Problem is, there's this railroad to run. I think that if management and the brotherhoods sat down and talked in good faith, this too could be worked out. Yes, I know, a cow will jump over the moon first.
Who's willing to work Christmas and who isn't? Let the people willing to work take the trains regardless of who is next for the call. Got enough crews? If you don't have enough people then up the pay for working and being away from home on Christmas.
Some people wouldn't spend Christmas away from home for all the money in the world. Some people will take the cash and run the trains. It's certainly a better idea than trying to force people to spend Christmas away from home and family. Especially when there are other people who would be willing to work if they got good pay for it.
The class I's usually slow down for one of the big holidays and only run the priority trains. Employees who have a lot of senority can usually (?) mark off on a big holiday. This year Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday which is usually a slower day for the Class I's anyway.
CC
I'm not trying to be callous, but aren't railroad employees told when they are hired on that they are expected to be ready to work 365 days a year? It just kinda seems that if someone didn't want to fulfill the requirements of the job, then perhaps they should have found a different job.
Along slightly different lines, I would think that those of non-Christian faith (Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, animist, atheist, etc.) would have no problem with working on Christmas. Is the percentage of such workers rather small within the railroad industry?
Back when the railroads ran their own psgr trains everyone knew someone was going to have to work during the Christmas holidays. So if your crew stood to go out, everyone pretty well accepted it. If you had enough senioroty you could mark off that trip. If you were on the extra board it was the same as any other day.
Today there are few working railroaders left from that era. Today's mind set is "Why should I have to work? I'll just lay off sick and let crew management force some one else to go out who didn't stand to work on Christmas (or any other holiday)." Usually nothing happens to the first person who laid off sick, but the railroad will do all sorts of nasty stuff to the person who didn't stand to work if he then tries to lay off.
We've been planning this for more then a week. CSX is planning (at least in my area) to have everything tied down and everyone at their home terminal by late Sunday night. We expect to start running again late Monday night.
I have worked plenty of Christmases, and other holidays in my career. Usually voluntarily too. The double time and a half makes up for it (don't have kids yet). Both my father and grandfather were railroaders, so my side of the family is used to it. My wife is still always a little dissappointed (until she sees that paycheck )
As noted, in my RR greetings post, I'll be the last man on duty this year (3rd shift the 24th).
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
I heard CN is trying to have people home around 6pm Christmas Eve. Well that certainly must not be true because I have been told my 2pm-10pm yard shift on Christmas Eve isnt cancelled and I think I am working on C-Day too. I will know for ceratain when I go to work today.
But I know for sure they are not shutting down totally.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
I'd like to break into this thread of complaining about having to work and/or be away from family on a holiday to offer some perspective:
Keep all these folks in mind as you celebrate with your own loved ones over the next few days.
The biggest determinant of all the layoffs during holidays is the relationsip between divisional management and local union leadership. When there is an agressive adverserial relationship between the two facations there is no trust that managment will actually do what it is promising to do in shutting down operations in an orderly manner. When the BLE/UTU implement their 'shut down' plan by not responding to call it brings forth crisis managment by management that further aggrevates those few employees that do accept calls.
The reality is that no one....craft or management want to be working during the Holidays, however, that is the profession that we have chosen....providing transportation for hire. If my memory serves, my dad was home Christmas Day 3 times from my birth until I was 10.....and he was managment.
The Holidays are a difficult time that need to be handled in a professional manner by all....craft and management....it is our livelyhood.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Amen to you Poppa_Z. I have missed many a holiday in foriegn countries during the holidays and know the true meaning of sacarfice. I will never forget the communities, USO, school children, church groups, college Frat/Soriety houses sending us letters and packages during those times.
I want to send my thanks to the men and women that have to be on the rail or road delivering the packages to their final destination for the families that are waiting for them.
I am protecting my job and am paid to be available according to my agreement. I get plenty of time off when not called or working a yard job.
BNSFrailfan wrote:Thank God I went Railfanning today. I tell you. Oh man was the BNSF busy today.
UP was also very busy. Of course will be running tomorrow as well. It used to be they would shut down on Holidays, but with so much needed traffic such as coal and Ethanol, the trains must move. We have grain and ethanol moving on the branch this holiday.
RRKen wrote: BNSFrailfan wrote:Thank God I went Railfanning today. I tell you. Oh man was the BNSF busy today. UP was also very busy. Of course will be running tomorrow as well. It used to be they would shut down on Holidays, but with so much needed traffic such as coal and Ethanol, the trains must move. We have grain and ethanol moving on the branch this holiday.
Collin ,operator of the " Eastern Kentucky & Ohio R.R."
