SubwayGuy

@SubwayGuy. I was told that if I wear contacts or glasses to bring both with me to processing. Thanks for the other tidbits in your post.

Yup that is correct. But it's important that the prescriptions be reasonably current, or else the vision test might be a bit of a challenge. After all you guys go through to get here, it'd be silly to get placed on medical hold pending getting an updated glasses/contacts prescription.

Did another DT last week on Wednesday and received the call for the medical on Friday. I report on Tuesday the 7th. Wish me luck guys! I can't believe this day has come. This forum has been a great blessing on keeping us up to date on info. Maybe I'll see a few of you guys tomorrow...Wish you all luck!

All the best. Have your doctor's info with you in case you need a note from your primary care physician for the doctors at the MAC. Make sure your 21 page booklet is filled out correctly and there are no paperwork issues. If you wear glasses or contacts, make sure your prescription is current before you go. Bring your lunch with you to the MAC (the medical takes the entire day...so bring a good book as well, might I recommend war and peace? haha...). Wait until your blood pressure has been taken before you eat lunch. Keep a list of medications you are taking with you as well, as you will be asked this on the questionnaire.

If you get through medical and post processing with no problems, and a class is being filled, you will receive your start date on Wednesday.

Getting through medical and post processing as fast as possible is the goal...your seniority will depend on it.

I think so they never said it didn't so I'm sure it does.

I'm Tier 4 so I can't answer this question with 100% certainty, but as I understand it:

If you are a new hire, you fall under Tier 6. Overtime counts towards your total for the year, however, overtime in excess of 10% of your annual "base pay" (I don't know exactly how that number is determined) will not count toward the pension.

For Tier 4, our best 3 consecutive years are used, and those years plus the 2 before them are what is looked at when computing the final average.

Years 1 and 2 determine what is pensionable in Year 3: The lesser of Year 3 pay, or (Average of Year 1 and 2) x 1.1

Years 2 and 3 determine what is pensionable in Year 4: The lesser of Year 4 pay, or (Average of Year 2 and 3) x 1.1

Years 3 and 4 determine what is pensionable in Year 5: The lesser of Year 5 pay, or (Average of Year 3 and 4) x 1.1

The average of those 3 years equals our final average.

For you Tier 6 folks, I don't know how many years are looked at. However, the 1.1 x portion of the calculation applies to base pay so any overtime that exceeds 10% of whatever your base pay is determined to be, won't count towards your pension.

Your contribution rates into the plan are also higher. Someone with more knowledge of Tier 6, however, would need to tell you the specifics of all this. I'm just giving you an overview of the areas where Tier 6 is different in an attempt to answer your question.

From testing to start date can be anywhere from 15 days to 90+.

It varies so much because the outcome of the people they bring in is never known. You'd be surprised how many people can't pass a drug test. Plus people going on medical hold, or needing to sort out paperwork issues. They will call people until they can fill a class. That's the goal - fill the next class at all costs.

Often, that means calling a number of people down in a very short time. If they fill the class relatively easily, then everyone who has been called down but not placed in the class, and also not disqualified, has to wait for the next one to come around. Which can often mean retaking the drug test to have a more current one as the first one will often expire before then.

There have been some real "winners" lately...

Just worry about yourself and work with those in your class that are taking it serious and help each other. Let the clowns fail, they're going to with or without your help, no need to get caught up in their BS, or wind up drawing their attention out of it.

I don't want you to get it twisted. On this job, you can and oftentimes MUST look out for your coworkers. A lot of people here will give YOU the benefit of the doubt when you're new, and you should do your best to keep it going. Those that are worth it, people will always try to help if they can. Most times down here, helping someone doesn't actually involve putting your neck out. But those that are not worth saving, or have attitudes, no one is going to go out of their way to help. They will be left alone to suffer the consequences of their own actions.

I just received a letter over the weekend stating to go in for medical...I thought I was going to get a call??? Has anyone else received anything via mail or phone for October's class?

If it's the first letter you got from Transit, it will just be for a drug test.

You will come back for the Medical, that appointment you will get a phone call for.

Good luck to the ones starting tomorrow. Took and passed the signal test this past week. Out of the 42 of us that we're split up into 4 classes we lost three because of the multiple choice. Trust me guys as long as you study you will not have problem with this test. I know I'm the beginning it's scary because of the unknown and the fact that you lose your job. But as long as you put in the time to study you will not have an issue. Last week until yard posting then yx for three months. Guys just stay in the books and you will be ok. Oh one more thing Lean on each other in your classes it will help.

