by JohnJ
This message is not intended to offend anyone and I hope it doesn't. I'm simply trying to do some research so I can respond to a thread on a travel forum I participate in. There's an off-topic thread going on there that's debating the legality/ramifications of the NYC transit strike. One of the members on the board claims that an MTA subway driver/engineer position is unskilled labor, and compares the job's responsibilities to those of an airline aircraft cleaner (another strike tie, as Northwest Airlines' cleaners/mechanics are in the midst of a messy strike). I don't agree with his views in this matter.
This same member says that to operate a subway train there are only three controls and that's about all there is to driving it. He further says there was a strike on the Long Island Railroad while he was working there a number of years ago, and that as a non-union worker he had been scheduled to attend a 3-hour course that would qualify him to operate an LIRR train. The upshot of his comments is that subway drivers are well overpaid for what he views as an unskilled labor.
My only view into the specifics of being an MTA or LIRR engineer are the responsibilities of a freight engineer, which I consider to be quite complex, particularly in the area of rules compliance. My only rebuttal to the thread so far has been to say that Class I freight engineers earn every nickel of their pay, but I can't intelligently comment on how complex an LIRR MU or MTA subway engineer position would be. Can anyone fill in some details for me?
Thanks!
John
This same member says that to operate a subway train there are only three controls and that's about all there is to driving it. He further says there was a strike on the Long Island Railroad while he was working there a number of years ago, and that as a non-union worker he had been scheduled to attend a 3-hour course that would qualify him to operate an LIRR train. The upshot of his comments is that subway drivers are well overpaid for what he views as an unskilled labor.
My only view into the specifics of being an MTA or LIRR engineer are the responsibilities of a freight engineer, which I consider to be quite complex, particularly in the area of rules compliance. My only rebuttal to the thread so far has been to say that Class I freight engineers earn every nickel of their pay, but I can't intelligently comment on how complex an LIRR MU or MTA subway engineer position would be. Can anyone fill in some details for me?
Thanks!
John