CSX Freight Conductor-Is It All Bad?

Just saw this and no I did not read each post completely but would like to add something I recently witnessed:

The way the call, rest and mark off work you can still get screwed out of approved time off. I will give an example, CSX conductor puts in for a personal day off on a given Friday. Up to 11:59PM on Thursday he is subject to being called to work. So you guess it, about 9 pm on Thu. he gets called to work a job that keeps him out 12 hours, that now takes him to 9AM on his day off (of which he had plans), now my buddy is dead tired and needs to sleep for 5-6 hours to function, that is now 2-3PM in the afternoon of Friday.

Enjoy your day off, time to go back to work, 12:01 Sat am, just 9 hours away. Oh and by the way he will get called shortly after midnight so he has to have some rest for the next 12 hours on duty. This is whay some crews call train service the "chain gang."

T2

I'm not sure if the UTU got it for the conductors in this last CSX on-property contract but the BLET got the engineers if their going on rest days, personal leave, daily vacation, or vacation a request for early mark off. All one has to do is call crew management by 1600 to put in a request then they can't be called out after 2000. They can also request late mark up instead of being automatically marked up back on the board at 0001 it can be delayed till 0400.

I hear what everybody is saying but I know what I going in to and it is what I want to do whole new carrier for me from carpenters union to RR but at least there is vaca and personal days I didnt get any and if you didn't work no pay and have to work in all kind of weather conditions to me sound like the RR is better plus I've been layed off for 2 years had interview with CSX got job offer phyical/drug screening tomorrow,strenght test fri in selkirk NY , hope it all goes well can't wait to go to REDI going for freight conductor out of framingham MA .

budbailey21 wrote:

jz441 wrote:Since your husband turned them down once, I doubt that they will give him another chance.

I know, I thought about that too. All he can do is try. I know that there are 5 openings for Massena, NY and have been for about 6 months now. It is hard to fill the position up there do to the drug usage rate and inability to pass the background check which is sad because it would make a good job for a lot of people.

If you ever plan on seeing your husband, then I would suggest he not apply to the RR. I thought I knew what to expect before hiring out, but it is really something you have to experience yourself to know if you will like it. These are the things that bother me. 1) Never knowing when you are going to get called 2) Staying overnight in a hotel, bored out my mind 3) Not ever having Saturday & Sunday off 4) Missing out on life

However, the pay is pretty decent for the amount of work you do and the job itself is easy for the most part.