The Struggle Between Capital and Labor.

[Serf]

A railroader I know who has a GED (after dropping-out) makes $140k per year, skillfully handling mile-long freight trains over challenging territory

Few Army buddies of mine went to the railroad. They started as conductors in a 5 year apprenticeship. All the while training,testing,working. Even had to attend a 6 week course of study down south. They work off what's called an "extra board." Due to the high seniority at most railroads newer employees (under a decade) will work on call. Mostly nights,weekends, and holidays. Typically a call to get to the yard will come in the middle of the night. The conductor and engineers will take a load out to Columbus (for example) via Massachusetts. They will haul 14 hours, stop and wait for a ride to a local motel and than be back to finish the haul ten hours later. Just like DOT regs.

Few points to mention: 5 year apprenticeship, 6 week training and testing course, extremely hard transient lifestyle, and no set schedule. Only rule of thumb is work cannot work more than 7 days in a row without having the next three days off. (Which I am told hardly ever happens.) They are compensated well for the crazy lifestyle, and skilled labor they perform.

 

[Serf]

Very true on all accounts. The term unskilled is just another chapter of FedEx misclassifying people.

Unskilled labor provides a significant part of the overall labor market, performing daily production tasks that do not depend on technical abilities or skills. Menial or repetitive tasks are typical unskilled labor positions. Jobs that can be fully learned in less than 30 days often fall into the unskilled labor category.

*Example of technical ability/skill: data base design, welding, system analysis.
* Menial or repetitive task: Doc sort,map reading,coding,getting in and out of trucks,loading and unloading trucks.
*Courier school 2 weeks, route training 2 weeks. "The job that can be fully learned in less than 30 days." With practice, you will get even better in these daily tasks. With repetition you will become proficient.

 

[MrFedEx]

Unskilled labor provides a significant part of the overall labor market, performing daily production tasks that do not depend on technical abilities or skills. Menial or repetitive tasks are typical unskilled labor positions. Jobs that can be fully learned in less than 30 days often fall into the unskilled labor category.

*Example of technical ability/skill: data base design, welding, system analysis.
* Menial or repetitive task: Doc sort,map reading,coding,getting in and out of trucks,loading and unloading trucks.
*Courier school 2 weeks, route training 2 weeks. "The job that can be fully learned in less than 30 days." With practice, you will get even better in these daily tasks. With repetition you will become proficient.

Become a courier, and then get back to us, OK? You might change your mind.

 

[MrFedEx]

Few Army buddies of mine went to the railroad. They started as conductors in a 5 year apprenticeship. All the while training,testing,working. Even had to attend a 6 week course of study down south. They work off what's called an "extra board." Due to the high seniority at most railroads newer employees (under a decade) will work on call. Mostly nights,weekends, and holidays. Typically a call to get to the yard will come in the middle of the night. The conductor and engineers will take a load out to Columbus (for example) via Massachusetts. They will haul 14 hours, stop and wait for a ride to a local motel and than be back to finish the haul ten hours later. Just like DOT regs.

Few points to mention: 5 year apprenticeship, 6 week training and testing course, extremely hard transient lifestyle, and no set schedule. Only rule of thumb is work cannot work more than 7 days in a row without having the next three days off. (Which I am told hardly ever happens.) They are compensated well for the crazy lifestyle, and skilled labor they perform.

Schedule is brutal. The "apprenticeship" varies. My buddy works for a railroad that does it differently. I think if you ever become a courier that you will see there is a definite learning curve and that a lot of what you need to know is learned on the road. Tis is why most new couriers are worthless for at least 6 months.

 

[Serf]

Schedule is brutal. The "apprenticeship" varies. My buddy works for a railroad that does it differently. I think if you ever become a courier that you will see there is a definite learning curve and that a lot of what you need to know is learned on the road. Tis is why most new couriers are worthless for at least 6 months.

I will admit. Railroaders live a hard life. One of the guys who is out of a central PA yard said his average day went like this for the first few years. *Almost certainly get a call from the trainmaster in or around 2300-0100 hours. Generally have 2 hours max to get to the yard. Prepare paperwork, do inspections, etc. Take a load out somewhere within the region. It all depended on how far it was. If it was local enough, it meant he would get home in time to sleep in his own bed. If they missed it for whatever reason or it was too far, it meant waiting on a ride to be taken to a motel. Anniversaries, Holidays, weekend evenings...all times when "the call" came in. For me, I don't think for 100k + I could live that life. Not without any semblance of a normal life.

Yes. In any job the learning curve is applied. In being a cashier, courier, policeman,IT tech, analyst, etc. It just depends on how steep it is. The department of labor government website is where I took my info from. I am more or less echoing sentiments from what "big brother."

 

[code 019 at ur moms]

we should have a marx study group on this forum. id be down.

 

[hubrat]

He has invested 5 years of a limited life span in this company. Stability "shouldn't" be an issue. He should be compensated accordingly. I definitely get his reckoning though. Stability is a payoff IMO esp if it's been elusive all your life.


These are my opinions. Others are available.

 

[hubrat]

Really, the CEO CFO whatever is no less replaceable than the average worker.

Truth:
"There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive." - B. C. Forbes

Bravo. Compensation should be less divergent as well.


These are my opinions. Others are available.