MarkGuy

I'm curious; where exactly did you see it say that we get 3 weeks paid vacation in the first year?

There isn't a set number. But trust me, they will make their presence felt when you're on probation. Less so when you're off. You also get an assigned TSS each pick.

Some do.

Well ofc. You're operating a 3-600 foot, 400 ton train. Why would they tolerate alcohol in such a situation?

1. You'll have some assclowns here, as you will find with damn near any other job. Sometimes it's best to let ish slide; other times you will have to stand up for yourself, which can be nerve wracking. This job WILL force you to do the latter at at least some point or another. Speaking from personal experience. But you also have some great people down here as well. 2. You cannot, under any circumstances whatsoever, use your phone in the cab. If you have an emergency, use the radio, have your partner use his/hers if yours is not working, or secure the train and use a wayside phone if neither of the aforementioned things work. Cell phones are not permitted while operating (hell, even when not, but outside a designated rest area for crews). And yes, some people have been outright terminated for that on the first offense. 3. You're never supposed to walk on top of the 3rd rail (though a lot of people down here foolishly so). But you will be trained on how to walk around it safely, and you will have to do so when doing put ins from a regular yard or during some bie investigations. 4. Depends on what part of Manhattan. A div might be better if upper. 5. IDK quite what to tell you here. Sure, some yards are far out. But your fear could be extrapolated to plenty of jobs in the city and their report locations and hours. Carry yourself confidently and don't worry too much about this. 6. No. You are given 3 days off after a 12-9 but they're up to u if u want to. You can take more time than that too. In any way you'll be drug tested and briefly removed from service pending results. 7. I believe you can ask to not have your dues taken out of your check-not sure. Tbh, our union today is a shell of its former self so it's debatable. Buuutt I will say we need more people active in the local to really force change 8. Yes, only in outdoor areas between sunrise and sunset. Hope these answers help.

Oh agreed def. We do need to unite as workers And bring about the right leadership.

I mean, you can, but they can ask you to jump ahead while eating so just be mindful and keep your radio on when away from any crew areas; also, do not venture too far.

The membership has been demanding that; people (including yours truly) regularly critique the union's efforts at monthly meetings, but ultimately they are in bed with management, given they struck a deal with them in the most recent contract to have us come to work more frequently and share the savings amongst themselves. That's why they have no vested interest in fighting to get us more time off for the things we endure down here. Or why we still had to fully come to work during a global pandemic. And about what I said about racism, just look around at the decrepit conditions wee have to work in. The lack of toilet paper/paper towels; dirty, unmaintained ventilation, literal sewage in some cases, disgusting urinals. Supervisors will say it's our fault but never mention how this company greatly reduced cleaner slots and outsourced it instead of hiring full-time unionized ones. Is this really the same trearment in the majority white LIRR and Metro North? The discipline we face; when a union opposition member exposed how one LIRR crew opened up without platforms a few years ago and only got a reprimand while there are people here who've been slapped with DANS for dropping the handle one time while the train was barely moving. There's no way skin color doesn't play some role here. I won't get into that aspect too much more on this forum. But I had to speak my mind on it.

It can take a toll on your health, yes. But to be honest, a large part of that is because people down here allow themselves to fall into a sedentary lifestyle. Ask anyone down here who knows me and they will tell you that I always carry around my gym clothes to put in that work after work. And I've basically managed to keep my weight the same since coming down here. Too many people in RTO are basically blimps; of course that will impact your health moreso. Agreed with much of what you have said here though. The management is horrible and (though I know some people here will not agree with what I'm about to say) racist; the other sections of the MTA with a more white workforce do not get treated as badly as we do. Some people down here with time ego trip (i.e. the cats who see u in "their" chair and ask you to get off of it); others in that same position don't though. This has the potential to be one of the best jobs in the country. If only some things were changed.

Sorry meant to quote u in my prior message. You don't have to wear the hat ad tie if u opt for the turtleneck.

If u wear the turtlenecks the tie and hat mandates are not required.

I move around so I don't really have a set line. But if u have those lines next week likely u won't see me esp since I don't do mids

Very. The G line for ex had almost no am crews on Tuesday.

Maybe I'll get u as a student and not even know it ha. And yes the lack of crews is taking a toll on us.

I can't personally agree 100 percent that YX is a "waste of time." People assume you only do slow speed movements the entire time, and for some that may be true. However, you also may get a chance to really see what these trains can do. When I was YX I was also assigned layups to yards, and not all of them were immediately close by. I got time without a TSS breathing down my back to make practice station stops and get a better feel for operating. That helped me without a doubt. Others may not agree but that's my take.

Yeah; I don't know who told him about needing to get 100 on ALL exams. Cause I sure didn't and I'm still here.

Thank you. I needed to hear this. And as someone who failed bus operator training a few years ago, I will say I have 10x as much respect for you bus ops as before then. Your job is arguably even harder than mine.

As a T/O it just pisses me off how some commenters are saying, "If she can operate with no training like that, its a low-skilled job that anyone can do." This isn't just about pushing a train up and down the tracks. Does she know about what to do if she sees a signal with two red dots beneath it? Or how to deal with improper flagging, let alone when it's done right? And BTW, you can see him helping her hold down the MC in one of the videos. So don't give her all the credit.

@Schecter were u working out of ditmars switching today?

I have heard about that here as someone posted it. Yx is useful provided they have you going to a variety of places and making you actually work. But that does not always happen in theory.

Well, that happens: lost some in my induction. But I missed reading about schoolcar stories here. Good to hear you are doing well so far.

Congrats so far to the successes of @beanz and @Schecter. How is it going so far?

No; it's to detract from the fact that a boatload of us retired last year, many of whom were freaked out by covid. That, ⁷plus they iced out hiring last year. So they wanna blame us rather than their own screwups. And a lot of us are restricted medically for silly reasons. It can be Hella challenging to come back from restriction bc this company is full of nonsense. I work the W frequently and while the MBDF for the 46s may not always be the best, I don't often hear on the radio about trains going oos bc of mechanical issues. Now granted, that could be a different story on the B or D but I also work the latter on a semi-regular basis and hear similar.

Also when you go YX.

Each yard should have their own schematic for you to keep. Just ask when you go yard posting.