TrainsMag.com Reader Poll – November 14, 2003

[Bergie]

What was the biggest news story in the TRAINS News Wire this past week? Vote then share your comments below.

Polls on Trains.com are not scientific and reflect only the opinions of the users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, the readers of our magazines, nor the public as a whole. Bottom line, our polls are meant for fun and to stimulate conversation amongst our forum users.

[DennisHeld]

This is exactly the problem with corporate America now days. I'm surprised that the headlines weren't "CSX cuts 1000 jobs, buys 1 million bucks of Super Bowl tickets and gives CEO and CFO 1 million in bonuses. I don't mind Exec's getting a good salary. But come on. Just the perks they get are more than the Average Joe makes in total wages. Maybe Bush can give them another tax break so they can make ends meet!

[Anonymous]

Wall Street will applaud CSX for Cost Cutting and another 1000 will join the Wal-Mart
employee pool. Good-bye Middle-Class, Hello Third World.

[JoeKoh]

I feel that csx should really look at the balance sheet.If they have to layoff people where do you have the $$$$ for football?
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

SICKENING! The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

[grayfox1119]

After what has happened to some very greedy and stupid CEO's in big business, you would think that those in charge of CSX would have more brains. I fear they are playing with a deck of 32. And to lay off 1000 workers to boot? What collosal hyprocritical asses they are. I hope they get their just reward.[V]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by DennisHeld

This is exactly the problem with corporate America now days. I'm surprised that the headlines weren't "CSX cuts 1000 jobs, buys 1 million bucks of Super Bowl tickets and gives CEO and CFO 1 million in bonuses. I don't mind Exec's getting a good salary. But come on. Just the perks they get are more than the Average Joe makes in total wages. Maybe Bush can give them another tax break so they can make ends meet!

I don't know about the CEO's but Bush's tax break helped me and I'm an average working stiff.

[croteaudd]

Reference the CSX Super Bowl issue:

If the railroad plans on giving railfans the Super Bowl tickets, I’ll side with the railroaders’ job lose concerns.

On the other hand, if the railroad plans on showing appreciation for or pleasing current customers, or hopes to attract new customers, that may work toward the best interest of both the railroad and its employees.

[Anonymous]

I think CSX management should take a good look at themselves. Cutting costs is one thing, but it is disgusting that they buy tickets like that. The scary thing is that management don't see the connection.

[Anonymous]

atsfan- you must be one of his rich buddies. It sure didn't help me or anyone else I know.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ginajim

Wall Street will applaud CSX for Cost Cutting and another 1000 will join the Wal-Mart
employee pool. Good-bye Middle-Class, Hello Third World.


I have never heard it put so well ...short ,conscise & to the point....WELL DONE,ginajim.....I am a conductor w/ BNSF and I'm afraid we're next......[8]

[JoeUmp]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that continued funding of Amtrak is pretty inportant too.

[Anonymous]

I voted for the CN acquisition of BC Rail since I am Canadian and model the CN. A lot of people are protesting CSX's decision to lay off workers and then buy super bowl tickets. These people don't have the full stoy yet..It sounds pretty awful, but we don't have the facts. Maybe the tickets are part of the advertising department's way of enticing or keeping customers to boost their bottom line and laying off employees is another way of another department. As much as we don't like it the bottom line is the real figure to CSX. Some people are making a political statement, but I say lets leave politics out of this forum

[narpterry]

IF employment can be cut by 1000 without impacting the level of service, then previous management has been completely ineffective . CSX does not have great service levels and they have had numerous situations where level of maintenance has caused numerous derailments. Ony time will tell the impact of cutting jobs.

[JoeKoh]

Csx has been maintenance"blitzing" here in the area.I dont think a quick fix is the answer for them.
stay safe
joe

[Anonymous]

The story of corporate greed is an old story. The fact that the economy is picking up, seems like much bigger news to me!

