MN fires conductor class\cheating scandal

Hence, Terminal, why at the end of my post I said "not gonna assume anything factually either way until I hear more."

8th Notch wrote above:
[[ I disagree with that, there are and have been plenty of good railroaders that were hired off the street with no experience. ]]

I was hired in 1979 directly "off the street" as a fireman.

Got lucky, I guess.

Then again, they could have regretted that hire for the next 32 years!

Methinks l'il worse than that:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/nyreg ... exams.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fair Use:

A dozen current and former employees of the Metro-North Railroad were brought into state court in Manhattan in handcuffs on Monday on charges that they cheated on the exams required to become a train conductor or locomotive engineer.

Prosecutors said the defendants stole copies of tests and their answers, then distributed them through email to other candidates who had yet to take the exams. Among other things, the tests evaluate knowledge of braking controls, emergency procedures, speed limits and signals.....Andrew Miller, a lawyer for one of the conductors who was arrested, Sean Macauley, 39, said his client was innocent. “It seems to me they are taking a case of simple high school cheating and making it into a federal case,” he said.

I trust anyone around here who "does this stuff for a living" will agree.

I tend to agree. I am pretty sure it is not the first time that something of this nature has happened. It is sort of like when you lock up the cat the mice will play.
Noel Weaver

just as in Highschool the shit hits fan, when your caught or ratted out.

Sorry, "Dutch" this is a bit more serious than cheating in high school. Human lives are at stake here including the individual or individuals who cheated in the first place.
Noel Weaver

While this is a bit more serious then high school cheating, charging them with a D felony seems over the top. Suspension, demotion, and termination are all fair punishments for cheating, but this seems to be a case of the railroad and MTA being embarrassed about what happened.

A felony conviction strips you of your right to vote, your right to bear arms, the ability to hold public office, and renders you borderline un-employable for the rest of your life. Right or wrong you can't blame them for hiring lawyers and preparing for trial.

Mr. Nester, any of the charges will be "copped" down to a misdemeanor, so none of that bad stuff will happen. Jail time will be minimized, if not completely avoided.

But one thing won't get swept under the rug; any of those defendants better forget about ever working for any railroad, anywhere.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. Nester, any of the charges will be "copped" down to a misdemeanor, so none of that bad stuff will happen. Jail time will be minimized, if not completely avoided.

But one thing won't get swept under the rug; any of those defendants better forget about ever working for any railroad, anywhere.

This is exactly my position on this issue. They won't actually get jail time and will probably only be convicted of a misdemeanor. But employment by any railroad, airline, bus, or truck company - or any other job requiring security or certification - will be out of the question. BNSF isn't exactly looking for folks with railroad exam cheating on their record. If you ever read any of the posts by guys looking for railroad jobs, they're freaking out about minor records issues from years ago.

The 13 here were not accused of cheating on tests, rather for giving the answers to others over time and also getting/stealing the tests themselves. Those who just cheated are not charged with a crime as these 13 are.

8th Notch wrote above:
[[ I disagree with that, there are and have been plenty of good railroaders that were hired off the street with no experience. ]]

Bravo for settin' that other guy straight!