CSX Hiring Process

gp80mac wrote:

COEN77 wrote: Huh! You're starting out in training. Whoever stated you'll be rich? Railroad will never make you rich one can make a good living. Who cares what you want? Sorry to say you're definitely living an unrealistic life with overblown expectations. If the railroad stated a person can make $45,000-$60,000 starting out that is realistic once they're marked up out of training. Waste of time? One always has the option to quit.

Let's see: the RR's hire people for T&E with a high school education and no real skills. How dare they not pay them $250K+ right out of the gate!

Better hold off on ordering the Audi A8 for a few years...

It probably takes a lot more defined skills than any of us have that do not know anything about the RR trade overall. Nothing is ever as of so as of matter of fact as that of which you say! The more mature I get, the more I realize that it is when someting looks as simple as hauling a train (or anything), there is more to it than meets the the eye from I have seen. If it looks simple, the person doing it makes looks simple to the eye.

frank68 wrote:Hi B5C. Well back then I had heard that from another person in here at the time and was $ 1050 every 2 weeks if you remember while at school and the 20$ a day for food. Now that being said and having been to a hiring session now I can say for sure that it is $576.50 per week and $20.00 a day for food allowance while at school. After you get through that, your OJT is $691.79 salary with a six day work week. OJT can last 16 weeks or more. Now those are gross figures for school and OJT for Albany division in N. Y. . When you become certified you get paid by the run and each run has a different pay and first year you get 80% pay for each run and 5% increase every year until 100% of course. Depending on where you are on board you can get some good paying runs and some not so great paying runs. Oh, and right out of training you get 3 personal days( 1 week vacation after first 220 start days.)After you get in school your benefits kick in on the first of the month following your start date. Example: if you start school on let's say May 23rd, then your benefits kick in on June 1st. Now that is $203 per month and no matter what size family you have. The dental and eyeglass will kick in after your first year anniversary and it is at no extra cost per month. The dues for Freight Conductor is $90 per month as well. You become eligible for RR retirement after first 5 years. For Freight Conductor, you can qualify for $3000.00 bonus at end of first year as well for safety, attendance and workmanship.(better than any Christmas bonus I ever got) When you retire, for example if you get $3000.00 per month and you are married. Your spouse will receive $1500.00 a month on top of that. (50%)That is as long as they do not collect social security and they have to be at least 60 years old to collect
with you. That is $4500.00 per month between the two of you and your spouse never set foot on the RR! Now add in a 401
k or two and you are doing pretty well per month I must say. Now also at the Albany division in N.Y. I will get paid on a
weekly basis. Things may differ from state to state,area etc... What I just stated is right from my notes I took and also
asked questions about at hiring session. Now I was at Assistant signal worker session the day before that and can give the
training pay rate and responsibilities for that if anyone needs it. Hope this helped. I just want to get my call and get
down to Atlanta and start training. Now I am not calling anyone out either here and I am going to be a new hire myself but like I said, I have prepared for this all and need a solid career and retirement. I and most all of us in here can agree that the RR and CSX will be around for many years to come! Yes the hours are weird and you have to work holidays but oh well you sure aren't breaking your back and don't have a supervisor looking over your shoulder all the time. You are trained and trusted to do your job right and do what is required at all times. Hope everyone is doing well!

When I was at the Redi in 2007 We were paid $691.79 gross they must have dropped the pay to 576.50 in the most recent union agreement.

aaronlisa98 wrote:So... i have been sitting at the "pending manager interview" for about a month now... any suggestions out there... anyone been through the wait... whats normal turnaround time for status updates?
thanks
aaron

I just now checked my own e-mail on May 4th and it indicated I have an invitation only invite session at the Baltimore Washington International airport (Sheraton Hotel at 8 o'clock). I submitted my application/resume on March 12th, but I do believe that the close date for this Jessup MD. conductor job was standing at March 15th. I received an e-mail on my CSX job page on April 18th saying that "you will be scheduled for an interview". As frank68 has indicated a little while ago, the overall time frame will be different for all kinds of different locations.

COEN77 I have to ask, but how does one find time when the attendance policy is so stringent/harsh, that a person can get a needed doctors appointment/dentist and or attend important union meetings since this is a union type of postion after all? I guess the question is, how did you do it and manage to survive with all of your years of service?

Yes CSXTEETER, It would be nice if the pay at REDI were $691.00. That would be better of course. You ate probably right on that it may be a new agreement that we will get less now. That is what the hiring manager told us anyway about what we get at REDI. I also heard that it can take 3 weeks to get the first check while down there? I am stashing money right now so I can afford to wait for the first check. Maybe by the time I get down there they will have raised the pay rate again LOL!! As for being " pending manager interview " for a month, I have never heard of that? Wow, they must not need anyone right now from that area but at least it is good to have that status. B5C, you got and invite? Congrats to you!!' that's great! Get prepared and do well at hiring session. Good luck!! Still hope to get the call this coming week for a start date at REDI !!! Would be great for May 23rd... If anyone gets a start date for then please let me know.