Congratulations. Don't let your foot off the accelerator, but the signal test is probably THE single most stressful part of schoolcar.

Now that it's out of the way, work on mastering your train control and ability to judge distances. These are probably the two most useful skills a T/O can pick up when they are new. Remember that train control differs widely by equipment class, and that every individual train handles differently within the loose guidelines of its car class. Work on building those skills, they will serve you well for life.

And when YX, practice your station stops when you are transferring, laying up, or putting in a light train! It's free practice! Any idiot can go 15 bypassing a station, so try to hit the stop marker perfectly, even challenging the station just to try it provided the leaving signal is clear (since no one is on your train, and you're not making a real station stop, you can experiment and if you overrun no big deal - just something to work on for next time). Get all the practice you can while you're YX, quick station stop to practice, release brakes, and keep it moving. Again, it will only help.

And one more thing - keep notes on these places, especially yards. It's a lot, but it will help you out when you go to YX on your own, and should you successfully complete schoolcar, when you come out on your own as an XX. XX's do get yard and station switch jobs from time to time as well. And always remember...if you're not sure, ASK!

Good luck!

Go by the rule book or the signal guide you were given in schoolcar.

The flash cards can be handy, or you can make them yourself from the rule book. There's someone that distributes them, depending on who your instructors are, sometimes you can get the hookup. The problem is the wording is very close (Not Exact) from the rule book on the flash cards.

With the write ins, if there is ANY discrepancy between the right answer and what you wrote (or if it's vague) you want to point to something TRANSIT gave you when justifying your answer to schoolcar. That means whipping out a flashcard won't save you in a question dispute. But the rulebook or schoolcar signal guide will. Which is why I always recommend those.

I have a question about late clears. I see that theres a code for Late Clear for a G.O. Im assuming you use that if your clearing later than your relief time, if you clear later because of a G.O. going on, and you would put that G.O. number in the comments?

Yes, but this code only applies if the late clear is written into the supplement that the GO is causing to run.

In other words, if the supplement has you clearing on time with the GO in effect, but a track gang causes you to arrive late, use code 40 (standard late clear).

However, if the GO causes a supplement to run that has you, say, making a later interval than normal (or perhaps going local instead of your usual express) and you are scheduled by the supplement to arrive back at your signout location late as a result, then you use the late clear (GO) code.

What are the chances on a yard practical, that they just have you talk through the sequence rather than actually performing every single step?

You will be asked to perform most steps, depending on how much time is available and how many people actually have to go. You may be asked to describe certain procedures, or things where actually doing it would be time consuming. Such as you find a pulled BCO on your train as you're preparing it for yard movement. Obviously, you're not going to call the yard dispatcher and ask about a BCO on a simulation. So you'll just explain that's what you'd do, and when told by the person giving you the practical to "cut it back in" you will be observed to make sure you know how to do just that.

You WILL read iron. You WILL OK at least one car for yard movement (to save time, they may not have you OK the whole consist, just one or two cars). You WILL make safety stops. You WILL cut. You WILL add. You may not leave the track (to avoid interfering with other moves going on in the yard), so you may simulate doing that, which will mean talking about getting permission.

Expect everything to be hands on - that's the point of a practical! You won't be caught off guard if you approach it that way. And on the yard practical remember three things when you cut:

-The first thing you do is unhook the chains, and if applicable, barrier springs

-You always cut in emergency. Don't charge the train before you throw the cutting key.

-Handbrakes on the standing pieces, no handbrakes on the pieces to move.

Sure there's more, but these are 3 of the most important things in cuts.

Another reminder about OTO. It does NOT roll over at year end, nor can it be converted to AVAs. If you have any unused OTO at the end of the year, it will be paid out to you.

Schedule your days off in advance before November 30th to avoid this, you need 8 OTO hours to request a day. Any "loose change" left after that, or unused OTO time, will not carry over and will be paid out.

Be aware of this if you are considering saving any OTO in the next few months. Try to land on a multiple of exactly 8 hours to close out the year if, like me, you don't like having the excess paid to you at the end of the year.

Once the New Year starts is a great time to start saving a good amount of OTO.

In addition to those...also autofail on first yard practical:

-No safety stops.

-Hard add / collision

-Miss something major prepping the train for service and fail to catch it later (catching it later will save you, but often result in a retest) IE a pulled angle or emergency brake.

