dincena

3 hours ago, cominginhot said:

I have date for drug test and paperwork submission.

I was part of a random drug program for over 10 years. I have never tested positive for anything, ever! I never did any drugs, just drank alcohol. 

I recently ( April) was let go due to lack of work. I actually was already considering a career change or at least a better job.  I took tis opportunity to take the summer off and look for a job in the fall, was the plan at least.

Couple weeks after I got my medical card for marijuana.  Using thc was suggested to me by my doctor over the years, but due to random testing I told him I can not use that option. I used gummies and vape only, no smoking. It helped with my symptoms. Honestly, I could have done without but since I could, I did. My plan was to stop using end of August for a potential job and drug test in the fall. 

I get my letter from MTA!

Obviously I stop immediately. Now I will without a doubt not use anymore. 

My appointment is in 2 weeks. 

If i test positive do i have any recourse? will the dq me and that's it? I just not sure how to handle this. 

 I am not interested in "beating the system".  I did nothing wrong. I would have never even used if I didn't have a card. I am willing to do hair test at my expense to prove what I am saying is true. I am actually considering doing the hair test now just so I have it and can plead my case at my appointment.

I really want this opportunity. 

Hindsight, if i was paying attention to the list here and then I would have known  I had this coming up and would have acted accordingly. Honestly its been years and I forgot all about this test!

Any feedback is welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

You will be disqualified if you test positive for Marijuana no matter the reason for using it. This is a "safety sensitive job" they will not hire you if they find that in your system. I would reschedule and make sure your using is clean by the time you get to your pre employment/drug test date.

5 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

I just came out 2 weeks ago and I won a bid. But it's just XL. 

How long were you XX for?

On 7/7/2022 at 7:42 PM, beanz said:

You don't have to wait to finish schoolcar to apply for the parking permit. I did it way before i finished.

Do you know where I can submit the application for parking permit? I have it filled out in my back since I started school car TSS said it has nothing to do with him not sure where or who to submit it with? Any info is appreciated 

1 hour ago, Reign said:

I received an email to come in for the pre employment Tuesday. After reading this forum people have stated you cannot have pending moving violations. I have a speeding ticket pending from2017 and cell phone ticket pending from 2020. If I pay them by Monday I will receive 9 points on my license. Can having so many points on my license disqualify me for the position? I would hate to plead guilty and then not qualify for the position. Has Anyone  been through this or knows someone who had this many points during the hiring process? 

I was in the same situation. When I was called in for the 2nd phase (conditional offer) back in may, I had to plead guilty to 2 pending tickets (8 points) that I've been fighting for 3 years now. The points don't matter for T/O position as long as you have a valid driver's license with no pending tickets you are good to go.

39 minutes ago, FilippoSironi said:

As of this week I have graduated schoolcar and I'm now officially an XX train operator. Thank you to everybody on this forum for the help. 

Amazing!! Congratulations brother! What division were you in and what was your class start date?

11 hours ago, TCart said:

@dincena can you find out when is the next class ? Maybe ask someone above while in class before/after class so we can all know. If so we will appreciate that info. 

Im hearing they skipped July and are doing a August class

1 hour ago, beanz said:

Might happen again...B is still short as far i can see.

I was just inducted into the June 20th class. I made it into the B, alot of people behind me were forced into the A

I was told from a TSS there will be a August class 🤷🏻‍♂️

6 hours ago, beanz said:

You have to think of the long term benefits. Yes being xx is very rough, especially having a family. I have a special needs daughter and now a newborn and i was forced into PMs this pick, leaving my wife alone to fend for herself at night while I'm working. She understands it's a sacrifice and in a few more years I'll be able to pick a better schedule and we might be living in a house instead of this tiny apartment we in now.

 

No situation is going to be perfect right off the bat. Before this i had a 9 to 5 office job with weekends off that worked great for family life, but the pay was such that we could never even think about a home. What i made there in a whole year i make here in 6 months. 

 

So just have to talk it over with the loved one and see if it's a sacrifice you are both willing to make for the long term benefits.

