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Re: Job Insurance? An investment portfolio or a second marketable skill
Author: T Judah
Date: 02-27-2011 - 22:39
> I'll just add that maybe you're not clear on what the purpose of railroad Job
> Insurance really is. It's not something like malpractice insurance. Rather, it's to
> provide an income to a suspended or dismissed railroad employee.
Thank you, OPRRMS, for the rational explanation and clarification. I was not even aware there was such an insurance. Is it just a "railroad" thing, or can anyone buy it? Sounds like a good idea for any job with a high risk getting fired for errors - perceived or real; assuming it really does work out that way.
> There can be a lot of reasons why a crew gets by a red signal. Not all are the crew's fault.
I think I posted what I thought was the most likely cause of getting by a red innocently. I'm sure there must be myriad scenarios no one would ever think of until they actually happen. But could you please explain how the brakes could somehow unexpectedly fail unless the air was "pissed away" or the brake test was skipped, letting an erroneously setup brake line go unnoticed, or something like that. I think I saw a movie plot once where ice formed in the train line blocking the dumping of air. But no one I know ever believed that was possible - just more hollywood babble.
To those who were apparently annoyed by my post: The basic intent was not that an innocent run-by could not ever happen, but is just unusual. And if it actually was your fault, responsibility for the error should be honestly taken - just as it should be in any other industry. And though I did not mention it, management should not be so damn adversarial as was implied either. Also, that an actual deliberated investigation to find out the facts before someone gets beeched or fired, is not so common. And neither is this "income" insurance. These are both good things all should have.
As to whether unions help of hinder that cause much, I can't say for sure; except that they have clearly failed in most other industries. At my last job, I was in the union and participated, at first as a shop steward and later on as a member of the "Contract Research Committee". In my nine years on the committee, never did I hear of any serious effort to obtain any such benefits. Most things of that sort were usually traded away in bargaining, for other things (need I say it - usually for special perks for the union big shots).
The biggest point was that railroaders who have them, should consider themselves very lucky, at least in that regard.
> Insurance really is. It's not something like malpractice insurance. Rather, it's to
> provide an income to a suspended or dismissed railroad employee.
Thank you, OPRRMS, for the rational explanation and clarification. I was not even aware there was such an insurance. Is it just a "railroad" thing, or can anyone buy it? Sounds like a good idea for any job with a high risk getting fired for errors - perceived or real; assuming it really does work out that way.
> There can be a lot of reasons why a crew gets by a red signal. Not all are the crew's fault.
I think I posted what I thought was the most likely cause of getting by a red innocently. I'm sure there must be myriad scenarios no one would ever think of until they actually happen. But could you please explain how the brakes could somehow unexpectedly fail unless the air was "pissed away" or the brake test was skipped, letting an erroneously setup brake line go unnoticed, or something like that. I think I saw a movie plot once where ice formed in the train line blocking the dumping of air. But no one I know ever believed that was possible - just more hollywood babble.
To those who were apparently annoyed by my post: The basic intent was not that an innocent run-by could not ever happen, but is just unusual. And if it actually was your fault, responsibility for the error should be honestly taken - just as it should be in any other industry. And though I did not mention it, management should not be so damn adversarial as was implied either. Also, that an actual deliberated investigation to find out the facts before someone gets beeched or fired, is not so common. And neither is this "income" insurance. These are both good things all should have.
As to whether unions help of hinder that cause much, I can't say for sure; except that they have clearly failed in most other industries. At my last job, I was in the union and participated, at first as a shop steward and later on as a member of the "Contract Research Committee". In my nine years on the committee, never did I hear of any serious effort to obtain any such benefits. Most things of that sort were usually traded away in bargaining, for other things (need I say it - usually for special perks for the union big shots).
The biggest point was that railroaders who have them, should consider themselves very lucky, at least in that regard.
