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Earlier in the month, BNSF recently released a new attendance policy which I think is just pathetic because the railroad is full of riches already thanks to Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet. Supposedly starting February 1st each worker will get 30 points but would be erased if they took holidays, weekdays and weekends off. This has led to major issues between BNSF and the Railroad unions. Over 17,000 workers have threatened a strike until things get settled. BNSF have said that this attendance policy is supposed to help workers but it is really not. Let's say you have a family emergency to deal with and you have to take time off to deal with it, will BNSF care with this attendance policy. Nope you still get points erased. As if things weren't bad enough on BNSF Railway, Schneider one of the largest trucking/intermodal service has already gone to arch rival Union Pacific which is supposed to take effect on January 1st 2023 and rumors have said JB Hunt is going to do the same thing. Here is a video about it listed below talking about the supposed strike thats gonna happen. Sad times we are living in the rail industry. I thought BNSF was the smarter one compared to CSX, UP and NS. Guess not. Eventually it'll be one huge railroad in the country if things dont get better.

Video I found regarding the strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnHhk7l ... oeHooligan

Article https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/loc ... 2747411b8c

So BNSF basically implemented the Chinese social credit system into their workforce?

A judge has deemed the potential strike illegal. Government in bed with big business again.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ce-policy/

Court grants BNSF Railway a restraining order blocking railroad unions from striking

Seriously. At this point, the government need to step in because things have gotten absolutely out of control.

BNSF previously had a thing where train crews were allowed up to 5 weekdays and 2 weekends a month off.

IMO mandatory minimum requirement for ANY job that involves being on call 24/7 across ANY industry:

- Minimum of 5 weekdays (paid) and 2 weekends (also paid) per month off
- Minimum three paid sick days per month. Additional sick days must also be paid if the employee has a doctor's note. Prohibit railroads from reprimanding for calling in sick.
- Days off for fatigue-related absences as needed (no more than 50% pay cut)
- Anything else as needed. Pilots get protected by the FAA; railroaders need the same.

And while they're at it, raise the 10 hours off between calls to 12 hours.

Class 1's really need to realise that all of these excessive regulations they're forcing onto their trainmen is eventually going to backfire on them. By doing this they are literally destroying themselves from the inside out. Railroading is an extremely safety-sensitive field where even a single wrong move can get people killed, not to mention that often times dangerous goods (flammable, oxidiers, corrosive, explosive, radioactive) are transported by rail and these trainmen are responsible for the safety of themselves and everyone around towns and cities whenever they pass through such areas. As if the Lac-Mégantic and Hinton train wrecks weren't enough.

The problem is that the railroads and unions made deals with the devil (the other side) to get what they want. The railroads forked over cash, and the unions forked over quality of life.

Now both are kinda screwed because there’s no more of either to give up.

"Seriously. At this point, the government need to step in because things have gotten absolutely out of control."


I agree with you 100 percent. These railroads have lost it with so much. It's not even PSR Railroading with BNSF, its literally Hiz Wiz railroading with this attendance policy..

CSXBOY wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 27, 2022 9:28 pm

"Seriously. At this point, the government need to step in because things have gotten absolutely out of control."

I agree with you 100 percent. These railroads have lost it with so much. It's not even PSR Railroading with BNSF, its literally Hiz Wiz railroading with this attendance policy..

The unions are now complaining to the federal government about this, asking them to "immediately investigate all carrier attendance policies that refuse to provide exceptions for fatigue-related absences [or illness-related abscences.]"

With BNSF's Hi-Viz policy being the most important thing of concern here.

CSXBOY wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:58 pm

Earlier in the month, BNSF recently released a new attendance policy which I think is just pathetic because the railroad is full of riches already thanks to Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet. Supposedly starting February 1st each worker will get 30 points but would be erased if they took holidays, weekdays and weekends off. This has led to major issues between BNSF and the Railroad unions. Over 17,000 workers have threatened a strike until things get settled. BNSF have said that this attendance policy is supposed to help workers but it is really not. Let's say you have a family emergency to deal with and you have to take time off to deal with it, will BNSF care with this attendance policy. Nope you still get points erased. As if things weren't bad enough on BNSF Railway, Schneider one of the largest trucking/intermodal service has already gone to arch rival Union Pacific which is supposed to take effect on January 1st 2023 and rumors have said JB Hunt is going to do the same thing. Here is a video about it listed below talking about the supposed strike thats gonna happen. Sad times we are living in the rail industry. I thought BNSF was the smarter one compared to CSX, UP and NS. Guess not. Eventually it'll be one huge railroad in the country if things dont get better.

Video I found regarding the strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnHhk7l ... oeHooligan

Article https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/loc ... 2747411b8c

Yes, Schneider is leaving, but they were a small part of the BN intermodal network. JB Hunt has been partnered with BN for well over a decade, possibly two, and frankly a lot would have to go wrong for them to leave. BNSF takes the intermodal network seriously and there are daily calls between BN and JBH to ensure that JBH’s needs are met.

I’d be curious to know if there’s even a rumor at all or if you’re just saying that. Please provide your source so we can see where this is coming from and judge it, because I’m 99% sure it’s false.

I honestly dont know. I was told by another railfan about the JB hunt rumor. But it could very well be false. Not everyone in this community is 100 percent accurate when it comes to accuracy regarding trains

CSXBOY wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:46 pm

I honestly dont know. I was told by another railfan about the JB hunt rumor. But it could very well be false.

100% guarantee it’s false.

CSXBOY wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:46 pm

Not everyone in this community is 100 percent accurate when it comes to accuracy regarding trains

No kidding.

Time for all the big rr's to be broken up back into what they were originally, or given to shortlines, who know how to take care of their people and customers. All of this is getting totally ridiculous. Maybe a nationwide version of Conrail would do the trick, as these mega rr's cannot seem to function correctly.

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Wed May 11, 2022 2:40 am

Maybe a nationwide version of Conrail would do the trick, as these mega rr's cannot seem to function correctly.

You really trust the government to do it? They can't even run themselves

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Wed May 11, 2022 2:40 am

Maybe a nationwide version of Conrail would do the trick

Conrail was the king at not serving customers it did not want.

So, what do we do? We have the trucking industry, that cannot get enough good drivers to function correctly, not everyone of the rail customers is located on a navigable waterway, and a railroad that boasted that We Can Handle It now can't handle it. UP now stands for Utterly Pathtic.

If the trucking industry treated it's drivers better they would not have a driver shortage.

PatAzo wrote: ↑

Thu May 12, 2022 8:00 am

If the trucking industry treated it's drivers better they would not have a driver shortage.

If more freight found it's way back to the rails this would decrease the overall impact of the driver shortage.

Of course, having Susie Homemaker as CEO of BNSF cannot possibly be a good thing. Whatever happened to a person who hired in, and then worked their way up the ladder, learning about railroading from the ground up?? Just because you have a degree from college does not mean you are qualified to hold that position.

Kathryn Farmer started as a management trainee in 1992 and has been with BNSF for 29 years.

Has she ever rebuilt a switch, or worked as a switchman in a yard somewhere, maybe when the high temp for the day is -25, as it is in the Northern plains, or done anything like that? I doubt it, yet she is going to tell railroaders how to run trains.Oh, and she probably has weekends off, and get to come into work and leave when she wants to. Please spare me the violin music for this woman.

The job of a manager is to manage, not do physical labor.
None of what you mentioned has to do with managing.
Spare me the macho attitude.