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On 10/19/2021 at 7:22 AM, FilippoSironi said:

Ok good. Thank you. I was asking because I had a trip plan for next summer to visit my family in another country and I would have to change my plans if I can't get any type of vacation time off for one year.

If you have purchased airline tickets and proof that you purchased the tickets before the day you were hired, and the time off is not during actual school car (i.e. it’s during YX, road posting, etc.) then they will approve the time off for you. You will only get paid anytime you have managed to bank by them and it will be a lot of back and forth with the crew office to get confirmation and approval, but they will do it. 

You’re not going to get in trouble for sliding out of a station during road ops, the whole point is to get a feel for making stops (and to a lesser extent learning routes). Try not to do it at a station with a red homeball at the end though.

On the flip side I don’t see how doing it on purpose is any preparation for if/when it happens to you on accident. The feeling of not being able to stop the train when you want to is not the same as the feeling of choosing to slide out. 

As for “enhancement training” it does happen to whole classes/inductions and is happening right now. It’s really nbd, whether you had a small incident or not chances are good you may get called for a few more schoolcar days, after time on the road you’ll be happy about it. 

As for incidents, it happens. Especially when you’re new! Obviously you don’t WANT to have them, but out of the most recent induction people have had hand slips, station overruns, hit automatics and even home signals and still have their jobs.  Probation might be extended for some, but they’re still here. Its serious stuff, but not as serious as some on here make it out to be. 

9 hours ago, Jblack9727 said:

 

 

Actually just knowing MTA is only in nyc i doubt its federally regulated. State regulated safety position for sure though. 

“Safety sensitive” is a term that describes certain jobs that the federal government regulates due to, well, the fact that they are safety sensitive. Read 49 CFR (code of federal regulations) part 40. 

MTA  T/O is a federally regulated safety sensitive position, until its legalized federally it won’t matter. 

4 hours ago, Schecter said:

But when do train operator promos happen? And will they pop up on the MTA exams or will they only show when we work for the MTA already?

This list is still going to be good for 3.5 years. By the time you pass probation as a conductor you can call DCAS, reinstate your name, and you’ll be in the very first class after that. No need to worry about promotional exam. 

38 minutes ago, nipaaaa said:

day 11 of 15 @ 207 yard again. This time I posted with Mr. Rosario, he could very well be a TSS with all that knowledge. He took me on a 5 hour tour of the yard holy crap my feet were giving out and this guy was still going. He showed me the valve for the reservoir tanks and he pulled it, that air just shot out so loud that I had to cover my ears. He saw me and was like "You hear something?" lmao

Rosario is the man. I would bet he knows more about these trains than anything. 

Nothing you do at the simulator matters at all until the actual signal exam. You could get literally everything wrong before then and it won’t matter. 

3 hours ago, fokisondis said:

I called HR and spoke to a young lady and the moment I mentioned court the tone changed. Man I waited years for this job. I hope they don't fire me before I even start. That would be such a letdown. 

I wouldn’t worry about that. Most likely they will give you the day off, worst case they may make you defer until the next class. 

57 minutes ago, Jay-Oh said:

Call the school, or someone at 180 Livingston to try and work it out. We had someone in my class that didn’t attend a day of induction because he had a prior engagement.

I don’t think they can legally prevent you from attending a court ordered appearance. Def call 180. 

1 minute ago, Imhim said:

Yeah that is bad, but I blame them and I see why after having a brief convo with a YX student who seemed to be on some “man I’m gonna do wateva” vibes. Told him to do the Customer Service inspection how they taught us in school car and he has the nerve to say “man in the real world, nobody does half that stuff!” I’m like oh word, aiight I gotta use the bathroom, it was his put in, so I don’t wanna be around if something happens! Those 2 Yx T/Os that split the switch were conductors I heard and only one of them were demoted, the one that actually split the switches, at Coney Island. Ironically they were in the same class together 🤦🏽‍♂️ So they weren’t even supposed to be paired together, but again it’s their fault cause they obviously didn’t do their inspection correctly since one of them missed the overhanging low ball. At least they still have a job! 

The one who moved messed up for sure. Most don’t think the operator on the other end should have been punished but what can you do. 

3 hours ago, apokeguy said:

This is one of the reasons why some dispatchers are reluctant to assign solo work to folks in YX. It’s unfortunate but if you’re unsure or not comfortable ask the dispatcher, TSS or a senior T/O. I’ve encountered a dispatcher where they will just task you the tedious job of changing signs on train(s) because they’re not comfortable with YX folks doing anything else. 

I’m sure you’ve heard this a hundred times but you really are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t take notes during schoolcar station switching, yard posting and yard familiarization... or at any point during your training/career. 

When in doubt, take a full service brake, take a deep breath and reassess. 

100% yes.

