I have an interview/hiring session with a railroad job (Union Pacific) and ws wondering . . . .?

Question

how the positions with salary pay (not hourly) worked and what it was like in case you have tu put overtime?

Do you get paid overtime or the salary based pay covers it?

Answer 1

if you are salary you will be non union and not get overtime. be ready to put in 10 hour days. that's the nature of the business.

Answer 2

The way I was paid when I was a locomotive engineer was a combination of milage and time, and weight of the locomotives in my consist (engines being transfered "DIT" or Dead In Transit, even if running in idle but not "mu'ed" to my consist were not added to my pay-scale).

The basic day was adjusted according to the distance traveled.  It was originally based on 100 miles in 16 hours.

Since we had to go 211 miles from West Colton California to Yuma Arizona, our basic day was ten hours and 20 minutes, if I recall, and anything after that was overtime.  So if I caught the Blue Streak Merchandise and went the 207 miles in four hours, I only got 207 miles at the rate for my locomotives plus any initial and final terminal delay penalties, if any.  If I had four SD-40 locomotives weighing 207 tons apiece, that fit in one rate scale on a chart for which I multiplied the rate by weight times the miles.

Added to the basic day there were "penalties" to the railroad.  If I was held too long at my initial terminal, or if I arrived at my final terminal and exceeded my allowed time to put the engine in the service facility or to trade crews, then I was paid for the time delayed in miles per hour or minute in addition to my basic day.  Railroads have been trying for decades to put operating crews on a straight hourly or salary basis, but the working conditions warrant such a complicated pay system.  During the time when our "hours of service" had been reduced from 16 hours maximum working time to 14 hours and then down to 12 hours, I was called to work an Anaheim California job, and due to a foul-up at the crew dispatchers, I could not get back to my home terminal, so when I went dead on the law, I had to sit on my locomotive until they put me in a taxi cab.  I did not go off duty until I was back at my home terminal crew office 22 hours after I had gone on duty in West Colton, and I received the full 10 hours overtime for it!

If we "died on the law" (exceeded our hours of service in which case we had to put the train in a safe place and tie it down and not move, and we would wait until a replacement "patch" crew would then relieve us) there was an automatic "50-mile deadhead" allowance in addition to our overtime.  There were other penalties, as well.  But dead-heading from one terminal to another was paid for at actual timetable miles at the minimum engineer's rate.

If we were held more than the allotted time without a call away from home terminal, waiting for a return working trip home (Yuma Arizona was after ten hours unless we "tied up for rest" for twelve hours) then we were put on straight time until we went on duty.  Usually they just dead-headed us home on the next train or bus just to keep us from claiming it, unless they needed us for late-arriving trains.

Answer 3

salary is 40 hours pay and no OT.

you will be required to work till the job is done. so can be 12 hour days.

you can have comp time

used to work for the rr back east and the long hours did balance out. Could use lots of comp time.

Go for it and you can make lots of cash.

23 years of service for me.

Answer 4

i think workers on the road are paid by the mile

Answer 5

yes you do get overtime as in any job try to get a road position where you don;t  be in the yard and will be on the train itself overnights at a hotel and meals which you have to be re imbursed at a later time

Answer 6

dude, u will be banking money, if they hire u consider it a privlage. you will be union and very well taken care of

Answer 7

It is going to depend on the craft but all departments are union so the pay is good.

Operating department (train crews) is somewhat complicated but it is based on a mileage pay.

Since all assigned runs are the same distance it becomes more of a trip rate but there are extras that you are paid for, and that is based on a set mileage allowance.

If you are on a job that stays out of town (road assignments) the RR has a contract with a hotel and you wont have to pay, you will be allowed a set allowance for meal allowances that is included in your paycheck.

Most other crafts, mehcanical, track, clerical is pretty much standard 40 hour week with overtime and time and a half for holiday pay.

The benefits are very good, vacation, health care, excellent retirement.

Good luck with the interview!

Answer 8

Sounds like your going to be a management trainee. This means that there is no overtime pay no matter how many hours you put in and believe me they will give you all the long hours you can handle because it will not cost them anything more. When you work for the RR it's all about cost reduction. Most of the time that means longer hours for the same pay and in some cases if you don't do what they call (writing someone up) for rule violations, they can keep you from having any off time (days off). When your salary, your at their mercy!!!!   They own you!!!!!