It is not the best feeling to work in a company where almost no one has any expectations that something could change for the better. I have no expectations, the only thing that interests me is to get paid for what I do. On the other hand, I am tired of worrying about what will happen next.
Has it always been so hopeless? Could employees ever have had any expectations from this ridiculous company?
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Thats kinda a loaded question. Back in the day I think there was a quota of people that each officer had to have run off or fired. We never worried about the company being gutted or sold or taken over. We never worried about being paid correctly for the basics. Yeah sometimes you had to put in a claim behind your normal ticket but it was always paid. Penalty claims were numerous, some were paid some were not. We stayed busy, we lived at the AFHT, we missed holidays regularly. That was expected. Now they shut down for some holidays. They do it under the guise that they care about us, but its really about the OT that they would have to pay for us working.
I remember when there were 4 of us on a crew, few years before I came there were 5. We all stayed busy, we all had a job to do. The company made money hand over fist, kind of like they do now. We the employees sold each other out. We got our payouts and a new car which has since been sold, we got a new pool in the back yard, which is either with the exwife and her new husband or was sold long ago. But now there are only 2 of us on the cab and if the company has their way it'll be 1 before long. I guess greed is everywhere, us and them are guilty of it. The country is changing to greed culture. The idea is to ra-e the land and the people for all you can get out of them until there is nothing left. Then you abandon them and move on to the next area and group of people. Eventually we'll run out of land, out of resources, and out of people. I feel terrible for my grandkids and their kids. I had a part in what they are going to deal with. Can't change the past. If your that unhappy here I would suggest leave. Life is too short to spend a day going to a job you hate. I'm at the end and it'll be here before you know it I promise. You can make all the money you want, but you can't make up time. This company doesn't care at all about any of us. We are fractional numbers on a chart. We are expendable. The more of the tenured people the company gets rid of the more inexperienced people back fill us. They make less and usually stay out here less time because they have no work ethic.
So what expectations should you have? High blood pressure, anxiety, visitation, child support, solitude, alcoholism, and the list goes on. They say the railroad isn't a job its a lifestyle. I wish I had picked a different lifestyle 29 years ago.
Get out man. Get out.