A good strategy I have been doing is going to my switching assignments a half hour or so before my sign on time so I can ride along with another person making the move. Most of the switching moves are simple but having the confidence of knowing what you're doing makes a huge difference.

Yard posting is basically “pre yx.” You are assigned all around the division to each yard at least once. Posting is 3 weeks, one week of midnights one week of pm and one week of am. 

After posting is finished you are YX for 2 months. The first week or so is yard familiarization, where you will go to each yard and spend the day with a TSS once again going over the specifics of each yard and common moves.

After this you are on your own. The crew office will assign you as needed. You are on your own and can be asked to do anything any other TO can as long as it doesn’t involve moving the train with passengers on it. You can also ask for overtime and call the crew office to work RDOs if you want. If you make any serious mistakes during YX (split a switch, hit a home signal, etc.) you are held responsible and will probably lose the job. 2 people were fired last month for splitting a switch while YX. 

After YX is the second signal exam, then 2 weeks of road ops. Then road posting. 

I heard from a few people that they dropped the drivers license requirement. I know of at least one person in my induction who doesn’t have a license and was hired. 

1 hour ago, LIRRMedford said:

Got sworn in today for December 17th class! List #59x any one currently in school car can tell me specifics to study in this huge rule book? I have almost a month to get in some serious studying

Just enjoy your life until you start. You’ll have plenty of time for studying and learn everything you need to know in schoolcar. 

1 hour ago, LEO1990 said:

Yea thats why i am fearing that i may have been DQed for this position. and i have never failed a drug test in my life nor do i take any drugs, so it cant be that either. its very strange

Have you had issues at any other city/transit/transportation jobs?

11 minutes ago, Fredman0220 said:

Thanks so much brother. Question for the part where it says “dispositions” on the chart to fill out, what should we put there for the traffic convictions? The ending result?

Correct. 

7 minutes ago, LEO1990 said:

I did get called for another drug test! I went earlier this month for my 2nd p/e. My point is that even with a high list number, I STILL have not been called! its a joke...

There is any easy solution to your problem: call 180 Livingston and find out what’s up. 

4 minutes ago, acabral136 said:

There's a website called paycheckcity.com that has a calculator you can use. I'm seeing 1868 bi-weekly after taxes but that doesn't include overtime or night/weekend differential, just base pay. Also didn't include deductions I will add like 401k and stuff like that. It's around 70 percent more than what I'm getting now. 

It’s in this ballpark. That website will not show you the mandatory deductions from your check like pension, post-retirement health insurance, and union dues. 

3 hours ago, apokeguy said:

I just got to say that this is an opportune time to get in. I’m yard posting right now and a lot of TOs that I have been posting with have 25-30+ years and will be retiring soon. A lot of them are good guys but of course there are some “bad apples” in the bunch.  

Are you getting to do a good amount of moves? Learning a lot? I start soon and am pretty excited about it. 

2 minutes ago, Citypilot said:

What are my chances of getting hired with 56 suspensions and numerous tickets on my dmv in the past, but ive been clean for the past 3 years.  Will i pass the background check

As long as you disclose everything, you will be fine.

7 hours ago, apokeguy said:

I and a few students asked at orientation and was confirmed by the HR folks speaking. Our probationary period will not begin until the DCAS list is established and we are switched from provisional to permanent status.  Also it is stated in the green sticky above. 

If our probationary period actually started on our induction date folks people who scored high probably would have not deferred. 

Union and HR people told my induction class the exact opposite. 

1 hour ago, Jchambers2120 said:

Just have patience it's worth the wait. Just a heads up as a new hire you shouldn't be asking for OT especially since from what was told at orientation that you new T/O's off this list will have to start your probationary period over once the list is certified/established. If something happens on your RDO depending on the situation it will come back to bite you and can possibly get you terminated. There will be times where you will get forced OT for things like late clears and such, but don't jump out the gate with looking for OT. Learn your job and make it off of probation. 

 

Not true, provisional T/Os probationary period started on our first day. Confirmed by union and tss. 

1 hour ago, G13 said:

Ive yet to use my dental benefits (high plan), but I’m told they’re better than the base plan. 

The people being called off this list are still receiving provisional postions? How does that work if you’re already a MTA employee? I’ve already done my probation, and am in the early 2000s on this list. Does that mean I’ll be a permanent T/O if I choose to accept the position?

Everyone is hired as provisional so far off this list until it is certified, then they are changed over to permanent. Our provisional time counts towards our probationary period (its “temporary” hires that don’t). 

Can anyone tell me how good the union dental benefits are? There’s only one medical plan that has payroll deduction but it also comes with dental. I don’t wanna pay for that dental though if it’s the same as the union dental benefits. 

Good luck to everyone starting schoolcar tomorrow. I know it’s just gonna be paperwork and benefits stuff but I’m so excited to get started.