Passenger Trains > Tough Talk From NJ Legislature About NJ Transit Rail

http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/07/nj_transit_boss_forced_to_answer_for_crew_shortages_train_cancellations.html

The company has a 67% failure rate in engineer school.

YIKES !

Who handles their selection process? Even the shot through with political interference port authority PD does better than this.

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Didn't help that some operating crews were let go when Christie came into power, trying to treat them as he did the Teachers union, some of whom went to VRE.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Didn't help that some operating crews were let go
> when Christie came into power, trying to treat
> them as he did the Teachers union, some of whom
> went to VRE.

That was eight years ago. Lots of people have hired, retired, etc since then.

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Hiring and training employees in 2017 is a really big problem. I have a friend who manages a large over-the-road trucking company. In order to find drivers it is most difficult. 90% of his candidates fail the drug test! I know a similar story from a non-transportation industry.

I've heard that half the people at railroad open house employment fairs walk out when they're told about the 90 day drug test and random testing.

Still, these are good jobs that pay well in an area with 4% unemployment.

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Lackawanna484 Wonders:
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> The company has a 67% failure rate in engineer
> school.
>
> YIKES !
>
> Who handles their selection process?

Presumably, the Human Resources Department.

billio Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wonders:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The company has a 67% failure rate in engineer
> > school.
> >
> > YIKES !
> >
> > Who handles their selection process?
>
> Presumably, the Human Resources Department.

If you have such a high wash out rate, you should be looking at what you miss in the selection process.

Even though it's a fine process and produces a high quality engineer, losing 2/3 of your candidates is a waste of resources.

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NJ Transit just like all similar publicly funded agencies is under pressure to make sure that its work force reflects the ethnic/racial make up of the community it serves.

While there's no "official" quotas" in place they bend over backwards to attempt to see that each new class of trainees reflects their community.

Substance abuse is an epidemic in America today across all racial and economic lines. It is particularly acute in our minority communities. This coupled with inner city schools that graduate kids who are functionally illiterate produces a situation wherein nearly 75% of minority applicants fail to be inducted into the new class. Most fail on both the drug test and the English comprehension tests.

As a society we need to face up to this situation and find ways to address it or we're going to continue to churn out illiterate, unemployable youths who have no future.

IMHO-Ross Rowland



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/17 07:57 by co614.

Well put, Ross...

W.

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Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> I've heard that half the people at railroad open
> house employment fairs walk out when they're told
> about the 90 day drug test and random testing.

That's not including those who walk out when told they will have to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

Part of the problem, is that NJT hires engineer candidates off the streets. You're going to have a higher than normal "wash out" rate, when your hires have zero railroad experience.

bioyans Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> Part of the problem, is that NJT hires engineer
> candidates off the streets. You're going to have
> a higher than normal "wash out" rate, when your
> hires have zero railroad experience.

That could be a good reason for high failure rate especially if these hires are not already engineers or operating employees from other transit agencies or railroads. I am surprised that this job is not offered to existing employees first as a career path from entry level and other positions.

That career path opportunity for existing NJT people would seem like a good idea. They know a little about the hours demanded, the management, etc.

Maybe a loss of seniority is a problem?

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