Train crew rest rules in need of change?

[Anonymous]

I am a UP employee but it is the say open ended national contract that no one that I work around voted for except for pre 85 guys so they could get the signing bonus before they retire.

[Anonymous]

Are you talking about our new BNSF "stay tuned," contract?

[Anonymous]

I am a fairly new hire. I have a life to live beyond railroading, so I am on a regular turn to get days off. My problem is that the railroad keeps the extra board short and thus uses the regular turns and jobs as extra extra boards. They constantly drop turns to get to someone that cannot afford to miss a trip, this in turn makes it so you are fatigued at work or lose money for the half for not taking the call. I believe that if these train accidents were really looked into, you would probably find that the crew was not expecting to be called when they were called.

AND about the whining... If the old heads would not keep selling, the new hires out in each contract maybe there would not be as much whining. Just look at this new contracted for instance, the pre 1985(old heads) will not loss anything because they are "protected". The new contract was supposed to make us equal but the fine print does just the opposite.

[dknelson]

I am just a railfan and can't speak about hours ... but I can say based on scanner info that in many cases a crew is sent out on the road, directed into a siding, and there they wait until the crew goes dead! There seems to be remarkably little advanced planning or knowledge about what will really happen to a crew BEFORE it is given its train and told to leave -- the sole determination seems to be that the train is made up and ready to send out.

Dave Nelson

[wabash1]

yes and i should stand corrected also. i lumped all new hires into the same group. i should say 70% are cry babies about not getting weekends off, 20% only whine from time to time, and the other 10% come to work with the attitude to make as much money as they can no matter what day of the week it is.

[BRAKIE]

Ironken,Just for you since you don't whine.

Some but not all new hire whine about the hours..

[Anonymous]

Hey Brakie, I'm a pretty new hire and I whine if I dont get the hours. Don't say all. That is inaccurate. When I'm asked to hold over or double out (yard service) I'm there. I'm here not because I love not having a life....I'm here to make money and retirement.

[BRAKIE]

While I can not speak about today railroads I will say this.When I worked on the Chessie(the last one I worked for)the last thing I wanted was to miss my train home from the away terminal.Yes I worked as many hours as they would let me not due to greed but to give my family the best things..Even back then the new hires did not whine like todays new hires-I know about 5 young men that wanted the job and the pay and still thought they would have the week ends and holidays off like a normal 40 job.

As J said that freight must move if not the truckers will move it by driving 16-24 hours to get there if they must.After all they want the big bucks to.Like truckers told me more then once when he/she was 16th or 17th in line to be unloaded.It's costing me money to wait.If those wheels don't turn I don't make a dime.My reply? Buddy as long as you are complaining to me and stopping me from doing my work the longer it will take to unload the trucks ahead of you.Then to myself You cry baby.

[wabash1]

we already get 10hrs rest at home or away. all you do is request it. the problem is greed, if you reqest 10 hrs at away from home terminal then you stand a good chance to get run around. and the easy train you was to catch will go to the crew behind you, who didnt want 10hrs. the work rule i am hearing about will be no change is rest rule but the work week will be 10 days work and 2 days off. this is not good either, i may want to make more money a few halves to have extra money, now they restricted my earnings. i work on my rest til i have had enough of it then take a few days off. but the guys who are doing the complaining the most are the new guys who think they should have the weekends off like the guys who been here for 25-30 years.

[Jackflash]

If the cariers dont do something about the
work/rest situtation I feel the Govt. will
I think if the FRA makes a new rule on hours
of service it will probably be something like
10/10, ten hours on duty with ten hours of rest
with at least one day off each week. There is
to much noise being made concerning this subject
the FRA will get involved sooner or later.

[wabash1]

i dont think the rules need to be changed , not by the goverment. if i want time off i take it if i want to work i work, transportation doesnt stop for anyone, in the hiring sessions they say its long hours no time off , so get use to it, if you work for the railroad and you dont like the hours its time to find another job, most of the guys doing the crying about off time are young and dont want to work weekends, the older guys are just fine with what we do.

[Anonymous]

Do the federal laws covering trains crews' hours of rest need to be changed? Are crews too fatigued? What would you suggest as a fair and reasonable amount of time off between runs?