Thanks frank68, Also, have you ever seen this before? On my CSX job page its says right on the right hand side of the title SUBMISSION STATUS: It reads - We are attempting to contact you to schedule an interview VS. what I told you before? I got an invitation already just like you said I would with a letter of where to report at for the interview on my own e-mail address. They must be hard up for people in Jessup Maryland for conductor? Anyway, I am lucky, since I know I will be toast soon at my full time job! Hope you get the call soon

B5C, Yes the " attempting to contact for interview " will show up after you get the email on hiring session. Don't worry, you just have to show up at the place and at the time they stated in the email. They don't need you to contact them or anything right now. Just be there early and prepared. You probably know too you have to bring photo I.D. and another copy of your resume. I would have a cover letter with it too for sure. Good luck again and yes it would be nice I get a call soon.

BC5

This is a new attendance policy that came into effect after I retired. That's good questions especially doctor/dentist appointments hopefully you have one that understands like I did that would fit you in their schedule. Union meetings try to make it to 4-6 a year when your at home. One must juggle everything to make it fit. There are assigned rest days on jobs there's no gaurentee that you'll be home on the first day if stuck out of town but they can be requested once a person gets back to the home terminal. Assigned rest days are not manditory if a person wants to work thru it that's their choice. There is FRA maditory rest which if a person works 6 consecutive days they're required to have 48 hours off if by chance they work into a 7th day then it's 72 hours. Lot's of "if's" on the FRA if someone works two trains/shifts in the same calender day it only counts as one day. Getting stuck in lodging during a calender day can start the cycle over again. The unions are working on this problem seeing it can be manipulated by the railroads and it's not properly addressing fatigue issues.

frank68 wrote:Yes CSXTEETER, It would be nice if the pay at REDI were $691.00. That would be better of course. You ate probably right on that it may be a new agreement that we will get less now. That is what the hiring manager told us anyway about what we get at REDI. I also heard that it can take 3 weeks to get the first check while down there? I am stashing money right now so I can afford to wait for the first check. Maybe by the time I get down there they will have raised the pay rate again LOL!! As for being " pending manager interview " for a month, I have never heard of that? Wow, they must not need anyone right now from that area but at least it is good to have that status. B5C, you got and invite? Congrats to you!!' that's great! Get prepared and do well at hiring session. Good luck!! Still hope to get the call this coming week for a start date at REDI !!! Would be great for May 23rd... If anyone gets a start date for then please let me know.

I had a Pennsylvania address, so I actually got paid one week earlier than the other guys I was there with. It's a PA law that railroad workers get paid weekly instead of bi-weekly so that was nice. I think there are a few other states like that just not sure which ones. Yes frank68 I would def. save some cash before you go down there. A lot of the guys were running on fumes financially waiting three weeks for a check.

Hey Csxteeter, I to will be getting paid every week while out of the Albany N.Y. Division so maybe I will get a check a little earlier while at REDI as well. You think that may be ? Well it is Friday night. This is the first time I actually can't wait till Monday morning as that will be the 2 week notice time for May 23rd start date! I hope I get the call !! Banks2 has been waiting a while and I hope he gets the call too. Anyone else waiting ? I hope you get called as well!

Well, I will be going to REDI on June 6th. I know that CSX pays for food while I'm there, but will I be getting payed in general, or will I have to wait until I get home and put in at least two weeks worth of work until I see any money? That makes at least 5 weeks until I get a paycheck and I'm not sure my family can wait that long.

I have a question for some of the employees and former employees who might have an answer. I recently accepted an offer for a bridge tender position. I know that I have to attend a three week school at R.E.D.I., but I have not been able to find out if there is a bridge tender school or if we go to track worker school and get trained on OJT for the bridge. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have completed the physical and strenght test, now just waiting on my R.E.D.I. date.

jdb35 wrote:I have a question for some of the employees and former employees who might have an answer. I recently accepted an offer for a bridge tender position. I know that I have to attend a three week school at R.E.D.I., but I have not been able to find out if there is a bridge tender school or if we go to track worker school and get trained on OJT for the bridge. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have completed the physical and strenght test, now just waiting on my R.E.D.I. date.

You will be training in the Trackworker classes, most of what you will need to learn will be OJT. Training on operating/safety rules will be at REDI as well as NORGUARD use, basic hand tools, lifting-rigging, fall protection,haz-mat,environmental...ect, good luck!

Thanks for the information, I greatly appreciate it. Now all I have to do is wait for the phone call, hopefully I will make the next class, whenever it is.

I applied for entry level signal worker, told be working on ptc crew. I'm really excited for this job to start! passed all testing and was told i should be going to redi on may 23rd! so i hope i get a phone call monday saying to put my 2 week notice in which would be awesome! i'm from new york. anyone else in this area??? and know more info??

So I took the eye test and I have 20/25 with both. From what I understand each eye seperatly has to be at least 20/40. I have one that is appearantly 20/50. Do you think I should go ahead and get a second opinion ( i think they are wrong or could at least meet 20/40 requirement with another test) or get corrective eyeware for my one eye. Anyone out there got any experience with this? I dont currently wear corrective eyeware so I was curious when they would contact me and let me know If I have to go get glasses/contact or what?