WestEndMan...you shouldn't be nervous the day of. Maybe nervous because you're being tested, but not nervous about what you're doing. You'll be practicing yard movement dozens of times (and doing lots of cuts and adds as a class), so you'll have plenty of practice, and by the time the test rolls around you should be feeling pretty confident in your ability to follow procedure and make the move.

There is a simple test that can be done when making an add to see if it's just right, but it only works on certain car classes (R32, 42, 62/A) because you need the door latch at the top of the end door. You open the end door fully, take a quarter and balance it on top of the door latch at the top of the open door. Make the add. Quarter falls off, you hit it too hard. Quarter stays put, it's a good add.

Best way to ask is this: "I've never made that move before, can you show me where I'm going?"

NO ONE can get on you for not knowing a move you've never made. Or, if you have made it and just don't remember,

"I haven't done that move in a while, can you refresh me on where I'm going?"

The "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT???" crowd is usually people who just assume everyone has seen the move, and it's new people who are nervous, or can't remember the move...which is a dumb assumption to make. Don't sweat it and make sure you understand what you're doing whenever you make a move.

If you have to change ends, definitely be sure you understand where you're turning. A home signal number, or a reverse car marker, or just a landmark (such as a station) will serve you well.

Got a question, I heard a paycheck policy where paychecks are given out at your pay location after 3pm on Thursday of a payday. Unfortunately I am going to be far far away from my pay location on Thursday, possibly wont get to my pay location till after 5pm, so I was thinking of possibly going and picking it up on Friday before my school reporting time. Is that possible or would I have to wait till after 3pm on Friday too? And if I was to pick it up Thursday, is there a cut off time?

You can go anytime after Thursday at 3pm (note they sometimes arrive later than that, so you may want to call first if it's going to be out of your way, and you're trying to hit it right at 3-4PM...After 6pm is almost always a sure bet though). You have until Sunday night or Monday morning to pick it up (depending on when the Disp. puts unclaimed checks in the mail). Always try to get it by Sunday though.

If you miss it, the checks get sent back to check distribution on the 5th floor of 180 Livingston, and you'll have to go there during Monday thru Friday business hours to get it.

Road posting is your preview what is like going alone as an XX on board or assigned job for the day and learn what to write on the overtime slip. Remember, crew office could give you a partial or full job when you are on board, always put your deadhead/traveltime from your last clearing time. If someone wants to pull a trick on you on deadhead, bluntly to say it is coming out of their pocket, ask them to speak with the crew office. Any "no lunch" claims while you are working, you put that as well.

 

Keep a little notebook for each day you worked and track down your own overtime hours.

 

It is your time and money.

This is good advice. Fortunately once you are on your own as XX, it is actually easier a little bit since you won't be dealing with the manual unless there is a double report that causes you to fall to the board at the very last minute (if you fall to the board the day before, you'll be on the payroll as extra board). Posting is a pain in the a*** to make sure you get paid, because every time you fill out a slip or speak with a Disp. you have to make sure it is clear that you are posting.

For that reason also, the crew office will not have you on the payroll for the duration of a job if it is a penalty job. So you need a slip for everything, whereas when you're on your own you wouldn't, unless there was "unscheduled" overtime or bonus such as a late clear, no lunch, board time, etc.

Again, what is this Concourse Yard working the business? I thought if you signed in on the manual and they put down what job you are working for example C-203 then you get paid what that job does, what you are writing is since he signed out at 168 he gets deadhead to 207Y which is 28 minutes, So he's only getting paid 8 hours for posting not what C-203 or whatever job he posted pays.

OK 207th Yard, that makes a lot more sense.

And here I think they're bringing back the CC from Bedford Park to Rockaway Park hah.

If you sign on the manual, you do not automatically get paid the job's allowed run time just because of the comments. If the dispatcher matches the start and end times to the job, then he might get paid, but that's really the wrong way to do it. Plus if an overtime slip doesn't accompany the student's time to timekeeping, it may well get spit back by them and he'll just get 8 hours, since there's no justification being provided for the overtime in writing, and the comments would be inadequate since the start time doesn't match his trainer's.

gerbils, what you should have got was this:

Report at 0500 (the time on your posting papers)

Relief at 1300 (the time on your posting papers + 8 hours)

Late clear 1300 to 1308

Deadhead 1308 to 1337 (Deadhead from 207Y to 168 is 29 minutes)

Total time worked: 8 hours 37 minutes

Total time paid: 8 hours 56 minutes

He gets deadhead because his report is 0500 CCY, therefore he is entitled to deadhead if he clears anywhere else, provided it is not absorbed by boost time...regardless of what the job does.

