NO!!! You CAN'T have a day off!     The railroad practically invented the term 'on-call'. Many CSX employees do not have schedules, but are forced into working a 'list'. Most lists are on call 6 days a week, 24 hours a day, and often the employee cannot even choose their day off. It is common to be called to work during an assigned day off.     Unscheduled days off are usually not granted for family or religious obligations. There are many CSX employees who have been unable to attend their childrens' birthday parties, their wedding anniversaries, and even funerals because they were not allowed time off.     We've even heard of people who had to call out sick, to attend their own wedding! We're sure that some of these stories that can top even that one...

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Name: Working all the time
E-mail: 
Employed as: Conductor, for 20-30 years
Posted: 28 March 2012

For many in the entrepreneurship game, long hours are a badge of honor.
Starting a business is tough, so all those 
late nights show how determined, hard working and serious about making
your business work you are, right?

Wrong. According to a handful of studies, consistently clocking over 40
hours a week just makes you unproductive 
(and very, very tired).

That's bad news for most workers, who typically put in at least 55
hours a week, recently wrote Sara Robinson at Salon.
Robinson's lengthy, but fascinating, article traces the origins of the
idea of the 40-hour week and it's downfall and is well worth a read in
full. But the essential nugget of wisdom from her article is that
working long hours for long periods is not only useless – it's
actually harmful. She wrote:

    The most essential thing to know about the 40-hour work-week is
that, while it was the unions that pushed it,
 business leaders ultimately went along with it because their own data
convinced them this was a solid, hard-nosed
 business decision….

    Evan Robinson, a software engineer with a long interest in
programmer productivity (full disclosure: our shared 

last name is not a coincidence) summarized this history in a white
paper he wrote for the International Game
 Developers’ Association in 2005. The original paper contains a wealth
of links to studies conducted by businesses,
 universities, industry associations and the military that supported
early-20th-century leaders as they embraced the 
short week. 'Throughout the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, these studies were
apparently conducted by the hundreds,' writes Robinson; 'and by the
1960s, the benefits of the 40-hour week were accepted almost beyond
question in corporate America. In 1962, the Chamber of Commerce even
published a pamphlet extolling the productivity gains of reduced
hours.'

    What these studies showed, over and over, was that industrial
workers have eight good, reliable hours a day in them.
 On average, you get no more widgets out of a 10-hour day than you do
out of an eight-hour day.

Robinson does acknowledge that working overtime isn't always a bad
idea. "Research by the Business Roundtable in the 1980s
 found that you could get short-term gains by going to 60- or 70-hour
weeks very briefly — for example, pushing extra hard
 for a few weeks to meet a critical production deadline," she wrote.
But Robinson stressed that "increasing a team’s hours
 in the office by 50 percent (from 40 to 60 hours) does not result in
50 percent more output...In fact, the numbers may 
typically be something closer to 25-30 percent more work in 50 percent
more time."

The clear takeaway here is to stop staying at the office so late, but
getting yourself to actually go home on time may be
 more difficult psychologically than you imagine.

As author Laura Vanderkam has pointed out, for many of us, there's
actually a pretty strong correlation between how busy
 we are and how important we feel. "We live in a competitive society,
and so by lamenting our overwork and sleep deprivation
 — even if that requires workweek inflation and claiming our worst
nights are typical — we show that we are dedicated to 
our jobs and our families," she wrote recently in the Wall Street
Journal.

Long hours, in other, words are often more about proving something to
ourselves than actually getting stuff done.

Are your 55+ hour weeks really productive and sustainable?

