In a regular 9-5 job there
That violation of the contract concerning time to place yourself being bumped maybe why BNSF employees may be able to strike and UP ones couldn’t. We don’t get assessed points, that I’m aware of, for time after being displaced.
For us technically, once displayed from an assignment, one is placed on the “bump board” which is considered an extra board. You can be called off this board if the regular extra board is depleted. (That is, if you answer the phone.) We’re different in that engineers have 48 hours, trainmen 24 hours to place on another assignment. After that time expires, a person isn’t supposed to be abl
[quote user=“jeffhergert”]
For about six months to a year many years ago, there was a pilot project that started out with the extra boards, both enginemen and trainmen. If it had worked, it was to be extended to the pools.
We worked 7 days on, 3 days off. If you worked into the first off day, your off time was extended by however long you worked. It gave some idea of when you were going to work and when you would be off. You could actually schedule appointments knowing you could make it to them. If you wanted to work your off days, you could request extra work. (I don’t recall anyone ever doing so.)
In my home terminal, a busy terminal, we worked on our rest. But then you knew you were going to have some time off. The railroad eventually cancelled it. It was because at some terminals, usually outlaying small ones, the extra board either didn’t turn fast enough or would mostly catch yard jobs. Those extra boards would get paid guarantee every half. The railroads have always hated paying guarantee, even before PSR.
Here’s an idea for rest days for irregular unassigned road and extra boards.
Road pools, where you normally go out one day, home the next could have 6 work days then a rest day. It could be 6 starts then 24 hours off instead of calendar days.
Extra boards could have something like that, patterned after the current HOS requirements. Work 6 or 7 starts, no matter if there is a 24 hour break between tours of duty, and then 24 hours off.
Personally, for both I think 36 hours off is better. That way you actually have some personal time if you tie up at 4am.
Time off waiting for a call does not always allow someone to schedule something at the last minute. You need scheduled time off for that. We do have on the road pools and extra boards, personal paid leave time. However, that’s granted acc
While not germane to T&E working conditions…at one location I worked the Yardmaster’s Relief Job was scheduled - Monday 11P-7A, Tuesday & Wednesday 3P-11P, Thursday & Friday 7A-3P - with the rest period for the assignment being from 3PM on Friday to 11 PM on Monday.
I used to work SatSun 7-3, MonTues 3-11, WedThurs 11-7. So my “two days off” added up to 32 hours. I was a “relief man.” The schedule sucked.
The schedule I was working in my final year of college. Was able to schedule all my classes after 8 AM and most before Noon. Had on Noon to 1 PM class my final Quarter - It was the last for credit college class I ever attended when it was dismissed at 1 PM May 4, 1970.
I find the Hi-Viz policy indecipherable. But if you alread have a pretty good head for this stuff, this article may shed some more light.
https://www.railwayage.com/freight/bnsf-hi-viz-attendance-policy-rankling-rank-and-file/
One thing good about the article is that they got input from actual railroaders.
Reading through Hi-Vis it looks like something that was put together by a teenage video gamer. Railroaders are not video game avatars to be jerked around.
Not sure what language this policy is written in, but I don’t think it is English. Question- it refers to the availability of “credits” meaning the points are added back to an employee’s point availability if they don’t the points deducted during a 14 day period? If so, how many points?
I think they get 4 points back. We get 7 points after 28 days. I believe both reset, the 2 or 28 day period starts over, if one have a layoff that doesn’t result in points being assessed. Such as a paid leave or vacation day.
At least ours “age” off after 90 days. BNSF’s sound like they can only be worked off. They never age out.
Jeff
Here’s UP’s policy.
https://ble-t.com/resc/pdf_tey_attendance_072821.pdf
It mentions “full time employee” but that’s not measured by a 40 hour work week as most people know. We’ve lost some who averaged way over that for a 90 day period, but still exceeded layoff points.
Jeff
Edit: That’s the first revision. It;s been revised since then. It made some better, but some of those were reset to the original policy. Mainly 28 uninterupted days working or available for 7 points back.
It seems like you have to be the railroad equivalent to a “jailhouse lawyer.”
An “engine-cab HR pro.”
It always has been.
In every form of human endeavor one has alway had to know how to ‘game the system’ to be able survive they system.
Sounds like the tax code.
Every rule needs additional rules to take care of all the exceptions people find.
Working with a C & S gang in Cincinnati as a Co-op student back in the late 50’s, on pay day, we would take the truck to a bank to cash the paychecks. During the week the men always said they didn’t know math. However, on payday, they knew to the penny what the check should be. Great guys.
Some T&E yard relief jobs work similiar schedules. Few of them get their time off through weekends or for that many hours.
May have worked when the T&E rest period was 8 hours. Now that it is 10 hours it would not work.
Yardmasters are not HOS covered employees and as such do not have legally enforceable rest requirements. It is a frequent occurrence for Yardmasters to ‘double’ ie. work more than one tour of duty - thus 16 hours (oe more) consecutively.
It is not uncommon for Yard personnel to ‘double’; however the HOS rule make that a work extension of 4 hours for the individual involved - 4 hours worked for 8 hours pay. Maximum HOS work period is 12 hours.
Can you just imagine how many other Fortune 500 companies could get their operating ratios below 60 if they were able under staff and over work their employees like the railroads do? It’s appalling how little the railroads are held to account by the FRA. Even more so when it is so well known that the unpredictable work schedules of railroaders leads to the chronic fatigue connected with so many accidents. PTC in a way is an admission of the problem and a means to continue it. If a train crew falls asleep no big deal. PTC will safely stop the train and then we’ll fire the train crew. Rinse and repeat.
I wonder how many railroad CEO’s would be willing to take a flight on their corporate jet if the pilots had the same fatigue level as a typical Class I locomotive engineer? I’d guess not.
I’m all for capitalism, but there has to be sensible balance of power between management, stockholders, employees, and shippers. Hard to argue that’s been the case for a long time.
Like this …
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-engineer-burnout-get-more-hours-out-of-day-2022-1
That’s a start, but Amazon needs to “Hunterize” the process. If employees aren’t quitting at a record pace, then you aren’t pressing them hard enough. Push them until something breaks. Productivity at all costs. Make your employees long for the cold comfort of the grave - https://dilbert.com/strip/2008-02-03