I am an agreement employee but I realize that UP doesn’t owe me or anyone else a job. The agreements deal with working conditions not employment numbers. Anyone who has worked outside the railroad would tell you that there isn’t any company who is going to keep an excess of employees they are not utilizing. Doesn’t matter which industry. Even a union job in the construction field. There you put your name on the books. A contractor who needs employees gets them from the book. When they are done with them or if they aren’t cutting it they release them. The person goes back to the hall and signs the book to wait for another call(A few contractors may keep better employees and send to other sites). You may get “laid off” many times a year. I bet if they didn’t have seniority rosters this company would be much more effective. It gives people incentive to work hard not ride it out. Who cares if you have been here for 30yrs, you’re just another employee with the same position and pay as a guy with 3yrs.
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I am an agreement job holder as well. I do not think I’m entitled to a job. What I think is when a company is doing very well as Union Pacific is there shouldn’t be this kind of laying off. While I think there are bad performing employees in all aspects of this company. Everyone has contributed to the success of this in someway. The problem I see is Union Pacific never comes up with is own ideas. Always copying off of someone else’s ideas. While some are good not all of it is. The people that work here are constantly trying to adapt to whatever flavor of the week rules. They even change or don’t follow the very processes they come up with. On the mech side we used to work on a lot more units than we do now. Work flowed easier and faster when the processes are followed. It’s very hard to see a shop empty and management pulling every work task out they can to make a unit and, still be positive when I’ve seen dozens of my fellow workers go home. There are so many problems that need to be addressed than just cutting man power that we have no control over as craft. We are set up for failure daily. When these new ideas and processes come up and do t work it’s always blamed on the craft. Actually everything ultimately is blamed on the crafts. I just want a chance. I want a shop without chaos where when it’s time for me to go to work I have EVERYTHING I need to do my job.
Why does the original poster think they're entitled to lecture everyone?
I don't think that it's an entitlement thing, I believe it's the backwards thinking that we see in UP. With profits going up every quarter, why would anyone think a layoff this massive would take place? If profits were at an all time low, it would be alot easier to accept. And for people who say "we're not entitled to a job" I bet you want stability for your family and not this yo yo effect. Go work for a temp agency or something if you don't believe in stable employment when profits are good. Even in construction you don't expect to get released in the middle of a job if things are going well.
OP, I’d bet a silver dollar you have no idea what you’re talking about. Have a nice day.
The only ones who feel entitled are the ones on the 19th floor. It amazes me how this company has layers and layers of directors and managers that only have a handful of workers under them. At HQ the ratio of management is 7 directors and 3 Sr managers per 5 workers and all they do is scrutinize and criticize. As the workforce dwindles every year they keep adding layers of dysfunctional management who perhaps feel entitled I can guarantee you the workers don't feel entitled
Is up hiring? I need a jo
I agree about the north platte guys I can't believe I'm getting furloughed waaaaa I can't believe my dad can't keep my job waaaa how am I suppose to pay for all the sh-- I have so many loans on waaaaa
People who work at UP are more bitter and resentful than they are entitled.
A lot of what people see as entitled is really agreement and non-agreement workers being shocked out of complacency. Both thought they were protected and had ironclad jobs for different reasons. The layoffs have made it clear that they never did and never will.
"I dont think anybody feels entitled,"
Either your head is way up your anus or you are one of the those whose daddy got them the job at 18 and never had to work in your life and thus cannot see it. The lifers are the worst since they never had to work in an environment where your boss could kick you to the curb at any time and use performance as the reason. Those who hired on at 18 and had an apprenticeship in many cases are the ultimate lazy dirtbags since they knew that they didn't have to produce, learn sh--, or prove themselves in order to slide their way around any journeyman who was hired on after they were accepted into the apprenticeship. They knew that they would be able to slide into a "cherry" job after 3 years and never have to do the sh-- work. I have never been around so many entitled babies as I have around North Platte. It is really embarrassing that grown ups could act like they do and actually think that they are not part of the problem with unions.
Thank you, all I hear around the crew room and this site is people whining that the union is useless and they’re not doing anything. A lot of things they are complaining about the union has no control of, such as job cuts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these are not our jobs! All we can do is work the jobs that they give us, if they want to cut a few off that’s their choice. The union is there
there for working conditions, workers rights, representation and compensation. People seem to forget or never cared to learn that men used to die every day doing the same job we are doing. Now some of us are making over 100k a year riding on an air conditioned locomotive talking about how bad we have it. The same ones complaining about jobs being cut off are the same ones that think it’s too much to ask of them to get on the ground and do a roll-by inspection or a class 1 brake test.
UPRR is already a nepotism company. With out seniority the problem would expand.
I hired on knowing what I was getting into with being from a farming community and that everyone was grateful for what they had. With the railroad I see people wanting more and more other than a good paycheck and benefits and laying down for it. Like the company owes you more for showing up even if you try and do your job or not. And that drags the good people down in time if the numbers are there. That’s has been the downfall on seniority and loosing good people the want to work.
I agree. No one is entitled to a job. I’ve also worked construction and at least if you do your job and do it well you usually keep working. I have a lot of seniority but feel these layoffs should be merit based. Than your managers would have to know there employees
I dont think anybody feels entitled, but rather cheated, misled and thus bitter when they are lied to on a repeated basis and expected to shut up and do thier job or get off my lawn