  View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 10-20 years Posted: 27 March 2012 CSX Corporate HQ and Crew Management doesn't very much want to hear it. Nor do they care one iota that you work over 200 hours a month and spend another 30 to 40+ hours a week in the hotel with one day off per week (that you usually work into). You're STILL subject to review and a charge letter: http://news.yahoo.com/workers-really-sick-days-161213976.html What Workers Really Do on 'Sick Days' Ever wonder what people really do on their sick days? Turns out, most of them are actually sick. That's the finding of new research that uncovered various work- and salary-related differences between men and women and revealed some interesting statistics about sick days. According to the research, conducted by new career website theFIT, 84 percent of the 5,000 people it recently surveyed said they actually were sick or were caring for a sick child the last time they called in sick. In fact, only one in five men (and only one in seven women) were lying about their most recent sick day, the survey found. Those that were lying about their sick days said they used the day off to play hooky, or take mental health day. Others said they were suffering from hangovers or interviewing for another job. Not only were women less likely to fake a sick day, they also work longer days and report working more often on vacation than their male counterparts, the survey found. Fifty-four percent of women report working nine or more hours a day, compared to 41 percent of men. And, although the majority of respondents (91 percent) confine their working hours to five days each week, almost half (47 percent) claim to work more than eight hours each day, while only 41 percent of men say they work more than eight hours a day. On vacation, most workers (65 percent) do some amount of work. However, women (67 percent) are slightly more willing to work on their vacations than men (60 percent), the research found. Despite working more, women are more likely to perceive their compensation more positively. While 26 percent of men said their friends would feel bad for them if they knew how much money they made, only 17 percent of women said the same. Bullhorn, a recruiting technology company, owns and runs theFIT website. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Brakeman, for 20-30 years Posted: 21 March 2012 Sargent Schultz is the brain trust for Safety on CSX. Pretend to know nothing say nothing do nothing and Klink will be a happy Prison Camp Commander reaping his easy money and bonus. Send anyone to the cooler if they open their mouth to try and do the right thing. Safety Committee members and this system does work like RRJ stated in his experience. Names may change but the Leopard's spots have not or should we say the Chessie Cat. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: APE, for 10-20 years Posted: 20 March 2012 My observation is that the carrier does not like to hear about Family Medical Leave Act FMLA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules, Americans With Disabilities Act and related EEOC regs. , etc. What not everyone realizes is that many if not all RR unions are totally uninterested in,or actively opposed to, the same topics. They are much more comfortable with doing things as close as possible to the way it was done in the olden days. It's like a football coach who always plays the same game, consistently loses, yet will not make any change in his strategy.The lineup of players may be different, the turf on the ground is different, the rules may be different, but we do things the same old way. The old saying - thinking is very hard, that's why so few people do it - is very true. View This Article

Name: CorrUPtion Blogger E-mail: te&y@foreskin.com Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 19 March 2012 OSHA Fines: Pay attention folks, OSHA is doing more to combat harassment than your local, general, or international safety captains. Maybe the "TE&Y" personnel should all be federalized to eliminate harassment and corruption in the ranks? If your union bosses won't protect you, OSHA will! View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 19 March 2012 Holy crap! That's some serious acquisations that shouldn't of been posted on here. I hope it gets taken off. View This Article

Name: Timothy Buckwalter Jr. E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 18 March 2012 Leonard F Shaner Jr. Conrail6370@yahoo.com, is a child pornographer, molester and shitbag. everyone who knows him hates him......he harasses kids and teenagers and girls who won`t go out with him. he lives at 139 Buckwalter Rd. Pottstown PA 19465 View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 18 March 2012 You don't think people aren't playing golf with TM's. Heck a lot of T&E have them on Facebook on their friends list. It's a different generation these days. They don't understand that it's us against them so to speak. That there has always been a line drawn between management an a union contractual employee that should never be crossed. They don't understand management is trained to get information unwittingly from employees. A friendly conversation is a trap to lure information without the employee realising it. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 16 March 2012 The Railroad Unions are simply collecting Green fees from the working class. Tee up and let the membership pay the bill. If I was a Union person on the RR, (my local) would, pay up and play a little golf with the Tm and a few more. View This Article

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Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 16 March 2012 No one on the railroad is just kicking back reaping the benefits. I won't disagree with you on one point in certian industries unions have protects some sluggish people the UAW is a prime example. Unions drove jobs overseas? I think you swallowed a big ball of the opium from the your corporate masters. It was all about cheap slave labor wages and greed. Which is now kicking them in the nutz because technology has educated those in third world countries. Now they want the better things in life which is sending some jobs back to us. If our government had any guts and wasn't bought out any corporation that oursourced would be treated like anyother foreign corporation with tariffs ect..It was corporations that turned this country from the leader of manufacturing to just a consumer. All in the name of greed. Learn some history. View This Article

