That is certainly an argument with two sides.
I once worked for a guy (not a railroad job) that people had warned me against working for, because he was such a "hard ass". Turned out he was one of the nicest people I had ever worked for. Why was he such a hardnose? Because he expected his employees to show up for work, and actually perform useful work while they were there.
That might seem pretty basic, but that actually is more than a lot of people can manage.
On the other hand, there are those employers who try to get by on the cheap whenever they can, especially when it comes to wages. I think that is the reason we have lost so any manufacturing jobs in this country. One thing about the railroad industry: operating jobs are not going to be outsourced overseas.
If there are 300,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled for lack of qualified workers, that is troubling. But it also shows that manufacturers do not value those jobs enough to train qualified workers. If they send those jobs to third-world countries, do they expect to find those qualified workers there? Or do they figure they can afford to train them because they pay them so poorly?
The railroads in this country are not afraid to spend money training people. That is why they are picky on who they hire. They do not want to make a big training investment in someone who won't stay with it. There is an advantage to a college education: not so much for what you've learned, but what it says about you: that you are willing to stick with something for the long term, and that you are willing to make a sizable investment in yourself.
I don't agree that employers would advertise for help, then come up with bogus excuses not to hire people. Employers need employees. They also need to profit from those employees. If they cannot afford to pay fair wages, they cannot afford to be in business.
Unfortunately for those in our business, there are some railroad operators who recognize that there are some non-railroaders who are strongly motivated to work in the industry, and are willing to do so for far-substandard pay and benefits. These outfits do not want to hire experienced railroaders: they would have to pay them accordingly. It is very difficult for such a situation to produce good railroaders, because very little effort is put into training. If good railroaders emerge from this situation, they will leave for better railroads. The rest generally get their fill of railroading and quit.
So if anyone reading this is contemplating a first railroad job, take the time to find out if the company is willing to make a real investment in your training. The railroad does not have to be a Class One to offer this. Employees are expected to respect their railroads. Railroads should return that respect.
Les
I once worked for a guy (not a railroad job) that people had warned me against working for, because he was such a "hard ass". Turned out he was one of the nicest people I had ever worked for. Why was he such a hardnose? Because he expected his employees to show up for work, and actually perform useful work while they were there.
That might seem pretty basic, but that actually is more than a lot of people can manage.
On the other hand, there are those employers who try to get by on the cheap whenever they can, especially when it comes to wages. I think that is the reason we have lost so any manufacturing jobs in this country. One thing about the railroad industry: operating jobs are not going to be outsourced overseas.
If there are 300,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled for lack of qualified workers, that is troubling. But it also shows that manufacturers do not value those jobs enough to train qualified workers. If they send those jobs to third-world countries, do they expect to find those qualified workers there? Or do they figure they can afford to train them because they pay them so poorly?
The railroads in this country are not afraid to spend money training people. That is why they are picky on who they hire. They do not want to make a big training investment in someone who won't stay with it. There is an advantage to a college education: not so much for what you've learned, but what it says about you: that you are willing to stick with something for the long term, and that you are willing to make a sizable investment in yourself.
I don't agree that employers would advertise for help, then come up with bogus excuses not to hire people. Employers need employees. They also need to profit from those employees. If they cannot afford to pay fair wages, they cannot afford to be in business.
Unfortunately for those in our business, there are some railroad operators who recognize that there are some non-railroaders who are strongly motivated to work in the industry, and are willing to do so for far-substandard pay and benefits. These outfits do not want to hire experienced railroaders: they would have to pay them accordingly. It is very difficult for such a situation to produce good railroaders, because very little effort is put into training. If good railroaders emerge from this situation, they will leave for better railroads. The rest generally get their fill of railroading and quit.
So if anyone reading this is contemplating a first railroad job, take the time to find out if the company is willing to make a real investment in your training. The railroad does not have to be a Class One to offer this. Employees are expected to respect their railroads. Railroads should return that respect.
Les