 

 

 

 

Does it get better/easier once you build some seniority and are no longer XX?

35 minutes ago, Jay-Oh said:

2 guaranteed RDO’s a week, but as XX you will end up working more than 40 hours a week more often than not. I think the most I had during XX was something like 70-ish hours for one week. All those hours I worked was not optional OT. It was board time + long jobs overall.

I definitely had no social life the first year & a half.

Thanks for that info. With 2 young children and this crazy inflation, I'm definitely willing to make the sacrifice!

1 hour ago, Jay-Oh said:

For some people, work life balance and family time trump money. That’s why we always say this job isn’t for everyone. 

Are you forced to work extra hours weekly?

Do you guys not have your 2 RDOs every week? 

8 hours ago, beanz said:

I was let go but came back within a year, so my seniority remained in tact. Only reason why. But, my classmates from the B are 100 percent picking next pick. 

How long were you and your classmates "extra extra"?

2 minutes ago, Banks718 said:

I wasnt told to print the orientation packet ! Were you told to print it ?

It tells you in the "New Hire Booklets" email To print it and bring it with you on day 1

Good luck to all my fellow T/O's starting school car tommorow. I'll be there wearing dark blue pants and a grey shirt, come say hello! 😅 Excited and nervous but we got this!!

1 hour ago, Jay-Oh said:

The job certainly isn’t for everyone.

You need to evaluate for yourself if the long hours and random report & clearing locations will be something you can handle/work into your life. XX isn’t exactly hell, but it’s no cakewalk either, there are easy days and there are hard days.

Also, simply being off XX isn’t a magic flip of the switch where you suddenly have the best schedule for you, you can get stuck with an open job that reports/clears far from your home with hours that are completely foreign to you. The immediate benefit of being off XX is the increased predictability and structure in your work schedule.

Outside of schoolcar, you will not have weekends off for a good couple of years unless the crew office wills it during XX. You will, more likely than not, have to work major holidays. You will end up working some 12, 13, 14 hour days from sitting on board all day and getting placed into a full job or the railroad blowing up. You will end up traveling to and working every terminal in the city in your respective division, regardless of where you live. You will miss events/gatherings/celebrations in your life. You will have weeks where all you did was work, you’re exhausted and only want to sleep on your RDO’s. You will experience fatigue and boredom in this job, and you must do everything in your power to fight it so you can stay on point. There are better jobs out there.

However, you also will have a union backed job with a relatively low barrier of entry that allows you to easily tap 6 figures annually should you want to. You will receive a pension at the end of your years of service. You will receive a paycheck every 2 weeks, and checks from transit don’t bounce. You will have job security, more than the private sector or even the administrative end of the public sector because without the operational titles, the MTA lose revenue. You will receive benefits for you, your spouse, and your children. You will have a pretty cool job that can prove to be cathartic to other stresses in life; imagine cruising around under the city with all green signals, nobody to bother you, just you and your thoughts, peace and solitude. You will have avenues for progression if you figure T/O isn’t for you; take exams for TD, TSS, TW/O, if you don’t want to operate. There are much worse jobs out there.

Theres a reason so many people bitch and moan about the job, yet they’re still here collecting their paychecks. 
Do what’s best for you and your family, either take the job or don’t. If you do, come down here with eyes wide open. Know and expect the challenges everyone has brought up, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised when the easy days come. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that you’re able to get off XX and pick a job with a not so terrible schedule close to home after only 2-3 years of randomness. 

Take the time to carefully consider the pros & cons. I’m biased, so I would suggest you take the plunge, eat the shit sandwich for a few years then eat caviar for the rest of your life after. If you absolutely can’t afford to work a fluctuating schedule or can’t afford to work weekends/holidays; then unfortunately this job is not for you. Transit does give religious exemptions when it comes to scheduling, so if the reason you can’t work weekends is related to religion, they will work with you on that provided you give them proof.

I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for that! Very useful info for someone like myself who took a leave of absence from his current job and starting school 6/20. 

25 minutes ago, thegameksk said:

My Conditional offer was for back in May before I was put on hold. If I get drug tested again do I need the same paper work from preemployment as well?

