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  • Disappointing hiring experience for signal repair for LIRR

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

 #1294830  by Helper
 
Hey all,

Just wanted to share my hiring experience with you for the signal helper position in LIRR. Firstly I have completed the written basic electrical test, passed the electrical and mechanical practical tests, completed the background check.
Now the issue is the physical/drug test, I was not fully aware of what to expect when they called me and set up an appointment to go to the LIRR medical center. I arrived there and filled out all the required forms and was given a checklist
of what obstacles or simulations I was to perform. The first simulation was climbing up and down a ladder to a platform and vice versa which seems to duplicate a train climb, secondly I had to shovel nuts in a 3 rack setup simulating shoveling, third they had a mat with what felt like a 4x4 wood piece centered under it connected to a simulated train track and at the end of that a simulated live rail about 2 feet off the ground. I had to first carry 40 lbs of weights in a bucket one handed balancing myself on top of the 4x4 right underneath the mat going one foot to another until I reached the train tracks then I had to walk on the track from wood section to section, lastly I would have to face in the right direction and cross over the simulated live rail one leg over then the other, till I was over the rail, place the weights on the ground and with the proper procedure, knees bent back straight pick it up and go back the same way and place the weights back on top of the desk from which I took it from. I had to repeat the one handed route with 60 lbs then I was given a two handed carry wooden crate with 80 lbs in it, at the end when I came to the live rail one foot got caught on my khakis pants(did not know I was gonna be doing physical activities) and I fell (luckily I moved the weights away from my body when I fell) at which time the physical therapist who was watching me was giving me an attitude for FALLING. Lastly I barely completed the 2 handed carry of 100 lbs struggling. I am not particularly weak but I have been not very active or go to the gym. I am a US Army veteran and currently employed in the Aviation industry with prior automotive background. What is frustrating to me is that I did not know nor does the job description mention anywhere that I would have to be hauling around 100 lbs of equipment and items. Had I known I would not have wasted all my time trying to apply for the job. Now I am disqualified because the PT said I was struggling too much with the weights. He kept emphasizing that I would not be able to do the job with the way I preformed with the weights and that this job has a high turnover rate. He also asked me if I had not read the job decription for the signal helper. I stated that there was no mention of carrying 100 lbs in which he replied you did not see it. I then saw the job description of carrying 70 to 100 lbs in his manual(rechecked all the job descriptions on my side and not one specific weight given). He said if I wanted he would give me another shot to redo the whole weight test over, I declined to redo it cause I was exhausted already and did not want a job in which I would be doing mainly construction type work.
 #1294960  by LongIslandTool
 
I declined to redo it cause I was exhausted already and did not want a job in which I would be doing mainly construction type work.
Sounds like the screening worked as intended. There are plenty of folks who really do want that job and welcome the physical challenges associated with it. It's only right that the job goes to one who really wants it.

Railroaders aren't Wal-mart Team Members. The two-handed weight on the test is 80 lbs, same as a bag of concrete. If Signal Helpers don't carry the concrete around here who does? The concrete fairy? This is heavy industry and the work is physically demanding. And that's why it pays well.
 #1294969  by Helper
 
You are absolutely right as there are plenty of people who might be able to pass the simulations and get the job. My main point is had they been more specific about the job description I would not have wasted all my time in trying to apply. I currently have a great job but was just looking for a company I can grow with. I guess LIRR is not one of those companies. So for anyone that might be interested in signal helper just want to let you know as per what the physical therapist said "you will be doing heavy lifting of this kind about 6 hrs of the day as a helper" anyway for those that might still want a construction type job, Good Luck.
 #1295130  by Helper
 
BTW starting pay is about 18 and change that is not high pay. Since you seem to defend the fact that people with high technical skills should not complain about grunt work. Hope you have a great time being a construction worker. Also if the pt is gonna tell you right off the bat this job has a high turnover rate. Why bust your ass to go for that job?
 #1295148  by DutchRailnut
 
Maybe $18 an hour starting pay with 5% raises for next 5 years, is not high pay to you ??
but this is an entry level position with loads of benefits, that not to many people get these days.
I am sure the LIRR has no problem filling the position.
 #1295167  by Gadfly
 
DutchRailnut wrote:Maybe $18 an hour starting pay with 5% raises for next 5 years, is not high pay to you ??
but this is an entry level position with loads of benefits, that not to many people get these days.
I am sure the LIRR has no problem filling the position.
They won't. That's why there's a roomful of people at the interviews trying to get these jobs. :P Retiring at age 60 with 360 months credited service & the benefits ain't bad, either!