If it clears at 1308 it's already a penalty job (8h 8m worked), but nothing is "built in" for him as a student posting unless it was written on the manual, which it likely wasn't. If the dispatcher is doing it correctly, it's report CCY 0500, relief CCY 1300.

Even if he cleared less than 8 hours away, he'd be entitled to deadhead if the deadhead time exceeded the boost time, in which case he'd only be entitled to the difference (such as clearing at 1259...he'd have to back out 1 minute from the deadhead allowance).

He would not be entitled to deadhead time only if the boost time exceeded the deadhead time, IE if the job he posted ended at 1108.

Now if he was on his own and worked the job, then pay would be "built in", but it's never built in when you're posting. This misconception is why a lot of students posting end up missing hours.

I had a weird one today. I had to report at 0500 at Concourse Yard to post on the Charlie. I got paired with a guy who started at 440 and finished at 1308 at 168 St. How does that go on the sheets? CCY had me signed on at 0500 on the sign in. At the end of the day around 1250ish, I went to sign out at 168 St. Was I suppose to get deadhead? The dispatcher said that I didn't get deadhead time because it was built into the job. I didn't understand that. He said I was just entitled to the 8 minute late clear since the original job ended at 1308. Can you clarify this for me?

Sign on at CCY:

-Pass, Name, Comment: Student Posting C-### then T/O C, Report 0500 CCY, Relief 1300 CCY, SQ in Remarks - Sign in but not out

Sign out at 168:

-Pass, Name, Comment: Student Posting C-### then T/O C, Report 0500 CCY, Relief 1300 CCY, SQ in Remarks - Sign out but not in.

Fill out an overtime slip (at 168) for late clear 1300 to 1308, and deadhead for the travel time from 168 back to CCY from 1308 to whatever time. Comments: Student posting on C line. Reported to CCY at 0500 hours as per posting papers and posted on job ### which clears at 168 at 1308 hours. Added deadhead back to CCY.

This is the correct way to do it.

You may still get paid if the Dispatchers who signed you on and off wrote the correct times and locations into the manual sheet on the payroll. However, this is not the best way to do it (even though many TD's and ATD's do it).

When you post, your report time is ALWAYS the time on the posting papers, and your clearing time is 8 hours later at the same location. ANY overtime and you need a slip. You also need to make sure you indicate you are a student on the overtime slip, lest they confuse you with your trainer, in which case they won't pay you since they're already paying him.

Deadhead is never "built into the job" for students. Remember that. It's built in for your trainer but not you. It's important that you communicate this extremely clearly to any dispatcher, that you are a student, to make sure you get paid.

What is deal with this bed bug epidemic on the subways? Any truth to that? Not to change the subject, Once in field how do TO's take lunch and breaks?

Breaks are built into the schedules, which are adhered to provided the railroad is running well. "Needs of the service" will always come first, but you will have pre-planned breaks. If the railroad is bad, then all of that is subject to change based on what is needed to be done and who is available to do it, but days down here where you do not have time to eat are extremely rare. Days where you feel like you are constantly on the train occur more frequently, but that is more a function of the job you are working, and how the railroad is running.

Thanks again, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to get to school car driving or mass trans. (Coming from the island) how long before we get our health benefits ?

Talk to your instructors when you reach that point. They will let you know places where parking is easy vs. places where it is not.

Also for people who drive to work, sometimes the place you're going may not be easy to park, but there is a nearby place that is. In that case doing the "park and ride" is also an option.

And as said above, 90 days for health benefits. However the effective date will actually be the beginning of the first month that follows your 90th day as an employee. You should receive your ID cards in the mail before that.

Thanks, is school car only at ps 248?

No. While it will begin there (after your 2 day orientation at Livingston), you will travel to the various yards and terminals in your subdivision for class once you are broken up into small groups. ("A" or "B") because part of schoolcar is familiarizing you with the areas you'll be working when you're on your own. Occasionally you will report to PS 248 for exams, or to complete necessary trainings (such as the right to know which requires the computer lab), but the majority of the class portion of schoolcar is spent reporting to terminals or yards in your subdivision.

Being I haven't even met my TSS or have been assigned a schedule, I'm guessing my 1st official week is Tuesday. Still, one month for an exam seems quick. From what the other TSS's mentioned, they made it seemed like you take the exam 2 months down the line.

