What do y’all do that justifies getting paid 45/hr? Unbelievable.
31 replies (most recent on top)
This is America. All the things you listed are essentials. However the current bill in congress waiting for the president’s signature makes almost all of those items listed much more expensive because of taxes that this bill puts on them. I have a feeling the volume of those products will fall substantially, by design.
Wait till September 16th at 1201am when the employees go on strike then you will see what we do that justifies it. Literally keep 100's of thousands of semis off publicly funded roads save many lives due to traffic accidents. We deliver the coal that powers your electric car oh and also keeps your fridge cold and you internet connection going so you can't post id--tic remarks. Food oh yeah we deliver that too. And oil, check. And plastic granulars to be blow molded into your electric car. See here hippy we are america and we deliver the very essential needs that keep you alive. You'll be throwing you wife at us and begging us to take your gold and jewels to deliver you the consumer needs that you couldn't survive with out.
Show up 7 days a week 24/7? That alone justifies 45/hr at minimum
You aren't going to get a contractor that can replace all the Carmen or Diesel Shop guys when the carrier can't get people to apply for the job themselves.
Regardless, these id--ts can't figure out that even if they did pull some contractors out of Venezuela, they'll unionize as well.
There’s plenty of work that can’t feasibly be contracted out and plenty of work that still can be. Contractors have already taken quite a few jobs from the mechanical department and are doing it much cheaper while paying their employees half what NS pays it’s own employees. They can get by with it because contractors can hire any substance abusing felon desperate for a few dollars just to get a hit of crack whereas NS at least makes the effort to only hire people who can pass a dr-g test and have at least some semblance of work history.
Lmfao at contractors being able to hire qualified employees for half the cost when the carrier cannot hire people now.
You're about the d-mbest peon on the planet if you believe that.
It's funny watching these new hires struggle and wash out. It isn't as easy as you wannabes think it is
They should pay mechanical by the job instead of by the hour so all the useless people will quit so they don’t starve to death and all 35 people left can all then be paid $100/hr and everyone wins.
$100/hr is a fair wage and the carriers can easily afford it. The shareholders won’t care and the trucks won’t take away any of the railroads business. The fairy tale scenario you dreamed up is just you drinking the corporate Kool aid.
…but the unions are only looking at $40-45/hr at the PEB hearings, so better to argue against a hypothetical on an anonymous post than to argue against what’s happening in the real world.
I just read James Squires sold 26 million dollars' worth of NS stock. They paid him a million dollars per month while he was employed and a 26-million-dollar bonus afterwards.
We should eliminate hourly jobs and make everyone salaried. That way we could pay everyone millions.
Once again, I guess it will be up to me to educate the OP in the reality of economics and todays workforce.
The average home in America now costs over $428,000 (St Louis Fed). The average new car cost over $40,000 (KBB). The cost of raising a child to age 17 born today is $286,000 (USDA). The average cost of college today is $35,000 per year including books, supplies and living. (USDE) So lets just say $140,000 in todays dollars.
The working environment:
The railroad lifestyle is going to have to pay a premium. You want people to answer the phone at 2:00am on a Saturday to come catch a train (transportation) or work 2nd or 3rd shift with Tuesday and Wednesday off for the next 15 years (mechanical) expect to pay. Now no one is seriously talking $100 per hour, but if you think anyone is getting rich at $40 per hour with a 9% inflation and prices the way the are your delusional! Wake up to the reality of what the railroad asks as far as lifestyle and what expenses today look like and you'll understand $45 per hour might not even get the above listed expenses. Oh wait a minute, you want to have 2 kids you say??? I'll need to recalculate.
If railroads paid their employees $100/hr they would have to charge a lot more money for their service (or there would be a massive sell off by shareholders) which would push volume to trucks driving down revenue. Fairy tale economics is however easier on the ears then real life.