Name: JJ E-mail: Employed as: Corporate office, for N/A Posted: 15 March 2012 Unions are the Opiate of the masses. That is not a rhetorical question. It is a fact. Unions should not be a concern? Unions of 1863? Robber barons of the 19th century? A few things have changed since then, especially the interconnectedness of world economies. Present day unions are of little if any help, except they are good at making unreasonable demands, promoting nepotism and incompetence, slowing the introduction of technology advancements, increasing consumer prices, fomenting distrust with employerd, and refusing to engage with management to resolve modern 21 st century economic problems. Unions are great at collecting dues, running employer after employer into the arms of overseas competitors along with millions of American jobs. 1863 is not 2012. Our economic and financial problems are not just corporate employer problems, they are everybody's problems ~ and Unions are not exempt. This is a union website. So, instead of you good old boys sitting around on your buttocks enjoying Union opiates, get out there and do something productive. Remember, for every finger you point, 10 point back. By View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 15 March 2012 Personal attack? I don't think so you're just a common dumb arse. If you don't belong to a union then it shouldn't be a concern. The retoric these days against unions is spread by those who'll profit. Nothing more. Greed in this country by a handful of people will bring us back a hundred years. Progress has stalled. If a person feels so strongly against unions then why seek a unionized job. No one puts a gun to anyones head. The railroads started unionizing in 1863. It had to happen. The Robber Barons like Carnagie became rich off of slave labor wages. Learn history. It shouldn't repeat itself unfortunately this country is ripe to take a giant leap backwards. 40 years ago I sought out union jobs knowing they were the best. I had my fill of working jobs going nowhere with no future financially. The railroads a difficult life the rewards are a decent liveable wage. View This Article

Name: JJ E-mail: Employed as: Corporate office, for N/A Posted: 15 March 2012 Unions are the Opiate of the masses. It is 2012, not 1920. Your personal attack was expected. It is the Union Opiate at work turning the brain into mindless sushi. View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 13 March 2012 JJ must stand for "Just Joking". Unions are the opiate of the masses. Jezzis, That's a 1920's era propoganda slogan used incorrectly. It was used by the communist Bolsheviks in Russia after the 1917 revolution about religion. "Religion is the opiate of the masses". So JJ, What are you just a dumb arse or a communist? Seeing you stated corporate I'd go with just a plain old dumb arse. View This Article

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Name: JJ E-mail: Employed as: Corporate office, for N/A Posted: 12 March 2012 Today's railroad unions are the opiate of the masses of railroad workers. Now regarding injuries - Rule #1: , if you get injured, you get punished. Rule #2: don't get injured. Perhaps the order of rules should be reversed, but I think everyone gets the drift View This Article

Name: Mad Money E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 12 March 2012 To; J Siesmore...Contact your local OSHA office for egregious conduct. Your union officer should have advised that! View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 12 March 2012 People write of no life. There never has been a life working on the railroad. Shortly before I hired out in 1977 the HOS law use to be 16 hours not 12 like it is today. I never heard one oldhead ever complain about it. They made decent money some never saw their family for weeks even months. Even in the past couple years since I retired things have changed it allows more time off in between runs with the 2008 FRA Safety Law. No, you don't get time off easily by marking off anymore like it was before gaurented extra boards but that was the price that was paid to get them established. If it was never established extra boards could be loaded down easily because it didn't cost the railroad anything except it did maintain benefits. Most don't even remember extra boards of "feast and famine". No easy answers its adapt or leave. That's the harsh truth. Once a person gets it in their head they're going to make it a carreer they can move on. As a railroader you'll always gripe but not about not having time off but of more important issues because your time is what you're being paid for in all reality. View This Article

Name: j.j. sizemore E-mail: jaab1234@yahoo.com Employed as: Conductor, for 10-20 years Posted: 10 March 2012 I've been on the railroad for ten years all with CSX. In those ten years I've never had a derailment, run through switch, crossing incident, NOTHING! I went through the rehab program last year and have been totally compliant with my program and EAP Supervisor. My wife fell and broke her shoulder in January and had to have surgery. I laid odd sickness in family and got a dr's excuse to give the trainmaster who in turn calls the hospital to check the validation of the excuse. They (CSX) holds a board on me and the trainmaster withholds evidence in the board and immediately pulls me out of service and denies all claims. I feel like i'm being harrassed and discriminated against. Of course I offered for the supervisor to speak to the dr instead of violating my hippa rights. They are determined to terminate me. Ten years no incidents and they wanna fire me. GO FIGURE???? View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Employed in other capacity, for 1-10 years Posted: 09 March 2012 Question, why do you think so many people are coming forward to say life at CSX is no life at all and comparing it to a Nazi prison camp. Because it is true. Find an employee get to know them ,ask their family , what hardships affected their family life; you will hear stories that will make you believe they brutalize their employees and enjoy it. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 06 March 2012 UNION If union is what you want, make it a good one! FIX WHAT YOU HAVE. Drop the automatic deduction for your dues from your company. WHY-- to send a message! when the UTU and the BLE see this in MASS. They will quickly see the red flags waving. Pay up front for a year if you want, pay late if you want, remember it is always ok as long as you PAY. Now you have a little power, not a lot, but more than just being SHEEP. View This Article