Job Insurance

I have transferred to train service from the track gang at my RR. Trackmen are not union, but trainmen are (UTU). I am wondering if I should get the job insurance. I would like to think that I will not screw up and get sent home for a few days, but you never know. Do most trainmen have the insurance?

I am assuming all the railroaders on this forum know what job insurance is.

Thank you.

shortlinerailroader wrote:I have transferred to train service from the track gang at my RR. Trackmen are not union, but trainmen are (UTU). I am wondering if I should get the job insurance. I would like to think that I will not screw up and get sent home for a few days, but you never know. Do most trainmen have the insurance?

I am assuming all the railroaders on this forum know what job insurance is.

Thank you.

Much like "Master Card", don't leave home without it! Seriously, we all would prefer to think that we will never have an opportunity to need our shove-out insurance. Even the most professional, diligent, conscientious, safety oriented employee needs job insurance. BR&CF is as good as any on the market. You can pay by the month, semi-annually or per year. There's a minimal discount when paying by the year.

I would recomend it. I have seen some good people get in bad places. It happens. Also one crew member can take down a whole crew. Job insurance isn't that expensive and some of it packages life insurance too.

I have been a Class ! Engineer for 26 years. I have alwys had job insurance but never collected on it.

More discussion on Out of Service Insurance

Thanks for the replies. I remember seeing the "out of service insurance providors" thread, but I never clicked on it. Thanks for the link, CSX.

I've got it. Includes a 50,000 life ins. policy. 130.00 a day costs me $45 a month. If you get burned at work, you should be able to collect RR unemployment as well at a paltry 50.00+- a day (5 days a week).

As long as you don't get a letter rules violation (Rule G) it is definitly lets you sleep better at night.

All railroads salivate at the thought of firing you for some kind of rules violation, because it makes their safety departments appear very productive. In addition, if you are called into an investigation, the cards are usually in the company's favor. And like someone else said, good people can be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Job insurance is something I wouldn't consider not having to be perfectly truthful.

But since you seem to work for a shortline, they may not be safety fascists like the big carriers are. It's a choice only you can make, but I reccommend it.

I agree with Avro Arrow. Get some insurance, even if it is through the UTU. Although you think you may not screw up, remember that you are a part of a crew out there, and if the Engineer screws up, or if you are in the yard with a crew and another guy screws up, well, you are part of the crew, and sometimes you can wiggle out of it, sometimes not. A co-worker whom I was in training with recently was fired for 5 days. Now he was the top notch head of the class test taker, never got anything against him when the annual review came, all of his ACTs were only 1’s and not 2’s, and guess what, he went out to his train after the tower told him to get on and go, no zones were in effect with the remotes working that end of the yard, he walks by his switch to line himself out onto the lead, and guess what, a zone was in effect, even though the tower told him it was not. As a result, a motor went on the ground and he got canned. Not the remote crew, not the tower, but he did. He was set up. You can be the most careful guy out there, and guess what, S$*T happens.

Dont do it!. Buy a saving bond every pay day and stack them up. If you never get fired your throwing money away. Who brags about never collecting. lol All the good stories are about what a guy did on his vacation.

I don't carry out of service insurance.
I have ample savings to see me thru 90 days. I've been putting 10% of my gross into 401K for a while. I keep my CDL & medical card current....so I could get some sort of trucking job if I had to. I consider myself self insured.

However....I have no kids. Before I had accumlated some cash my soon to be X had a decent job. It all depends on your situation.

I've been railroading since '98 & have never as much as gotten a "letter",let alone done any time on the street. That's not to say I couldn't blow a stop signal tomorrow. It can happen. It does happen.

My observation is:
Most minor screw ups are 5 days for first time.
Most major screw ups are 30 days for first time.
Most guys I've seen get more than 30 days was for something that insurance didn't cover,like rule G or insubordination.

You have do what's best for you.

UPRR engineer wrote:Dont do it!. Buy a saving bond every pay day and stack them up. If you never get fired your throwing money away. Who brags about never collecting. lol All the good stories are about what a guy did on his vacation.

So by that logic you shouldn't carry home/auto insurance either, since you might not ever need it. Remember, this is an insurance policy.

frank502 wrote:I don't carry out of service insurance.
I have ample savings to see me thru 90 days. I've been putting 10% of my gross into 401K for a while. I keep my CDL & medical card current....so I could get some sort of trucking job if I had to. I consider myself self insured.

However....I have no kids. Before I had accumlated some cash my soon to be X had a decent job. It all depends on your situation.

I've been railroading since '98 & have never as much as gotten a "letter",let alone done any time on the street. That's not to say I couldn't blow a stop signal tomorrow. It can happen. It does happen.

My observation is:
Most minor screw ups are 5 days for first time.
Most major screw ups are 30 days for first time.
Most guys I've seen get more than 30 days was for something that insurance didn't cover,like rule G or insubordination.

You have do what's best for you.

Man do I hate to hear someone say: "I've never gotten a letter in my file, I've never done any time on the street." Yes, it does happen, to most everyone, eventually.

Man do I hate to hear someone say: "I've never gotten a letter in my file, I've never done any time on the street." Yes, it does happen, to most everyone, eventually.

When it does happen....I"ll be able to deal with it without the insurance. What I meant was it has not happened...YET. AND.. I'm doing my best to postpone it.