UPRR Signal Helper

I have been offered a signal helper job with UPRR.

I know this is a 100% traveling position. How does it work? Will UPRR pay for my flights/driving, motel costs, and food? Will they completely cover the expenses, or just partially?

Please fill me in.

Have you had an interview yet, or is it simply an invite to a hiring session? If so, they will cover that at the interview. Hint: you don't REALLY think they would expect you to pay for travel, do you?

GF

Just wondering. Thanks for clearing that up.

The starting wage is listed as $17.50/hr. What kind of yearly salary can I expect to earn?

It depends on the union contract agreements. Is it an actual hourly wage, an apprentice rate, or a percentage rate? Nobody can tell you that except an actual UP employee or Human Relations. Sorry I can't help with that; I worked for Norfolk Southern!

GF

Don't mean to heist mikeg's thread here...but....

Gadfly wrote:Have you had an interview yet, or is it simply an invite to a hiring session? If so, they will cover that at the interview. Hint: you don't REALLY think they would expect you to pay for travel, do you?

GF

Thanks Gadfly for the great laugh on your "Hint". Cracked me up. Would you [or anyone else on this forum] be able to at all chime in on what a "hiring session" mainly involves? I have been invited to one for this same position and am quite interested in what I am in for, as it is an all day affair. Lots of testing of some sort? At the very simplest, what does a fella wear to one of these? Is it to be treated like a formal interview, or quite the contrary, are they looking for work'n guys like me to show up clean cut in good jean's 'n a nice button-down shirt? Mind you, I'd never show up look'n like an dressed down ignorant idiot, but just the same, I don't want to show up too professional either. What normally follows a hiring session (I mean besides the obvious from the title)?

About how long does a guy stay in the newbie status until graduating to a point where he is no longer always called all hours of the day and night to go work? Any idea there?

I also had to laugh at UP's feeling the need to mention the following on their instruction page for a given candidate: "Please note that selection to attend a hiring session does not guarantee employment. If you are currently employed, DO NOT give notice to your employer." I can only assume this was a problem in the past and needed tended to, trying to circumvent stupidity before it spreads.

Thanks,
Chuck

I've only been to a CN hiring session, but I can tell you about that.
Actually, read this http://www.railroad.net/articles/column ... 060602.php
Its a good rundown on what it is.
One note I can give you is that they are extremely anally retentive at the railroad. Look very carefully before writing anything, because they may ask for the date in "DD/MM/YYYY" format, and if you accidentally write it in "MM/DD/YYYY" format, you are out right there. Basically they want to know you can follow orders.
The signal gangs, like MOW crews, are mostly a daytime M-F gig. You may work 1000 miles from home for months straight, but the hours are regular. You are on a systemwide signal gang that goes to a site and works on it until done , then the next. The exception to this is a derailment or mudslide or other unexpectedness that wipes out signals. You may be laid off all winter, but since you will have a notice of rehire, you can collect unemployment without searching for work elsewhere.
Train and Engine is the gig where you have no schedule.
On most roads its 2-10 years before you can win a bid on a signal maintainer position, if you bid on a godforsaken stretch of track no-one else wants, you can probably get the gig earlier than if you bid on, say, the LA area. The signal maintainer gig is where you generally get to sleep at home every night.
The upcoming PTC system should mean a lot of work for signal gangs, good luck.