The exact date of the signal exam will be given to you when you meet your instructors and receive your class's schedule. This is, of course, subject to change, but it will give you a rough idea of when to expect it. As far as "the hurdles of schoolcar" go it's one of the first, and probably the most stressful.

You will have:

-Signal exam (must get 100% to pass)

-Various quizzes (80% or better to pass, or else you will be tutored which is like a black eye in schoolcar)

-Midterm exam (80% or better to pass, or else you will be tutored and have to make up the exam with all write-ins. Fail the makeup and you're gone.)

-First Yard practical (Reading iron, Preparing a train for yard movement, cuts and adds aka coupling and uncoupling)

-Second Yard practical (Preparing a train for passenger service, troubleshooting a brake pipe rupture.)

-Final exam (80% or better to pass, or else you will be tutored and have to make up the exam with all write-ins. Fail the makeup and you're gone.)

-Road practical (Road operations and procedures).

No the signal test is two months from the start but when crazy things like 4 people failing the test everyone in school car hears about it.

You're damn right everyone hears about it. This reflects poorly on everyone from the students themselves to the instructors, to schoolcar as a whole. Given the amount of incidents occuring with recent hires, they are not playing around with this anymore. You are expected to be on point. 76s and 84s on the signal exam are absolutely horrible scores, and NYCT is probably better without those kinds of people keeping their handles. I am sorry you had to lose 4 classmates that way, but congratulations on getting through the most nerve racking part of schoolcar.

I've been to this website (nycsubway.org), they have a section teaching about signal aspects. Is all their info correct? I want to get a head start on studying signals.

Don't use outside sources. My advice to you if you are eager to start studying is to go off the rulebook. Here is an online copy.

http://transportworkersunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rulesbook-TA-OA.pdf

Focus on pages 80 to 118 (these are the PDF page numbers, not the rulebook page numbers).

Do NOT read to the section marked "Flagging rules" as much of that information has been superceded by bulletins that have come out since 2003, which is the last time the rule book was revised.

Also, when you complete the pre-employment process, you can ask the person that swears you in if they have a TA rule book, or if you should expect it on your first day. Sometimes HR has extra ones for new hires lying around.

Thanks @SubwayGuy. I want to walk into school on Tuesday (early too) looking to show......I'm taking this job serious. I've got some of the signals down, but.I'm having my wife draw up.test cards to give me quizzes at home. Plus she is making me write out what signals do what & what procedure to do when encountering some signals

Excellent, this is good practice. Make it a point to include any automatics that can be "keyed" - regular red automatic, red with circle K, red with "NO KEY BY". Also include a call on at the home signal. And remember that there are things that aren't signals that can be asked on the signal exam also...like what are the 6 points of restricted speed and extreme caution? Just remember 10 / 2 / half / F / S / U (to remember F-S-U just remember...Florida State University!)

10 mph or less

Stop 2 car lengths from any obstruction

Be prepared to stop within half your range of vision

Be preared to make a Fast, immediate stop

Read Switches and signals for your route

Do not pass anything Unsafe

If you get all of that stuff down pat, word for word, you will be off to a great start. Your class will keep coming back to those as it prepares for the write in section of the signal exam.

Keyrings on a karabiner. Make sure you keep your MDC and R-9 key on one ring. Reverser and new tech keys on the other. Ask your instructors if they can order you guys the brake handle holsters or find out from other TSS's who know the folks who make them to place the order. Transit doesn't pay for them, but they will help you a lot, even though they'll cost you some they will make your life a lot easier. Besides the brake handle, your cutting key can also go in the holster or you can just carry it elsewhere on you. The reverser can fit in there also, but in my opinion it's easier to accidentally forget you left in the controller when it's standalone, and plus you will still need a place for your tech keys so it makes sense to put all of those things together.

Doesn't the new contract permit MTA employees to ride the LIRR and Metro North for free, at least for commuting to/from work?

Is the issue that the contract hasn't yet taken effect?

This is a separate employee pass. In order to be eligible for this, the employee must have an address on file with the MTA that is outside of the five boroughs in a service region of either railroad, but not both.

So if you live in Westchester County, for example, you will get a Metro-North Commutation Pass. Long Islanders, for example, will get the LIRR Commutation Pass. The two commutation passes, nor your EPIC pass with NYC Transit, "as the rules are written", are not interchangeable for use on either railroad.