Your drug test is good for 90 days. If you were tested within 90 days you won't need to take another.

1 hour ago, thegameksk said:

What part of the process are you up too?

 

Edit: Im going Thursday to clear my medical hold. For those that have done the same do they finish the rest of your paperwork that day as well or does it depend if there is an opening in the next class? They did tell me in the email I might have to take a second drug test.

I cleared my medical hold on 6/6, was sworn in and made it into the 6/20 class same day. If in your conditional offer you were considered for the June 20th class you should still get in if you clear your medical hold. 

5 minutes ago, thegameksk said:

Does anyone know if the June class is still open?

I went to livingston on 6/6 cleared my medical and got into the 6/20 class. There weren't many people there that day for T/O

1 hour ago, trackerjack said:

isn't doorman a good job? and it's unionized right? just curious

It's a decent job, easy going 65k year. But retirement have to wait till 65 for full pension. Hoping i didn't make a mistake by leaving.

47 minutes ago, underground traveler said:

Was it easy for you to get off medical hold? Was there alot of people there when you went back?

The +2 protein they found in my UA was due to dehydration, I drank alot of water went and redid the test with my primary DR a week later everything was normal. When I went in to clear the medical they also did the test again and it was fine. It was not as busy as when I went in on May 26 for my conditional offer, there was alot less people.

24 minutes ago, beanz said:

Don't let that 100 on the signal test make u nervous. I've seen people come in so scared of failing the signal test that it's all they study and they fail all the other exams. So much is made of the signals but it's actually very easy if you are paying attention to how the signaling system actually works and what your operation has to be at each signal. If u just worry about verbatim definitions and memorizing them without actually understanding what the signals mean, and then u stumble on a word and have to explain yourself to the supt, that is where you will fail. Supt is going to ask u "well explain to me in your words the function of this signal and how u gotta operate" or something along those lines and u won't know wtf to say because u were obsessed with memorization instead of learning.

 

Just relax and pay attention and everything will start to make sense to you after a while. It's overwhelming at first but it isn't rocket science, you will get it.

Thank you for that im extremely nervous going into the June 20th class. Especially considering leaving my old job (32BJ doorman) where there was no books or studying involved and moving into transit. Very nerve wrecking for me.

Just now, dincena said:

Im scheduled to go in and clear medical hold on 6/10. If all goes well and I clear would i still be able to get into the 6/20 class?

What would happen if I show up to 180 Livingston before that date (say tommorow) with all required documents to clear medical. Would they take me in or would I be wasting my time going there without an appointment? I know the day i went for conditional gentlemen in the lobby checked IDs and emails for appointments

Im scheduled to go in and clear medical hold on 6/10. If all goes well and I clear would i still be able to get into the 6/20 class?

9 hours ago, trackerjack said:

honestly i would just stay with the 9-6 M-F if u like that lifestyle.  money might "suck" but believe me......remember you're going to give your life/time to Transit so $$ per hour might not be as good as what you're making + the time you have "free" outside of work. 
believe me Extra Extra is just brutal and borderline masochism where u just have no life and energy anymore to do anything after work.  but again this is my opinion and u shouldn't care what i think

radio is important but honestly nothing really happens.....unless something bad happens in the road but again......usually it's "around" me.  but eventually im going to get hit with the road blowing up caused by "me"

NJ i heard is not too bad if you drive.....B division might be better for you if you live in NJ i think???
 

What exactly do you mean by this? I understand ones schedule will be all over the place the first few years and it won't be your average 9-5 will it be more than 40 hour work weeks? After a few years would a t/o have a consistent steady schedule? I'm willing to sacrifice for the first for years but I do have 2 kids at home not trying to be a slave for the MTA

18 minutes ago, Gullys said:

Remember guy if you drop the handle while operating call it in 

you don’t get in trouble for that anymore

When train operator don’t call it in and charge up and move is when they get in trouble

 

as long you didn’t hit a signal or switch don’t worry about dropping the handle 

What exactly is dropping the handle?