Union Pacific Job?

Question

I am waiting for an invitation to a UP hiring session. I just passed the reading comprehension test at Prometric . I am wondering what I can expect working in train service in Roseville Ca. ? Pay, travel etc.

Answer 1

I have a couple of friends that have retired from Union Pacific, and Southern Pacific.  I can tell you from talikng to them about wanting to do the same job, there is lots of living out of a suit case, living in hotels, and many days away from the family.

Being a Locomotive Engineer in their words is being literally married to the railroads.  Especially when you are first starting out working the Extra Board, as you will find out.

This job is going to require that you are available on a monents notice, and within 90 minutes from the location of your work order.  Yes its a work order, not a request.  

On the Roseville Hub you can receive work orders ANYWHERE on that hub.  Which means you literally have to have your bags packed and sitting at the front door or in your car ready to roll.

Its a good paying job, and if you are not married and really owe no responsibilities to a wife and household its a great job.  

I applied, and was accepted for employment, however I turned down the job offer because of one final detail that I learned only after I was offerd the job.

The employees that are currently working and have more Union Seniority than you can and often do bid you out of your location.  This forces you to make one of two decisions.  Quit, or move to the other area where the work is.  If you are like me and established, the thought of someone forcing me to quit or move was simply not an option.

As I learned from my friends, this happens quiet often, hence the turnover rate is very high for the newcomers to the industry.

On the flip side, the retirement package from the railroad is unbeatable.  So weigh your options carefully in this case.

This is the other thing you might want to consider too.  You do not get to become a Locomotive Engineer stright off the bat either, unless you already have your FRA Class 1 Railroad Engineer's License.  You get to start out in the yard building trains and switiching lots of rolling stock.  The you get to graduate to Freight Conductor.  That responsibility is interesting.  Your responsibility begins where the last locomotive's knuckle ends.  

Oh lets see, Donner Summit in Mid January and a Knuckle Pin breaks and FRED stops the train.  Its currently 14F outside with a -20F Wind Chill Factor and gthe knuckle that you need to repair is about 3/4 mile back from the locomotives.  So you get to hike through the snow and the slop, in that freezing c**p and fix the pin.  2 hours later with a headache, running nose and swollen hands, eyes, frost bitten toes, you finally get to crawl back into the warm cab of the locomotive.  The because you are behind schedule your train "Dies On The Law" you get to spend a night on the siding.  Hmm, sounds like fun!  Oh yeah, here is the kicker.  You know how you thought you get to pack some Tylenol??  Yeah, nope No Drugs of ANY kind are allowed in your body while you are on Duty!

I tell you this story, because my friend who has retired, used to work that run from Sacramento to Reno, or along the Feather River Route.  Spring and summer were never an issue, however the winter months, were pretty nasty if you had to deal with a malfunction.

He would tell you this though, 95% of your runs are pretty uneventful and routine.  But its the 5% factor that can be quite entertaining.

I will say this though, his photo albums are wonderful.  

With all due resepect, I hope you get the job and wish you the best of luck.  I'm just not really sure that Union Pacific is really that honest with their potential employees, and really giving them the skinny on what the job is really going to demand from you.

I am still applying, but I am looking at the shop jobs, rather than the Train Service aspect of the industry.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

T-man basically has it right. It all depends on the location and the size of the seniority district your in. Where I'm at, in and around St. Louis area, our seniority is only in this area.(small) But I understand that on other RR's this is not the case. If you have many people in your district above you in seniority, they can (Bump) you out at any time. We have agreements that only allow men to move every 30 days from job to job. My advise is to talk to someone who works the area and find out what and how it works, how many are ahead of you, how big of a territory you cover, and how the union agreements are written. It's real confusing at the start and your going to be real tired and frustrated from all the confusion. Family life and social life,(GOOD BY), for a good while. Weigh out the pro's and the con's and I'm sure you'll be right either way you go. It's a personal preference. Good Luck!!!!!

Answer 3

I am waiting on an invitation from Up in central arkansas. I passed the reading test too. You should check out the employment forum on www.railroad.net there has been some talk about california. right now i think there is alot of taxiing to other hubs around Cal from what I hear.

Answer 4

There is truth in what Tekkaman Saber said. But maybe not quite as dismal. I started with BNSF, went two years on the extra board. Depending on how many trainmen get hired after you determines how long you're on the extra board. Some folks at my hub were only on the E board for a couple months. The ones that hired on before me.

I say continue to pursue the job. The reason is it may work well for you. Also, this is America. If it doesn't work for you, no one is going to say you must stay. You can always go do something else.

What I did was go over to an industrial short line when I got older. This railroad starts at 8 am every day, no nights, no weekends or holidays. That could be in your future too, after you've put in some UP time.

Answer 5

not for me!