Before Thanksgiving I went to a hiring event for NS conductors and got the tentative job offer and got approved for all the background/physical stuff. Around mid-December I ended up getting laid off from my job (which, no big deal since I expect to start at NS in January). It's been about 2 months now since I got the offer, I just asked and was told that the conductor classes have been suspended indefinitely.
I have a lot of concerns about this since I'm completely unemployed now and NS told me nothing about what was going on until I asked. Has anyone heard if there is a hiring freeze or know what the issue might be? Is there any insider word on how long they're going to stop training? And, when they do schedule classes again, will I be on the top of the list to be notified or will they just go out and hire new people?
Also, neighboring states are hiring for the conductor position, and I am willing to relocate - is there a way to be transferred to one of those open positions so that I can actually start working, or even, can I apply to other local positions at NS that I'm qualified for, or would that hurt my chances of getting the conductor job when the freeze ends?
I have a lot of concerns about this since I'm completely unemployed now and NS told me nothing about what was going on until I asked. Has anyone heard if there is a hiring freeze or know what the issue might be? Is there any insider word on how long they're going to stop training? And, when they do schedule classes again, will I be on the top of the list to be notified or will they just go out and hire new people?
Also, neighboring states are hiring for the conductor position, and I am willing to relocate - is there a way to be transferred to one of those open positions so that I can actually start working, or even, can I apply to other local positions at NS that I'm qualified for, or would that hurt my chances of getting the conductor job when the freeze ends?
