Morale is up in my office, better than it has been in a long time. It feels like I am working for a railroad again.
As for those "angry customers" here are a couple of quotes from another board.
For some reason, I always thought worked for NS.
CandOforprogress2 rockymidlandrr ... Superintendent was notified of his firing by the police escorts who escorted him off the property. Why is my BS detector going off? Police escorting off a fired superintedent aka Train Master?
rockymidlandrr ... Superintendent was notified of his firing by the police escorts who escorted him off the property.
... Superintendent was notified of his firing by the police escorts who escorted him off the property.
Why is my BS detector going off? Police escorting off a fired superintedent aka Train Master?
C&O - this is standard procedure at the insurance company where I work whenever an on-site employee is let go. We developed this policy about ten years ago after a series of confrontations when we hired a batch of less-than-sterling candidates at a "load-stressed" claim and call center - we wound up letting over 90% of them go before their six-month probationary period was over. How 50 out of 175 persons could fail a drug test announced two months in advance is beyond me.
We don't have "insurance police", but corporate security does have employees with law enforcement creditation - and we contract with security companies to provide same in smaller locations.
zugmann Too many people think that it is simply a word.
Too many people think that it is simply a word.
Zug,
I think it depends on one's definition of the word.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmannScrew-up insurance?
Safety!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
zugmann BaltACD If you think - it is that easy! Don't forget - you are not only dealing with rules - but the interpretation of said rules by the manager of the day/divison feeling of the week. We were allowed to use the ladder a certain way for our switching needs for decades - everyone from the local ass't TM to the FRA said it was fine (I've asked all). Then one day, it's suddenly not allowed and a crew was pulled OOS. It is what it is.... I wish it could be as simple as black and white, but in reality, it isn't out here. The rules of the game are always changing. And if you do think about the rules (trust me, I do more than most), it will drive you half insane. Ignoracnce, at times, is bliss.
BaltACD If you think - it is that easy!
Don't forget - you are not only dealing with rules - but the interpretation of said rules by the manager of the day/divison feeling of the week. We were allowed to use the ladder a certain way for our switching needs for decades - everyone from the local ass't TM to the FRA said it was fine (I've asked all). Then one day, it's suddenly not allowed and a crew was pulled OOS. It is what it is.... I wish it could be as simple as black and white, but in reality, it isn't out here. The rules of the game are always changing. And if you do think about the rules (trust me, I do more than most), it will drive you half insane. Ignoracnce, at times, is bliss.
We had something similar happen where it was decided one rainy day in late December that you couldn't kick a man down a clear hole anymore. Supposedly the rules say you have to have a minimum of 2 cars secured to kick against and we aren't allowed to ride. Track is a bowl, uphill to a signal at one end.
Screw-up insurance?
zugmann BaltACD Don't forget - you are not only dealing with rules - but the interpretation of said rules by the manager of the day/divison feeling of the week. We were allowed to use the ladder a certain way for our switching needs for decades - everyone from the local ass't TM to the FRA said it was fine (I've asked all). Then one day, it's suddenly not allowed and a crew was pulled OOS. It is what it is.... I wish it could be as simple as black and white, but in reality, it isn't out here. The rules of the game are always changing. And if you do think about the rules (trust me, I do more than most), it will drive you half insane. Ignoracnce, at times, is bliss.
BaltACD
Always remember the S word.
BaltACDIf you think - it is that easy!
Fascinating to see the contrasting evaluations. Thanks!
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
BaltACD zugmann if only it were that easy. If you think - it is that easy!
zugmann if only it were that easy.
If you think - it is that easy!
I couldn't do it. The last few years before I took early retirement, I often thought of doing exactly what they said, but I couldn't do it to our customers. I often felt like it was the customer and me vs. our management.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
An "expensive model collector"
blue streak 1 With closing the hump at Tilford one has to wonder if this will mean less delays at Howell CP crossing or more for Amtrak's Crescent ?
With closing the hump at Tilford one has to wonder if this will mean less delays at Howell CP crossing or more for Amtrak's Crescent ?
Whatever you say, boss.
zugmannif only it were that easy.
if only it were that easy.
zugmann BaltACD Better be 100% perfect 100% of the time. Nothing like having a huge target on your back.
Better be 100% perfect 100% of the time. Nothing like having a huge target on your back.
Just do to the letter what you are instructed to do - no more, no less. Don't interpert what those instructions are SUPPOSED to mean - that is above your pay grade.
Having been on both sides, it is beyond most field level managers to be able to formulate instructions that create the intended result based on the words in the instuction ALONE. Just comply with the words that are written - no more, no less.
BaltACDMalicious compliance is a female dog!
Norm48327 Shadow the Cats owner CSX gutting their middle management was the worst thing they could have done with him coming in over 1000 people fired that knew how the system ran how to keep customers happy. Ever stop to think there may be a method to Ward's "madness"? In the political world it's called sabotage. Get rid of the capable folk before the transition and leave Harrison high and dry or out on a limb. Didn't we just watch that movie a few months ago?
Shadow the Cats owner CSX gutting their middle management was the worst thing they could have done with him coming in over 1000 people fired that knew how the system ran how to keep customers happy.
Ever stop to think there may be a method to Ward's "madness"? In the political world it's called sabotage. Get rid of the capable folk before the transition and leave Harrison high and dry or out on a limb. Didn't we just watch that movie a few months ago?
I read somewhere (and posted on one of the many threads EHH has inspired) that the thought was that Ward letting go of some of these people was so they could give them a better severance package than EHH would once he took over. A kind of way to reward people who were loyal but most likely to be shown the door by EHH.
Sam,
Please stop making reference to my first wife. She fit the mold.
That was said in jest. We simply didn't get along, but to this day I swear the broom she kept in the closet was her primary transportation.. That's a joke I offer to close friends.
Hey, I'm not perfect either; just commenting on past experience in life.
Gonna crawl back under my rock now.
Strang yard, the local switch job was referred to as "The Strang Mafia" by locals but that's another story.
The UP swallowing the SP and the service melt down in the late nineties. Dick Davidson another egotistocal, don't question me, every decision I make is perfect tyrant. His stubborn-ness and refussal to adjust the plans as things went down the chute only prolonged and worsened the UP dervice melt down back then. I believe EHH is worse with his Ego and out of control cuts, this situation at CSX has the potential to get very bad and somewhat long term. Time will tell.
{The root of sabotage was the act of the Luddites who threw their sabots into the 'works' as a protest.} Getting rid of those who share their hard-earned 'Institutional Knowledge', and their" knowing what they can do to rectify certain daily situations"; can certainly lead an organization down that same kind of rabbit hole that UPRR found itself in, when it swallowed SP, way back when.
Norm48327Get rid of the capable folk before the transition and leave Harrison high and dry or out on a limb.
I'd been thinking along that line. Beat him to the punch so he won't look like such a big hero. Might seem a little childish, but...
Just another piece of the puzzle. The sabotage angle is particularly salient as letting those folks go leaves one less thing EHH can do to save money and direct it to the investors.
And ultimately reach that magic number he's looking for.
Shadow the Cats ownerCSX gutting their middle management was the worst thing they could have done with him coming in over 1000 people fired that knew how the system ran how to keep customers happy.
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