For T/O's and C/R's.. how exactly does scheduling and days off work?

[Jah]

by "bottom 30%" im assuming you mean, top 30% lol. those who have the highest 30% of sick leave usage.

 

how do they punish you for latenesses? is being 1 unit late considered AWOL at the MTA? at the post office they would just give you the 1 unit of annual leave to cover it, without the blink of an eye. thats the only thing they're really good at

 

No I meant bottom 30%! The top 70% doesn't get home visits.

[Zman]

For the days off you must request the day 20 days in advance right at midnight to have a chance of getting it off if it's a weekend or holiday. It's very very hard to get days off in this department.

 

It's not always that hard. If you're looking for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday off, and it doesn't connect to a holiday, you can usually get it 72 hours beforehand (you've gotta ask before they "crew up" the day that you're requesting off.) If you're looking for a Monday or Friday then you might have to ask about 10 days beforehand. Weekends you've gotta get a bit lucky. Generally you've gotta ask 20 days in advance, especially if you're making plans and need confirmation of the day off; but, if there's a bunch of G.O.'s going on that weekend which results in the reassignment of crews (i.e. no service), then your chances of getting that Saturday or Sunday off are very good...but you won't get confirmation until 48 hours before the day.

For example, I requested tomorrow (Sunday) off just two days ago via the phone...and got it!

[Trainmaster5]

Maybe you T/Os, B/Os and C/Rs better tell these posters about the day after Thanksgiving, which was the hardest day of all to get off historically.

[Urbanfortitude]

LOL dunno about the rest of you but my family makes it so I'd rather be working during Thanksgiving anyway. As for the day after...aka black friday...I never was very good at shopping. So I won't be one of the ones trying to get those days off. I'll probably be the one eager to pick up the shifts if i'm not already scheduled.

[LexAveExp5]

For the days off you must request the day 20 days in advance right at midnight to have a chance of getting it off if it's a weekend or holiday. It's very very hard to get days off in this department.

 

You can't work more than 16 hours in a day but on the road they try not to let you work past 14 hours in a day. When you're on probation you are supposed to have 12 hours off in between tours when you're off probation you can work with as little as 8 hours in between, but you can't pick jobs with less than 10 hours in between. The time off in between does NOT include travel time to and from work either.

 

You can work 6 days a week as almost all of my friends do, but not 7 days anymore. I have never worked on a day off in my career, not because I don't need money but because I feel it's more important to raise your kids.

 

14 hours in a day??? holy smokes! is this the most you can voluntarily work or the most they can FORCE you to work? why so much overtime? i know they dont wanna hire b/c healthcare and retirement are booming but arent there laws? they stopped that mess at the post office and now no matter what you cant go past 12 hours

[Zman]

Maybe you T/Os, B/Os and C/Rs better tell these posters about the day after Thanksgiving, which was the hardest day of all to get off historically.

 

Now it's just about impossible. Unless you choose this day as a VID when you pick your job/vacation, then you're not getting the day off. Period. And even then you'll need a file number in the three digit range...and not on the high side of three digits either.

 

14 hours in a day??? holy smokes! is this the most you can voluntarily work or the most they can FORCE you to work? why so much overtime? i know they dont wanna hire b/c healthcare and retirement are booming but arent there laws? they stopped that mess at the post office and now no matter what you cant go past 12 hours

 

Both, but you can calm down. They don't hit you with 14 hour days every day...just on the days when you have plans after work. In fact, the crew office tries to not give you more than 12 hours as they don't want you making too much money.

[Jah]

14 hours in a day??? holy smokes! is this the most you can voluntarily work or the most they can FORCE you to work? why so much overtime? i know they dont wanna hire b/c healthcare and retirement are booming but arent there laws? they stopped that mess at the post office and now no matter what you cant go past 12 hours

 

Yeah there are laws no more than 16 hours worked in a day because the job is safety sensitive, unless they declare an emergency.

 

Remember even if you only work 12 hours you have travel time to and from work also because you may start and end at 2 different places. When you're new you will sit around sometimes for up to 7 hours BEFORE getting assigned a job FORCING you to work up to 15 hours.

 

Like Z stated don't ever make plans becasue that's the day guaranteed that you get screwed has happened to all of us.

[LexAveExp5]

Yeah there are laws no more than 16 hours worked in a day because the job is safety sensitive, unless they declare an emergency.

 

Remember even if you only work 12 hours you have travel time to and from work also because you may start and end at 2 different places. When you're new you will sit around sometimes for up to 7 hours BEFORE getting assigned a job FORCING you to work up to 15 hours.

 

Like Z stated don't ever make plans becasue that's the day guaranteed that you get screwed has happened to all of us.

 

when you say sitting around, do they have you doing work in the yards like connecting the train cars or something? or is it like firefighters where they just literally sit around and do NOTHING?

[Jah]

when you say sitting around, do they have you doing work in the yards like connecting the train cars or something? or is it like firefighters where they just literally sit around and do NOTHING?