"Who's willing to work Christmas and who isn't? Let the people willing to work take the trains regardless of who is next for the call. "
Greyhounds.. I used to work for a medium-sized trucking company, whose drivers were represented by the Teamsters. We actually did that one year in the western half of our system with our road drivers, with the full blessing of the locals involved. They had the option of signing off for a three-day holiday weekend, with the "money guys" being called for the needed runs. About 60% of our drivers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West VA, and Western PA/Western NY signed off for the three days. We moved our customers frieght on time, the guys/gals who wanted to stay home did so, and the others made a pile of dough.
Dammed if a local out of Maine time-slipped us on a technicality for every one of those runs that weekend. So much for common sense...
In eight yrs on the rr I have not worked a Christmas but have always been available to work. I'm sure some time down the line it will happen. Won't be happy about it but I'll go to work do my job, not whine about it and layoff at some later time
Poppa_Zit wrote: I'd like to break into this thread of complaining about having to work and/or be away from family on a holiday to offer some perspective: There are a lot of unemployed people with families to feed who'd love to have a good-paying job with benefits working for a railroad and wouldn't care one whit if they had to work third shift or a holiday for double time -- or even straight pay.There are a couple of hundred thousand service men and women at military installations all over the globe -- many of them in harm's way today -- protecting our right to complain. Many of them are 10,000 miles and months away from being with their family members this Christmas. Some will never come home.There are a lot of police, fire, rescue and emergency medical personnel on duty every minute of a holiday. When I worked as a fulltime fireman, we got nothing extra for working holidays. We were all glad we had a decent, steady job. When I later was a volunteer [without pay], we answered calls 24/7/365 -- even on holidays -- because we were damn proud of what we were doing. In doing so we often ran out in the middle of family gatherings.Hospitals -- doctors, nurses and support staff -- will also be working through the holidays, just in case we need them.Let's not forget highway crews who will clean up accident sites, assist motorists and plow snow even though it's a holiday.And with no intent to slight anyone -- thanks to EVERYONE who keeps our country going during holidays.Keep all these folks in mind as you celebrate with your own loved ones over the next few days.
Amen, Poppa Z... I have worked my share of Christmases, and other holidays... it's the way it goes in this line of work. I accept it, and my family does. (Plus, honestly, Christmas at the firehouse isn't half bad...)
Cat:What do you mean by "time slipped us on a technicality"?
Was it an LTL carrier you worked for? I worked during the 80's for an LTL carrier...it was an interesting job, but cut throat.
ed
MP173 wrote: Cat:What do you mean by "time slipped us on a technicality"?Was it an LTL carrier you worked for? I worked during the 80's for an LTL carrier...it was an interesting job, but cut throat. ed
It means someone put in for a penalty payment for time lost because the carrier didn't follow the labor contract. I'm guessing their holiday deal was more of a handshake agreement and someone took advantage of the provisions of the regular contract still being in force to put in the penalty claims. I bet they didn't do that (the holiday deal) again the next year. There is always someone who spoils it for everyone else.
An example of a time claim would be a "runaround." Person A is available, first out on the board. For some reason Person B, who is second out, gets called for a job that should go to Person A. Person A puts in a claim for being "runaround." For us in our agreements, a runaround was 4 hours straight time. I've heard our trip rates did away with runarounds, at least on the pools.
Now I'm sure there are some non-railroaders and anti-union types thinking how bad the carriers have it with us moneygrubbing workers. Person A would go to work eventually, why should he/she get a penalty? Because through no fault of Person A, they missed a job that might have paid twice of what the job they ended up with paid. Also, that go to work eventually could be a ways off if your working a slow turning board.
Jeff
Yes, indeed, I did work for two LTL carriers for 12 years - and hated the last four.
"Time-slip" does mean to file a claim for payment for work assigned inappropriately.
In this case, one of the Maine locals had a driver who had been working for us for almost forty years, long before we moved into the area covered by the Central States Teamsters contracts.
In simple terms - this guy had not had the opportunity to work in Maine for more that 48 hours - by two hours. Because we had set up the (written) agreement with the Central States Teamsters more than a month ahead of time, he had to technical right to move to CS domicles and sign for the work due to an ancient, obscure clause in his local contract. This was set up to let the drivers work in places like Boston and Hartford in the wintertime, and had never been updated to exclude runs originated outside his "potential service area" (at the time, 500 miles from his home terminal in eastern Maine). He pulled 384 days pay after winning his grievance.
Even the Teamsters Regional director apologized to us for that one.
The next year, every dispatch slip handled out over the Christmas weekend included a copy of the grievence filing.
And they wonder why the industry is now owned by the non-union carriers?
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