Western Railroad Discussion > Rail workers shortage and the Port of LA cargo issues

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/port-of-los-angeles-clogged-railroad-worker-shortage/

Posted from Android

You'd think the railroads woudl try hard to get and retain employees but that is the opposite of what they are doing.

"Retain?" not hardly.  Employees are first thing to go in any slowdown.

tomstp Wrote:
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> "Retain?" not hardly.  Employees are first thing
> to go in any slowdown.

Yes.

In my old company, a skilled employee was a $50,000 investment of our money in training, licensing, expertise, etc.

We didn't have a lot of people, and we didn't like to lose anybody. It took about two years to get a new
staff member to full competence.

Posted from Android

I was at the local mom and pop hardware store the other day buying some Thompson’s water seal for my deck….they special ordered it for me…without giving me a price. It’s usually around $25-30 in years past, but this year I found out, upon arrival…it was $65 for a gallon. I was blown away…I said…” I work for the railroad and can’t even afford that! The average man can’t pay for that, and it doesn’t seem right. The price of everything has gone up, but not our wages!”

The employee looked at me for a second and then replied…”Well…we all got $10 an hour raises to stay on during covid, I was making $13 an hour before, now I’m making $23. Didn’t your company do the same for you?”

I just stood there in disbelief with my mouth hanging open, uncommon for me. And I replied no…the railroad gave no bonus or incentive to stay on during covid, they told me me that if we did not come in we would be terminated, and we haven’t had a raise in 3 years.

She couldn’t believe it.

Posted from iPhone

We had a great incentive program. When the Gov of Cal said stay at home, we got called that night and told we were state employees and that we were essential employees and required to report to work, if not we would be terminated. Mind you we were a transportation operation that was shut down for over a year and not allowed to spend any money on maintenance. No extra cash, no reason to be there, no love.

Many companies opened their checkbooks to employees during the pandemic. That isn't unusual.

Our neighbor is a medical tech. Her employer offered her time and a half for two 12 hour shifts each weekend. A full week (36 hours) pay. Plus time and a half for any time worked during the week.

Here in south Florida, if you have good employees, you pay them or they are gone. My HVAC guy pays his people to be on call. Plumber, too.

Maybe railroad pay was great money in 1980, but that may not be true in some places today.

Posted from Android

I like the line that says "Railroads tried to streamline operations with a practice called "precision scheduled railroading," which sometimes uses shorter trains."

Rob L.

rob_l Wrote:
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> I like the line that says "Railroads tried to
> streamline operations with a practice called
> "precision scheduled railroading," which sometimes
> uses shorter trains."
>

I noticed that too.

I will say this video made me nostalgic for the halcyon days of 2019 when the railroads were "hyper-efficient"!

Sounds to me like its non union workers that got raises and work deals.  Union you have a contract. So they havent been up front in a hurry to agree on a new contract.. Is it thier problem or the workers problem?
RB

The company raised the starting wage 2x where i'm at, the union didn't even bother to tell us the 2nd time. Everyone else got nothing this round.


up833 Wrote:
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> Sounds to me like its non union workers that got
> raises and work deals.  Union you have a
> contract. So they havent been up front in a hurry
> to agree on a new contract.. Is it thier problem
> or the workers problem?
> RB

They are going to have to cancel Christmas. Even after a strike, there probably will be a shortage.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Many companies opened their checkbooks to
> employees during the pandemic. That isn't
> unusual.
>
> Our neighbor is a medical tech. Her employer
> offered her time and a half for two 12 hour shifts
> each weekend. A full week (36 hours) pay. Plus
> time and a half for any time worked during the
> week.
>
> Here in south Florida, if you have good employees,
> you pay them or they are gone. My HVAC guy pays
> his people to be on call. Plumber, too.
>
> Maybe railroad pay was great money in 1980, but
> that may not be true in some places today.
>
> Posted from Android


In the state I live in, many companies have raised their starting wages to be able to compete better...there is part of my state known as "warehouse row" for example. I know of one company that not only raised starting wages, but significantly raised the wages for the veterans just to keep them.

I agree with everyone else about the new rail contract (its PAST due). There is, however, money to be made on the rails still...