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Re: No Crews?
Author: BOB2
Date: 09-30-2014 - 13:50
I only took the buyout, I didn't offer it.... though, in hindsight, as a transportation economist, I am appalled.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I took the buyout, as most places don't want the door to hit you in the a$$ when you leave. So when someone offers you several years pay in a lump sum, it's tempting, especially if you have other options. This was, and continues to be, another example of RR short sightedness due to short term thinking.
In my "buyout" class, we had a room full of folks half 60 and over, who were going to pull the pin anyhow at 65, and were already fully vested (30 years) in RR Retirement, and half 40 or under most of whom had college degrees, who most "normal" business organizations would want to keep.
Then despite the years of sweetheart sellouts from yoU Took Us (UTU), with reduced crew size and the promotion of "piglets" with less and less training and experience, still they don't have enough crews. And so, as usual, there was no hiring and training during this last recession, because short term stock value is, as usual, more important than long run productivity and valuations to stockholders.
Then there is the other problem, Who, in their right mind, after years of the sellouts, the crappy hours, the vast periods of uncompensated away time, the harassing micromanagement, and some really lousy places to work, live, or layover, would want the job these days?
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I took the buyout, as most places don't want the door to hit you in the a$$ when you leave. So when someone offers you several years pay in a lump sum, it's tempting, especially if you have other options. This was, and continues to be, another example of RR short sightedness due to short term thinking.
In my "buyout" class, we had a room full of folks half 60 and over, who were going to pull the pin anyhow at 65, and were already fully vested (30 years) in RR Retirement, and half 40 or under most of whom had college degrees, who most "normal" business organizations would want to keep.
Then despite the years of sweetheart sellouts from yoU Took Us (UTU), with reduced crew size and the promotion of "piglets" with less and less training and experience, still they don't have enough crews. And so, as usual, there was no hiring and training during this last recession, because short term stock value is, as usual, more important than long run productivity and valuations to stockholders.
Then there is the other problem, Who, in their right mind, after years of the sellouts, the crappy hours, the vast periods of uncompensated away time, the harassing micromanagement, and some really lousy places to work, live, or layover, would want the job these days?