I replied to this post because the guy who wrote it is missing the point completely. You can appreciate what you have and still strive for something better. Thats how we do in America. The difficulty of the task you are performing is only one small piece of what determines your labors worth. Many considerations have to go into determining a fair wage. Things like scarcity in the labor pool (because not only is there a labor shortage, but many who do want to work can't get a job at NS due to the dr-g test and background check), irregular work schedules, forced OT, being available to work in all elements with limited access to heat in the winter and AC in the summer...the list is long...and all these factors have to be a part of determining a fair wage. The fact that railroaders have the potential to destroy the American economy simply by quitting in mass waves instantly makes $100/hr a fair wage. The carriers should be glad we aren't a truly unified workforce or they wouldn't really have much say in the matter.
I wrote this post and the point was that most people don’t get paid that much money for labor positions. People said military get to retire young and have free housing obviously never knew military life. May retire from the military but have to seek other employment bc can’t live off military retirement. Housing is sub par and away from family for months/years never knowing if you’re coming back. You guys cry going away overnight and working long day. Half the people here admit they don’t work.. Grow up and appreciate what you have.
No wonder the poster and others like were “anonymous”. The ones screaming the loudest never have done nor ever will do this work, but pretend that they know what it’s like. Every region isn’t even the same but one one person in a territory might think that they are all the same too… truth is I may have more time than they have alive. One size doesn’t fit all.
Sitting around on your as--s for 6 hours and pretending to work for for 1 or 1.5 hours and you think wouth $45 an hour? No one, except the guys jumping switches to flT swit h the cars does much of anything. Sit back, drink your coffee, play on your phone and be happy you weren't furloughed.
The military is a volunteer basis and you get the honor to serve your country. You also get all the additional perks that come along with it. The last time I checked railroaders do not get free housing and healthcare.
You can go work at a fast food restaurant for $15. an hour, but. we ask for what we are worth and get laughed at. Hunter Harrison asked for and got how many millions before he started to run CSXT into the ground.
We should outsource all management jobs to India. The people in India will work for a bowl of rice. So why do we pay NS management at all?
And don't worry about the distance. It will have no effect on management. The Indians can phone it in!
Railroad employees put up with a lot and have a hard life but are limited on what they can realistically ask for due to lack of marketable job skills. If it’s so bad why not leave? Because you don’t have the marketable job skills to leave without a pay cut. I see and work with the same mo--ns you do. There are some skilled, talented folks who are worth every penny of $45/hr and then some, however the vast majority are unskilled whiney crybaby’s and everyone who reads this will know it’s the truth.
The person who started this post obviously isn't a railroader or they wouldn't ask such a stupid question. If they are employed by NS, they must be in the ATL office working a hybrid show up two days a week type of schedule and at home the other 3 days with Sat and Sun off. People who ask questions like this have a disconnect from those of us who are real railroaders. If you ain't pounded rocks in the rain and snow at 2 am, have the decency to STFU. As for the person who made the military comment, they could pay a little less if we could retire at any age after 20 years of service. And yes I was in the military.
Keep on and contractors will do everything for half the cost. No union can protect against that
Also, it will probably be ten years or so before we have to go through this again. So what we get in this contract will have to carry us til then.
You know Sunday when you got to sleep in, go to church, eat breakfast with your kids, or what ever you do. I was at work. When you get to walk your kid in for the first day of school I'll be at work. That double play your kid makes and you miss it, that's what we get paid for. They want us available 24/7 you got to pay a premium its that simple. Why do you think they can't keep people. You want employees to stay either pay them or make the work life worth staying.
"Why do you think we should not be paid that"? - Because the poor corporate overlords & rich that the OP worships could better use that money on another yacht.
Reality check you have no reality!
Wages, like about everything else, should double every 18 years just to maintain a standard of living. So 18 years ago the crafts averages right around $20/hr, so $40/hr for 2022 is a fair wage by that argument. Add in current inflation pressures and the fact current union proposal before the PEB only takes us to $43.Xx for 2024 and it’s a very realistic goal.
why does it always gotta be about money
Wage rates can be complex arguments. The focus point of wage rates is: the wage was mutually agreed upon in the bargaining agreement. That’s it. That’s all
It’s a fair question. Try the military. We get nowhere near that. Deployments, long periods of time without seeing family and placing yourself in danger on the regular. Facts
More than you do sitting in Mommy's basement, instead of waisting your time being a troll come join us. They are hiring!
I think the better question would be, why do you think WE should not be paid that?