[Anonymous]

Well it is just following the foot steps of Dr. Thomas Durant. Some things in railroading never change. Screwing the little guy has its roots deep in rail history. But, it doesn't have to be that way. There was a time when working for the railroad was being part of the team and knowing you'd be taken care of.

[Anonymous]

If you want to eat vote Democrate, if you want to starve vote "pub"
Friends don't let friends vote republican

[Anonymous]

"If you want to eat vote Democrate, if you want to starve vote "pub"
Friends don't let friends vote republican." Yeah Casey but, remember a Dem. signed N.A.F.T.A. It is time that us working joes woke up and smelled the coffee. Neither the D.or R. give a hoot about us, just getting re-elected. Our standard of living is NOT getting better. The "SLAVE" owners (read corp C.E.O.'s and Wall St. Exec's) are getting outrageously fat off of our work,while we eek out an existance.

[Anonymous]

I'd rather watch trains run than trailer trucks. The rails built the nation and it takes a few CEO's to tear down a system that has employed millions(including my grandfather,Joseph Zeppa) since it's beginnings. Kick the CSX CEO's in their collective butts for such a stupid move!

[Anonymous]

if you figure their average cost per employee is 80K/year (40K year salary + 40K overhead) thats 125 employees. Not a big dent in 1000 people, but still it might have been nicer to say 875 instead of 1000.....

Who needs football anyways?

-- Randy

[Anonymous]

since the csx are plannigng to cut 1,000 jobs and have the gall to spend billions of dollars to buy super bowl tickets is down right stupid. maybe the money spent for the people attending the superbowls are the ceo's and all his cronies who don't know beans about sport

[Anonymous]

the only way that they could buy the super bowl tickets was to cut all those jobs. just goes to show how corporate america actually dosen't care about its employees

[Anonymous]

Re: The CSX blunder:

One thing actually has little to do with the other. The superbowl tickets given to importsant customers would be a reasonable action. If the tickets are going to management, THEY should be fired.

The lay-offs are not unreasonable if it contributes to the efficiancy of operation. BTW, $1MM is only $1000/ laid-off person. They could of course added the $ to the severance package! The mistake was doing both actions simultaneously. Bad vibes!

Rich Witt

[Anonymous]

Pretty tacky on CSX management's part to lay off all those people and then purchase Super Bowl tickets all within a couple of days of each event!

[ironhorseman]

The article says nothing about who will receive the tickets. The article didn't say it was cutting jobs to save money, the jobs were cut to better serve it's customers, what ever that means.

A Superbowl is a big deal for a city. It boosts the local economy. But those tickets would have been bought, with or with out CSX's help. So who's gonna get the tickets? The fired employees as part of a severance package? Or the CEOs so they can sit in their skyboxes? Or will they be donated to radio stations so they can be raffeled off to the 7th caller?

Until we know where those tickets are going we may never know the real motivation or even if the firings and the tickets are related events.

Business deserves what it gets. If they blunder, then that's what they deserve.

[Anonymous]

the only reason I chose CN and BC rail is because they are Canadian!

[Anonymous]

[:(!] This really BITES! The corporate brass at CSX should all be horse-whipped. What an appalling, pathetic story. I hope the 1,000 workers whom were laid off strike it rich and then yell--with great joy--at the Armani-clad head honchos at CSX, " How do you like us NOW, a--wipes???" Pity the average joe in America, just trying to make an honest wage for honest labor.

[Anonymous]

do we have any ceo comments on this. do they (ceo) have the courage to go up to the families and tell them, sorry with christmas is coming up but watch me from the super bowl.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by emtemt

do we have any ceo comments on this. do they (ceo) have the courage to go up to the families and tell them, sorry with christmas is coming up but watch me from the super bowl.

The CEO's will be much too busy planning their respective vacations (as well as attending the Super Bowl) to leave comments in this forum. Corporate America--always TRUE TO FORM.