Passenger Trains > Why Train Cancellations Are Spiking For SEPTA

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/Train-cancellations-spike-for-SEPTA.html?mobi=true

Imagine a railroad where all conductors were cross-trained as engineers and could be assigned by management to work either role as needed by scheduling demand.

What a radical concept.

Isn't is true on the LIRR, engineers are qualified as conductors ?
They do run some deadhead equipment trains with just an engineer and brakeman (yes the LIRR has that position).

SEPTA has a 'union' problem and has had for decades.
 

From that article: "Because of seniority rules, newer hires often can’t get scheduled vacation time. "

Phooey. In order to have vacation, you must earn vacation credits. Vacation in any one year is based on your service credits from the previous year (you have to work so many days in one year to earn vacation in the following year). This means that for the first year you might not have any vacation at all because you haven't earned any credits, having not been employed by the RR during the previous year. After that, your vacation is awarded on a seniorty basis -when you take it, not how much of it- and the number of weeks you're entitled to is based on your years of service.

>SEPTA has a 'union' problem and has had for decades.

Since it's always been cheaper in terms of crew costs (wages+bennies) to pay out overtime, this puts a damper management's enthusiasm for hiring. The only "union problem" in this respect is related to a management union, not the crafts.

>Imagine a railroad where all conductors were cross-trained as engineers and could be assigned by management to work either role as needed by scheduling demand.

ACE tried this, didn't work out. Besides, management can instruct you to do anything it wants, except something patently unsafe, so what's your point?

>Isn't is true on the LIRR, engineers are qualified as conductors ?
>They do run some deadhead equipment trains with just an engineer and brakeman (yes the LIRR has that position).

That "brakeman" becomes transmorgrified into "the conductor".

EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> >SEPTA has a 'union' problem and has had for
> decades.
>
> Since it's always been cheaper in terms of crew
> costs (wages+bennies) to pay out overtime, this
> puts a damper management's enthusiasm for hiring.
> The only "union problem" in this respect is
> related to a management union, not the crafts.

I have no idea what you are talking about.  Perhaps your attitude is the problem.
 

> > >SEPTA has a 'union' problem and has had for decades.

This inidcates you think SEPTAs staffing problem is union-related, which is playing fast and loose with reality (unless you're into "reality TV").

>> Since it's always been cheaper in terms of crew costs (wages+bennies) to pay out overtime, this puts a damper management's enthusiasm for hiring. The only "union problem" in this respect is related to a management union, not the crafts.

This says OT is cheaper overall than hiring another employee. Crew costs are caluclated on wages + benefits (the medical plan etc.), and the rate of benefit payments is much lower per hour for OT. This equates to the dollar amount of one hour of ST + benefits being greater than one hour of OT + benefits. When operators, such as SEPTA, Amtrak, NYCTA, the BNSF, UP, etc. calculate "staffing costs" they take both pay rate and benefit rate into account, and their intent is always to minimze them. So if these combined costs require you to pay $45/hr for a current employee to do a job on OT and $55/hr to hire a new one to do the same job at ST, which would you do?

It also says that since hiring is done by management, not the union contract covered employees whom your complaining about, the only possible "union problem" is that of one formed by lower management to protect themselves against upper management, which has happened, albeit rarely.