Passenger Trains > More Oakland management brilliance

Not trying to use this as a bitch and moan forum, but I thought everyone would like to know the ways their tax dollars are being put to work in Oakland.

Here are two occurrences that happened today within an hour of each other.

A conductor coming in on a train at the end of the tour of duty receives a call from CMS asking if he would like to work Train 718 to Bakersfield until he is dead on the law with a 5 hour cut between (which would make him useless for more than half the trip). There is nobody on the extra board, and nobody wants to or is available to work extra. He declines the offer. 718 goes out conductor-only with no assistant conductor.

At about the same time, a conductor coming in from another train gets pulled out of service on charges of failing to punch a single passenger's 10-ride ticket (which happens to be the Capitol Corridor's busiest train, usually handling over 350 passengers).

The results: one more vacancy that likely will not be filled due to the nonexistent conductor extra boards in OAK/SAC, and one conductor collecting his job insurance until the company spends at least $1,000 on an investigation.

Just another day under the dictatorship of Deely and Diaper Boy.

Hey guys, out smart them-triple up & max-out your job ins. then you can sit at home & make twice/3 times as much money for doing nothing. thats what 1 lucky conductor is doing right. been 11 months so far. 140k & counting. thanks heir deely & diaper boy.

Seriously- Why don't you guys find different jobs? I changed jobs at least seven times in my 48 year career (once involuntarily), first job being a railroad station baggageman, and second job being a bus driver.

Some of us down in LA want to know who Diaper Boy is....

Ax

Why should trying to save taxpayer money should these people have to change jobs?

Axy_Dent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of us down in LA want to know who Diaper Boy
> is....
>
> Ax

Yah, so do I....I know who Joe Deeley is!

Axy_Dent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of us down in LA want to know who Diaper Boy
> is....
>
> Ax


patrick 'king of reverse lodging' pressuer. looks like he is 15 years old hins the nickname diaper boy.

More reasons to simply contract out all this work and get other rail operators involved, like Herzog.

Amtrak's institutional problems are just too much to bear, sometimes.

stone23 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Seriously- Why don't you guys find different jobs?
> I changed jobs at least seven times in my 48 year
> career (once involuntarily), first job being a
> railroad station baggageman, and second job being
> a bus driver.


So what do you do for a living now stone23?

hogtrainer

Most likely, the conductor on 718 will get written up to poor performance as he was unable to do the whole job. Probably should pull him out of service too.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More reasons to simply contract out all this work
> and get other rail operators involved, like
> Herzog.
>

On the contrary, employee complaints relect that these people love their jobs and are upset and discouraged by such actions. I would be worried if the employees did not care to moan.
Contracting out would solve nothing, Metrolink recently changed their operating contractor with almost 100% of the Amtrak employees and managers taking employement with the new contractor. There is an old saying around Amtrak, "It's still the same circus if they don't change the clowns."

Hey, we all need a vacation sooner or later, but getting pulled out of service these days is no fun anyways since they ship you off to Wilmington, DE. The East Coast Cartel has all the answers, they will give you a little mind melting session for a week and brainwash you.

thefab4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most likely, the conductor on 718 will get written
> up to poor performance as he was unable to do the
> whole job. Probably should pull him out of service
> too.

What's your seventh job? Head french fry cook at McDonalds? I have no reason to find another job, but I have a right to say what I wish about the conditions in which I work. I don't know of any person in their right mind that doesn't have something to say about their work place and the conditions they work in.

stone23 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Seriously- Why don't you guys find different jobs?
> I changed jobs at least seven times in my 48 year
> career (once involuntarily), first job being a
> railroad station baggageman, and second job being
> a bus driver.

fjc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, we all need a vacation sooner or later, but
> getting pulled out of service these days is no fun
> anyways since they ship you off to Wilmington, DE.
> The East Coast Cartel has all the answers, they
> will give you a little mind melting session for a
> week and brainwash you.
>

Quit complaining. An all expenses paid trip to Wilmington so you can piss good Amtrak dollars down the toilet while staying in their lodging? If the charge is bogus you will get back pay, and sounds like job insurance is pretty popular in the bay area (rightfully so.) So lets see here, if they fire the whole crewbase, they could just charter an airplane and send all of OAK, SAC and SJC back east...

What trains?

I love Amtrak management. Just like the UP: follow orders and all they do is put money in your wallet... and at least for me, a smile on my face.

Crashela

PS: I heard Camp Wilmington was shut down... probably tired of us west coasters running up those flight expenses. HAH!

Me complain, never <g>. I dunno, they got a bunch of new hire A/C's from San Jose back there now, so who knows what the East Coast Cartel is up to. You forgot to add SFC and GLY into your equation of crew bases to fire, that's a good idea though charter a plane and fly back there. Can we charter Hooters Airlines since Amtrak is paying for this? All the beer and chicken wings we can devour! And then we can all mark off Redblock for the first day of rehabilitation, haha.

Crashela Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Quit complaining. An all expenses paid trip to
> Wilmington so you can piss good Amtrak dollars
> down the toilet while staying in their lodging?
> If the charge is bogus you will get back pay, and
> sounds like job insurance is pretty popular in the
> bay area (rightfully so.) So lets see here, if
> they fire the whole crewbase, they could just
> charter an airplane and send all of OAK, SAC and
> SJC back east...
>
> What trains?
>
> I love Amtrak management. Just like the UP:
> follow orders and all they do is put money in your
> wallet... and at least for me, a smile on my
> face.
>
> Crashela
>
> PS: I heard Camp Wilmington was shut down...
> probably tired of us west coasters running up
> those flight expenses. HAH!

>Amtrak's institutional problems are just too much to bear, sometimes.

Then why do you bother to read about them?

"Everything not forbidden is compulsory" -- George Orwell in Animal Farm.

How do you make a reindeer bark?

Douse it with gasoline and light a match. Woof!

and take herzog with you on the way out.

Crashela Wrote:
>
> PS: I heard Camp Wilmington was shut down...
> probably tired of us west coasters running up
> those flight expenses. HAH!


Must still be there....the SEA Roadforeman just headed back with yet another SEA hoghead...

fjc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
I don't know of any
> person in their right mind that doesn't have
> something to say about their work place and the
> conditions they work in.

Yeah, but I don't know anyone (except the Amtrakers on this board) who is dumb enough to do it in public, in writing, on the internet!
>

Ohh Camp Wilmington is still in service?

Wow. Yea, I don't know all the crewbases up there, but LA might be able to fill its own plane... and Hooters air sounds like a smart move.

And yes, us Amtrakers really are foolish for putting out this information that is *SO* top secret. Whatever. We should charge the corporation for services rendered in compliance with the freedom of information act.

Crashela.

fjc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, we all need a vacation sooner or later, but
> getting pulled out of service these days is no fun
> anyways since they ship you off to Wilmington, DE.
> The East Coast Cartel has all the answers, they
> will give you a little mind melting session for a
> week and brainwash you.
>
> thefab4 Wrote:


I think you mean "Mine Melding" if you were mine melted, you would likely quit and go to work for Wal-Mart
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Most likely, the conductor on 718 will get
> written
> > up to poor performance as he was unable to do
> the
> > whole job. Probably should pull him out of
> service
> > too.
>
>
>