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Re: Job Insurance? An investment portfolio or a second marketable skill
Author: OPRRMS
Date: 02-28-2011 - 02:33
T Judah Wrote:
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> 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.
I really don't have any idea if there's something similar in other industries. And as an aside, there are specific rules (insubordination, for example) that if violated the insurance companies normally won't pay for.
> > 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.
Getting by a red isn't necessarily an air issue. For example, sunlight shining on a signal lense and making it appear to be something other than red, having passed the last signal on a green and coming around a curve and finding the next signal that's 1/4 mile in front of you is displaying Stop, lack of crew familiarity on the district and the railroad refusing to provide a pilot, a sudden dynamic brake failure, a signal that's been turned out or has had a cover placed over it at night during an efficiency test, having the control operator suddenly take down the next signal when you're closely approaching it, and on and on.
> 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).
It's pretty common for railbuffs to mention about the negative experiences they've had with unions and equate that with railroad unions. After all, a union is a union, right? But it's an "apples vs. oranges" kind of thing.
> The biggest point was that railroaders who have
> them, should consider themselves very lucky, at
> least in that regard.
Like anything else, some people will complain no matter what. As for me personally, I've worked for three different railroads over the course of the last 40 years, all of which were unionized . . . and for good reason. But there are many who work for railroads that aren't unionized and are satisified. And that's fine. But if it's any indication, quite of number of regionals and shortlines that were spun off from Class 1's and were originally non-union, have since had their employees vote in union representation. I don't know of any railroads where it's been the other way around. There must be a reason for this. Sure, I have to pay union dues each month, but I receive higher wages, have better benefits, a Collective Bargaining Agreement that spells out the work rules, and have a grievance process. None of the 4 or 5 non-union railroads I've been offered employment on have been able to match that.
-------------------------------------------------------
> 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.
I really don't have any idea if there's something similar in other industries. And as an aside, there are specific rules (insubordination, for example) that if violated the insurance companies normally won't pay for.
> > 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.
Getting by a red isn't necessarily an air issue. For example, sunlight shining on a signal lense and making it appear to be something other than red, having passed the last signal on a green and coming around a curve and finding the next signal that's 1/4 mile in front of you is displaying Stop, lack of crew familiarity on the district and the railroad refusing to provide a pilot, a sudden dynamic brake failure, a signal that's been turned out or has had a cover placed over it at night during an efficiency test, having the control operator suddenly take down the next signal when you're closely approaching it, and on and on.
> 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).
It's pretty common for railbuffs to mention about the negative experiences they've had with unions and equate that with railroad unions. After all, a union is a union, right? But it's an "apples vs. oranges" kind of thing.
> The biggest point was that railroaders who have
> them, should consider themselves very lucky, at
> least in that regard.
Like anything else, some people will complain no matter what. As for me personally, I've worked for three different railroads over the course of the last 40 years, all of which were unionized . . . and for good reason. But there are many who work for railroads that aren't unionized and are satisified. And that's fine. But if it's any indication, quite of number of regionals and shortlines that were spun off from Class 1's and were originally non-union, have since had their employees vote in union representation. I don't know of any railroads where it's been the other way around. There must be a reason for this. Sure, I have to pay union dues each month, but I receive higher wages, have better benefits, a Collective Bargaining Agreement that spells out the work rules, and have a grievance process. None of the 4 or 5 non-union railroads I've been offered employment on have been able to match that.
