Some things are too important to society to be left in the hands of Wall Street investors.
(I knew there was some deeper level of mismanagement going on, because a week of sick leave is way cheaper than a 24% raise, and the only reason I could think of to offer the latter instead of the former is Logistics Too Delicate. This article helps explain that.)
So here it is.
Again. As I said weeks ago and again the other day. They will put a cap on Insurance costs, make all kinds of concessions and happily give a *24%* pay increase but won’t give the workers time off.
And ss the article touches on, they are doubling and tripling up trains. They say it’s for efficiency but it’s to eliminate workers.
So by tripling up 3 trains in one (engines in front, middle and back) 2 people are doing the work of six - on call 24/7/365 with no sick leave, no time off at all unless pre-approved and it won’t be approved.
I have so many stories I could tell and that was from years ago. It’s worse now.
This is awful.
Call me old fashioned, but shouldn’t those two people moving that behemoth through towns across America be well rested and not feverish? We have laws capping how long a trucker can be on the road, or a flight crew can be in the air…
At the risk of making a long post even longer, I’m going to tell a personal story that pertains to this.
Railroad policy is that you are on call 24/7/365.
And
It is the railroad employees responsibility to be rested. Now remember that because they throw that in your face all the time and it’s going to come into play in the story.
Per the FRA the railroad is required to give you “10 hours of uninterrupted rest”
So normally if you’re gone on the rail for a day and a half to 2 days before you can go back to work for another 2 days they have to give you 10 hours off. For me that 10 hours included an hour of travel to and from work so 8 hours. And because you can’t just flip a switch when you walk through the door and immediately fall asleep that was reduced to five to six hours of actual rest. Add to that your own physical wellness, spouse significant other kids doctor’s appointments. Family loved ones friends. The grass needs to be cut. The dishes need to be washed. The laundry needs to be done. Groceries need to be bought. Meals need to be made. Bills need to be paid. Life needs to be lived. But. Again, it’s the railroad employees'responsibility to be rested when they call you back to work.
But WOOHOO TEN HOURS!
I was a union official and my future wife was a company official and we had to work together on a regular basis which is how we fell in love and then I moved to Kansas where we got married and had kids.
Her job in railroad management was overseeing the call center for the railroad.
I was on a call list for a 350+ mile route from KC to Galesburg IL.
One night it appeared that I was going to be first on the list and due to get out on a train at 6:00 a.m. Because the railroad is required to give you a 2-hour call that meant I would get called at 4:00 a.m. To be at work at 6:00 a.m.
So Jennifer and I planned accordingly. We did dinner early, I prepped my meals , got the kids to bed and went to bed as early as possible so that I could hopefully get a solid 6+ hours of sleep before the phone rang at 4:00 a.m.
The phone didn’t ring but we naturally got up early because we went to bed early. According to the computer, the new train lineup said my train was going to get out about noon. So we made breakfast. Got the kids off to school and waited for the phone to ring at 10:00 a.m. It didn’t. The train was pushed back to 6:00 p.m. so we went to lunch together. Ran some errands. Went to the hardware store and Target. Before we knew it, the train was pushed back again to 6:00 a.m. the next day. So we went about our normal evening routine. Kids got home from school. We did homework played with the kids, had dinner. Watched some TV, put the kids to bed about 8:30 and we laid down just before 9:00 pm. I closed my eyes and the phone rang.
“ This is BNSF crew management calling *my name* for an on-duty assignment” the automated voice continued and I pressed one to accept the call. I now had 2 hours to get to work.
Jen: What are you going to do?
Me: What do you mean? I’m going to work.
Jen: But you’re not rested?
Me: so?
Jen: *starting to get panicked* You’ve been up all day. You can’t work all night. This isn’t safe.
Me: say that again.
Jen: Jude, THIS ISN’T SAFE
Me: *turned to her, speaking very calmly cause she’s getting upset* That’s right Jen, but if I rejected the call and asked to speak to a supervisor which would be you, and I said I can’t take the call because I’m not rested. What you say to me?
Jen: *eyes welling with tears* It’s your responsibility to be rested
Me: didn’t I do everything by the book yesterday and today? Didn’t we both monitor the train lineup and watched the train fall and fall and fall?
Jen: *crying* Yes
Me: Do you think that I could have stayed in a perpetual state of rest the past 24 hours?
Jen: *still crying* No
Me: then I have no choice to go to work because you know if I don’t I’ll be disciplined and or fired. Further I was just falling asleep and now I have to be behind the wheel of a car for an hour. I’m not so sure I make the trip to work let alone the 12 hour, 350 mi train ride to Illinois. But I have no choice because it’s my responsibility to be rested.
Jen: *Sobbing* this isn’t safe
Me: You’re right, it’s not safe and now you get to see how the railroad policies that you enforce affect real people. And someone you love.
Not good times. Jen was always Pro-company but that changed that night.
So yes I was awake for 15 hours, drove my car and hour to work and then drove a train for 12 more hours.
I’ve always said if you are first out on the call list and you sit first out for 24 hours, you should be allowed to request an additional 8 hours off specifically for sleep while maintaining your position the first out. If a train is called while you’re in that second rest they would go to the next person in line.
Anyway. Long story long. I didn’t violate the FRA federal guidelines because I was on the train for 12 hours or less. Even though I was severely impaired.
And if I had rejected the call because I was not rested I would have been disciplined and or fired. If I had noticed what was about to happen and I requested a day off it would have been rejected.
After all, to be considered a full-time employee you have to be on call 24/7/365 and **it’s your responsibility to be rested**
So talking to a Railroad union buddy who just told me there is talk running rampant today. Based on the Congress decision with no paid sick leave, many that qualify have filed for retirement and there is talk of mass resignations.
The railroaders have been working 3 years without a contract so everyone is going to get a nice big fat back-pay paycheck and then quit.
