• Metro North - custodian CDL Class B

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

  by blacksun
 
Can someone please let me know do I have to study the custodian book I have to take the custodian CDL test 25th January 2016 anyone know how many questions thank you
  by truck6018
 
If the test is like it was years ago, there's nothing to study for. You have to read labels, charts, etc. You can either figure out the answers to the questions or you can't.
  by blacksun
 
Basically just common sense I really want this job do they accept people with felonies
  by pnaw10
 
blacksun wrote:Do they accept people with felonies
When you have some time, visit http://labor.ny.gov/careerservices/spec ... vices.shtm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and go down to the "Ex-Offenders" section for tons of useful info.

For now, briefly... NYS Correction Law Article 23-A forbids employers from having a "blanket policy" denying employment to someone solely because they have a criminal record. In other words, it's illegal for an employer to say "those with criminal convictions need not apply."

You must be honest and up-front when asked about convictions on an application and/or during an interview. (Employers can run background checks, and if they find you're lying or withholding anything, you'll almost certainly be rejected for lying.) When you disclose a criminal record, the employer is obligated to consider the nature of your record against the scope of the job. They also have to consider several other factors such as how long ago the offense(s) happened, and how old you were at the time. For example, if it was a low-level felony 20 years ago, which could be chalked-up to being "young and foolish," and you've had a solid work history since then, the employer should take that into consideration... you've learned your lesson, you've been a law-abiding citizen ever since, etc.

On the other hand, if you had a violent offense and the job would regularly leave you unsupervised in the presence of the general public, an employer could argue that hiring you would be a safety/liability risk.

A couple of things worth noting: there are certain types of felonies where state or federal law prohibit an ex-offender from seeking certain types of work, and these laws supersede Article 23-A. Furthermore, if the job would potentially require you to work at locations in Connecticut or New Jersey, then Metro-North might have to take the laws of those states into consideration as well.

If you are not hired, and you have a criminal record, Article 23-A states you have the right to request the employer provide you a written explanation as to why you were not hired. The employer must respond within 30 days.
  by blacksun
 
Thank you very much you've been very helpful it was only drug felony
  by truck6018
 
pnaw10 wrote:If you are not hired, and you have a criminal record, Article 23-A states you have the right to request the employer provide you a written explanation as to why you were not hired. The employer must respond within 30 days.
This is not to say you won't get some generic response such as "we found someone better qualified for the position".
  by pnaw10
 
That is true, and since most applicants aren't likely to know the names and qualifications of the other applicants, there may be little or nothing a "rejected" applicant can do to disprove that the hired candidate really IS more qualified. Despite the law, it's definitely possible employers could still discriminate against ex-offenders.

That's why you may have heard of efforts to promote "ban the box" legislation, which would forbid employers from asking about convictions up-front. The employer would have to select their best candidate and issue a tentative job offer to the person BEFORE they can ask the applicant if he/she has a criminal record. In theory, this would squash the generic "we found a more-qualified candidate" excuse, instead forcing the employer to consider all the factors from Article 23-A. If they then want to rescind the offer, they'd have to be ready to give a more specific explanation of how that candidate's criminal record relates to the specific job.
  by Jvasquez681
 
Hey I got called in for custodian CDL does anyone have more info on the hiring process? They said I have to take a test just wondering what type of test