Welders work in the car shops on repair and fabrication...
-otto-
Railroad Forums
Welders
- General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
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by Otto Vondrak
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by freshmeat
The BNSF hires its own welder for way maint. work. A friend of mine just got hired and is schedule to go to work on May 3. From my understanding of the job, he will be working with a crew for five years from being hired. After the five years are up, he will be fully certified and be able to bid on a job and location. After arriving at his location, he will have a truck assigned to him and work from that primary location unless he chooses to bid on other assignments.
by freshmeat
I'll tell you wht I know. This information is from my friend and applies to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad only.
As far as hiring a welder with superior experience. It is my understanding that is doesn't matter, on the railroad seniority is king. The jobs you bid on, the places you can transfer to and your layoff are all dictated by seniority. My friend was a certified master welder, he still had to go through the entire hiring and certification process. It is like being hired to fly jets for the air force. They don't care if you could fly the same jets in civilian life, they want to teach you THEIR way.
I get the impression that after his two week safety and orientation training period was over, he is now making full wage of around $19 - $20/hour (could be more, could be less. I think it would be rude of me to ask what he made exactly). The BNSF also pays for travel if he has to work away from what is considered his home base. Example: For every 40 miles, he is paid an hours worth of work. If he works in one city one week and another the next week, the cmpany pays for him to drive home on Friday and to the new job site on Monday. The also pay for lodging and meals while on the road. Benefits are some of the best in the country as well.
Overtime - I understand that unless he requests it, his work days are Monday - Friday. There is overtime available to work derails and perhaps is a project is falling behind schedule but it is left strictly up to him. However, while out on the job, the foreman dictates the hours to be worked.
Union representation - I know my friend belongs to a union, every craft employee and train service employee on the BNSF system belongs to a union. I do now know which union he belongs to, nor do I know what he pays in dues.
Be advised: With the BNSF and working as a Maintenance of Way Welder (which is wht my friend does) there is a lot of travel. They are very up front about the time you will spend away from home and the company tells you that if you can't handle the travel, you can't handle the job. Depending on where he has to work on Monday, he will either leave on Monday morning or Sunday evening. He in turn gets home Friday evening for the weekend. Unlike train service which is 24/7, his days and hours are relatively set.
I hope this answered some on your questions. If you are interested, I would advise applying and attending an orientation session. I went to one for train service and there was a lot of information presented as to the working conditions, hours and job responsibilities. They also discussed wages, unions and promotion freely. I know the BNSF and the Union Pacific are hiring a lot of people right now and both expect to see a continued increase in business. As for the BNSF, they also anticipate a LOT of retirements in the next 3 -5 years. They estimate that between 25-30% of their craft and train service employees will be eligible for retirement during that period.
I hope this information was helpful, but remember it is secondhad. Someone else on this board may be able to give you more accurate information as to the lines in your area of the country and the specific railroad you may be considering.
Good luck!
As far as hiring a welder with superior experience. It is my understanding that is doesn't matter, on the railroad seniority is king. The jobs you bid on, the places you can transfer to and your layoff are all dictated by seniority. My friend was a certified master welder, he still had to go through the entire hiring and certification process. It is like being hired to fly jets for the air force. They don't care if you could fly the same jets in civilian life, they want to teach you THEIR way.
I get the impression that after his two week safety and orientation training period was over, he is now making full wage of around $19 - $20/hour (could be more, could be less. I think it would be rude of me to ask what he made exactly). The BNSF also pays for travel if he has to work away from what is considered his home base. Example: For every 40 miles, he is paid an hours worth of work. If he works in one city one week and another the next week, the cmpany pays for him to drive home on Friday and to the new job site on Monday. The also pay for lodging and meals while on the road. Benefits are some of the best in the country as well.
Overtime - I understand that unless he requests it, his work days are Monday - Friday. There is overtime available to work derails and perhaps is a project is falling behind schedule but it is left strictly up to him. However, while out on the job, the foreman dictates the hours to be worked.
Union representation - I know my friend belongs to a union, every craft employee and train service employee on the BNSF system belongs to a union. I do now know which union he belongs to, nor do I know what he pays in dues.
Be advised: With the BNSF and working as a Maintenance of Way Welder (which is wht my friend does) there is a lot of travel. They are very up front about the time you will spend away from home and the company tells you that if you can't handle the travel, you can't handle the job. Depending on where he has to work on Monday, he will either leave on Monday morning or Sunday evening. He in turn gets home Friday evening for the weekend. Unlike train service which is 24/7, his days and hours are relatively set.
I hope this answered some on your questions. If you are interested, I would advise applying and attending an orientation session. I went to one for train service and there was a lot of information presented as to the working conditions, hours and job responsibilities. They also discussed wages, unions and promotion freely. I know the BNSF and the Union Pacific are hiring a lot of people right now and both expect to see a continued increase in business. As for the BNSF, they also anticipate a LOT of retirements in the next 3 -5 years. They estimate that between 25-30% of their craft and train service employees will be eligible for retirement during that period.
I hope this information was helpful, but remember it is secondhad. Someone else on this board may be able to give you more accurate information as to the lines in your area of the country and the specific railroad you may be considering.
Good luck!