With all due respect, it seems to me that too many people these days have the expectation, even DEMAND, that they waltz into a "position" without "paying one's dues", as it were.

When I hired out in the 70's, I was an EXTRA laborer! I didn't even HAVE a regular assignment. I filled in on Vacation Relief and mark-offs. I went to work on just about the greasiest, nastiest job the railroad had to offer. The first day, I sorted out old pumps, motors, cylinders out of an old Southern tool car, and put them onto wagons to be taken to the steam room for cleaning and rebuild. I could have taken the attitude that this job was "beneath" me. I was coming off what was a "white collar" job (sort of) that I absolutely HATED. I wondered if this was the right thing to do. Why, the job wasn't even full time, really, and I was the bottom man on the senority list. But I took that backbreaking laborer's job, got FILTHY dirty, STUNK of grease, sweat, and grime......and then got laid off!!!!! I thought my short career on the railroad was over, but the company noticed my work and my willingness to accept my tasks and do them without complaint. The department supervisor called me at home two weeks later and asked me if I would like to be a Relief Clerk in the office! Suddenly I was wearing slacks and nice shirts and paying Track Material invoices in an air conditioned office! :-) That led to being sent to McDonough, GA to the Southern Railway training center to learn Agency work and line of road clerical jobs. Next thing I know, I'm clearing main line trains and controlling segments of Dark Territory on MY authority, copying Train Orders and granting permission for trains to "occupy the block between XYZ Junction and Arrowood Yard". During my career, I did a myriad of jobs...and starting with a filthy laborer's job in a Track Material Yard. And, yes, it required me, at first, to pick up heavy objects and carry them.

Again I do not criticize you, but I offer some insights you *may* have overlooked. You seem put out over the fact they required you to lift heavy things. Perhaps you DID try and couldn't lift 100 lbs. Or was it that your surprise is tempered with indignation at the fact that they would ASK you to do this? Did you, perhaps, not realize that by starting out at the "low" end of the totem, carrying heavy loads, it would likely lead to your not having to do this forever? It is highly likely you wouldn't have been "stuck" doing this for long. Should you have determined that railroading was truly for you, and stuck it out, being careful not to fall down (doesn't look good on any resume!), you would then have progressed to Signalman, then, perhaps, to Signal Maintainer with a territory for which you were responsible, then Signal Supervisor, then maybe on up the line! Who knows? Generally, people start out somewhere, and I told my own story to illustrate that this is *usually* the track a railroad career takes. You start out on the bottom with the lousiest jobs, build seniority and experience, and advance in your career. If one is not willing to do this, expect that there will be some hardships, it simply will not work out. Your posts seem to indicate lack of enthusiasm for the work to start with. Perhaps that was best. Railroading is a tough, gritty way to make a living, and its just not FOR everybody. Nothing I say is meant to put down your posts, and I wish you the best in all you attempt in the future! :wink:

Gadfly
Retired, Norfolk Southern
 #1295209  by Helper
 
Apparently everyone seems to be missing the point of why I posted my experience in the first place. It was not to criticize the job or look down on the helpers, I was strictly pointing out for all new applicants what the job includes so they don't have to waste there time going thru the whole process just to disqualify for not being able to lift heavy weights around. I am a pretty small guy so go figure I would have a hard time with heavy weights.
 #1295212  by Freddy
 
CSX wouldn't have you do that. That much weight at even 50 pounds for 1 person is too much. That's a back accident waiting to happen. I was an assistant signalman, signalman and signal maintainer and even on the gangs, way back in the day, you didn't carry that much weight without help. LIRR has got their head up their ass.