 

Your supposed to sit and do nothing, but some dispatchers try and make you do work. I NEVER worked unless I called the crew office first and told them I will be working for this T/D so I am unavailable to pick up a job today. But most people don't know any better and just get taken advantage of.

[LexAveExp5]

and what about an 8 hour day? does that just not exist at the MTA?

[Jah]

and what about an 8 hour day? does that just not exist at the MTA?

 

It exists once you start picking your own jobs. You will most likely only be able to pick 8 hour jobs. You will pick you own job between 2-4 years afte starting.

 

And when your extra in the beginning some days the job you get will be only 8 hours.

[DOB2RTO]

It exists once you start picking your own jobs. You will most likely only be able to pick 8 hour jobs. You will pick you own job between 2-4 years afte starting.

 

And when your extra in the beginning some days the job you get will be only 8 hours.

 

Except the line. You are guaranteed 8hrs 30min or more even for an 8 hour job, as that line guarantees one overtime. You will never leave Utica on time, or arrive to Woodlawn on time. That's why I told them, "if I was on this line everyday, I would never work overtime, since I get it anyways, just because we stay late, or getting pushed 2 or more behind"..........

[duelingdragons]

So how do you current T/O's work this job and have girlfriends/wives?

 

I can already see that this schedule isn't gonna fly w/ my fiancee... I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with her once I actually get close to being hired. =\

[Y2Julio]

Work in the railroad industry can kill relationships. As some T/Os have said, you will have no life once you sign yourself over to the MTA. All of us are lucky enough to have them posting here telling us all the work we will go through, if you are having any doubts, it would be best to back away now before you are with the MTA.

[Jah]

So how do you current T/O's work this job and have girlfriends/wives?

 

I can already see that this schedule isn't gonna fly w/ my fiancee... I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with her once I actually get close to being hired. =\

 

Much like the police department the TA breeds divorce. It works out for alot of guys because they don't want to spend any time with there families. Once you have some seniority even if your schedule isn't the one you want it is somewhat set, so you know your hours.

 

But alot of guys don't like the same routine so they pick vacation relief or extra list for there whole careers. It's been said here before the first 5 years are the hardest.

[Urbanfortitude]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

 

So how do you current T/O's work this job and have girlfriends/wives?

 

I can already see that this schedule isn't gonna fly w/ my fiancee... I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with her once I actually get close to being hired. =\

 

maybe u can get her to railfan the train you're working on.

[Urbanfortitude]

<DELETE PLZ> stupid phone

[Pelham Bay Dave]

Much like the police department the TA breeds divorce. It works out for alot of guys because they don't want to spend any time with there families. Once you have some seniority even if your schedule isn't the one you want it is somewhat set, so you know your hours.

 

But alot of guys don't like the same routine so they pick vacation relief or extra list for there whole careers. It's been said here before the first 5 years are the hardest.

 

Yeah I am so glad those days are behind me now.

[duelingdragons]

Ugh.. jeez.

How depressing...

[Dahon]

To all T/Os, do you like being a T/O? From reading these posts, it seems like a very dull, boring, blue collar job with lots of OT and little breaks?

[Jah]

To all T/Os, do you like being a T/O? From reading these posts, it seems like a very dull, boring, blue collar job with lots of OT and little breaks?

 

It is a blue collar job, but dull this job never is. This is NYC.

[Joe]

blue collar job

 

That's not a bad thing.

[NASCAR]

 

Ever make that mistake yourself?

Oh,H*LLZ NO!!!! I'm not Mr. Perfecto,but I make SURE I pay EXTRA ATTENTION at Home-Balls!I can't front,it CAN happen to the best of us. Green over green=main route and yellow over yellow=diverging route(train switches off the main route) you MUST KNOW where yur bottom yellows are!

[NASCAR]

 

That's not a bad thing.

Mr. Madoff prolly thought so!

[NASCAR]

 

I'm just amazed at how many guys with 20 or 25 years can't or won't leave because they have to pay for that 3 or 4 year old crumbsnatcher they made on the outside. Thinking with the little head really screwed these cats up. There are also quite a few grandparents who have to support their grandkids because their own children screwed up. Those people I really feel sorry for. And Nascar you're right about the others who don't have a life without transit. I know as a T/O you can have over 25 years in title and not even be in the top 300 in seniority. I was friends with a M/M who had 50 years on the job. He was # 1 in the system. I used to tell him to retire and he told me that he didn't want to stay home everyday and watch TV or listen to his wife nag him all day. He went on vacation one Christmas week and died in his sleep. Never retired and never got even one retirement check. His loss hurt me so much that I said what you said, I'm out when that time comes. Within the next 9 months I'm running out of this hell hole and moving on with the next phase of my life. I love my fellow workers but it's time.

Man, I feel for people...I know this 70 year old T/O with a 3yr. old!!! C'mon HOME-BOY!!! That's NUTTZ!! WTF??:confused: God rest the dead to that T/O with 50 years on the job.I'm sorry to hear that...If you can leave in 9 mos.,do it my brother! You've worked hard enjoy that pension...I wish you the best.:tup: