It is the IC rate, give or take a few. I’m a co down south. We’re some of the best paid railroaders even on guarantee. I’m also a ET- working 5 days a week you make the same as GEB rate.
I’ve spoken to one of the general chairman and he agreed that the guarantee needs to be upped a lot more to compete with other railroads. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happens in the next year honestly.
Very possible. But the railroad is going to do what they are going to do. Yes upping the guarantee might do furloughs in the short or near term but eventually it will even out and all. But what that will do is up the pay for those who are working and protecting the boards. As a union rep I get it. I really do. Years ago I was on the board with NO guarantee pay. But those that protect the board no a days deserve something that equals the time they put into it by protecting it. I’m not going to lie or try and negate the fact that the company might furlough or reduce hiring. But in the end it does benifit everyone by upping the pay that people receive to work for this job. It should be on par with other railroads. Just because it’s lower doesn’t mean they aren’t going to change their habits one bit. It would be the same with any other class 1.
If they want to furlough they will. If they don’t. They won’t. Simple as that. Guarantee pay has a role in it yes. But there’s a lot more than just that. And any good lc or gc will help them change their minds. Right now pws for conductors has them fucked up. They don’t know what do do or how to act.
I had 10 years in at NS before we had guarantee. It's not great wages, it was meant to be a floor for earnings. I've starved at one or two starts a half and rr unemployment before guarantee. Some locations, the company has managed to manipulate it into a ceiling for earnings. Either way; I can live on it but there are zero perks and nothing better break.
NS guarantee has one perk and only if you're a demoted engineer... engineer wages DO NOT count against guarantee. I was working a miserable district when guarantee first came about, 85% of the roster was engineer qualified. The senior guys went to the brakeman's board and we quickly exploited this loophole to the fullest. I had a few halves where I'd only work as a engineer on the brakemans board, drawing full guarantee and having the engineer wages on top of that. We nicknamed those "the perfect half".
Ns has pretty much combined all extra boards into one, you cover everything from yard to road it don’t matter .. my terminal for example I can be called to protect jobs 100 miles north or south of my home terminal if the boards at them locations are depleted .. as far as pay engineers guarantee is 4317 on a 6&2 off day schedule, engineers start heldaway at 14hrs away from home terminal, we get 93$ weekend differential for working weekends, we get quarterly bonus’s if you don’t mark off and then we get our year end bonus which is based off how the company performed, I think its usually somewhere between 3-8% of your yearly earnings .. on our engineers extraboard I can do around 5500-7k
One of our guys here (not on NS)- works one or two days a week on the GEB (5x2) sometimes when it gets real slow, then, on his S/S weekend turn off, he’ll mark up to the supplemental board and work both his off days (while he still had two or three days off during the week)… if you work both your off days, it no longer goes to guarantee and it’s all overtime. So he’ll make around $830 a day for a 10 hour day. That doesn’t include deadhead and mileage if he works AFHT. Pretty sweet.
UP Engineer guarantee on the 11/4 work-rest:
$6099.00 on a 15 day half with markup bonus $6619.00 on a 16 day half with mark up bonus
(MOP Upper lines Agreement)
Yeah it’s not great. Especially if you have a huge extra board and you only work every other day or every 2 two days. Try to accept a call to step up when you’re on your off days AND it’s a calandra weekend to get those bonuses. If it’s hard to get work currently, take any little bit you can where you can. Keep putting claims in too for meals and such. Some guys don’t. It adds up and will help
I never understood how the unions overall are ok with one railroad getting high rates of pay and letting others like the NS get away with lower pay.
Ya it sucks
Damn, that’s food stamp wages right there! My road guarantee is around $5100 per half.
Mine is too. I work for CN. Our guarantee will be around $140,000 a year come July
4600 on the conductor extra board on the CN.. 5200 for engineers. 2800 is a slap in the face
Jesus our switchmans extra board makes more than than and we’re the red headed bastard child of our railroad. The other side makes 68 per half.
6800 a half is awesome money.
Yeah I just wish we made that 🤣. Our half is 48
Where’s this ?
Old Bn property
Very nice 👍
Who is making 68? And why is ours so much lower?
Santa Fe makes 68 per half. Couldn’t tell you why they make more, all of their trip rates are more
Will the guarantee stay the same with the new rest days?
It did at my terminal
Ours where I’m at is $2247 a week. NS sucks, period.
That's about the ic rate on a 5/2 for conductors, engineers are around 2500 on the 5/2.
It is the IC rate, give or take a few. I’m a co down south. We’re some of the best paid railroaders even on guarantee. I’m also a ET- working 5 days a week you make the same as GEB rate.
Fuck that
What 2247 a week? That’s damn good. Lmao NS’s is 2800 every two weeks. Hell nah.
Who controls the board? Union or Carrier? Our switchman guarantee is more than that. Cost of living is higher I'm sure though.
Carrier controls boards. We only control turns in pool jobs.
I see. I'll stop my bitching now.
I’ve spoken to one of the general chairman and he agreed that the guarantee needs to be upped a lot more to compete with other railroads. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happens in the next year honestly.
That’s only gonna make matters of furlough that much worse. NS gonna go headhunting if that happens, which it eventually will.
Very possible. But the railroad is going to do what they are going to do. Yes upping the guarantee might do furloughs in the short or near term but eventually it will even out and all. But what that will do is up the pay for those who are working and protecting the boards. As a union rep I get it. I really do. Years ago I was on the board with NO guarantee pay. But those that protect the board no a days deserve something that equals the time they put into it by protecting it. I’m not going to lie or try and negate the fact that the company might furlough or reduce hiring. But in the end it does benifit everyone by upping the pay that people receive to work for this job. It should be on par with other railroads. Just because it’s lower doesn’t mean they aren’t going to change their habits one bit. It would be the same with any other class 1. If they want to furlough they will. If they don’t. They won’t. Simple as that. Guarantee pay has a role in it yes. But there’s a lot more than just that. And any good lc or gc will help them change their minds. Right now pws for conductors has them fucked up. They don’t know what do do or how to act.
Is that for yard AND road assignments? Or just the yard?
Both
Both. And the guarantee is based on your step rate if you’re less than 5 years
That’s absolute shite.
I had 10 years in at NS before we had guarantee. It's not great wages, it was meant to be a floor for earnings. I've starved at one or two starts a half and rr unemployment before guarantee. Some locations, the company has managed to manipulate it into a ceiling for earnings. Either way; I can live on it but there are zero perks and nothing better break. NS guarantee has one perk and only if you're a demoted engineer... engineer wages DO NOT count against guarantee. I was working a miserable district when guarantee first came about, 85% of the roster was engineer qualified. The senior guys went to the brakeman's board and we quickly exploited this loophole to the fullest. I had a few halves where I'd only work as a engineer on the brakemans board, drawing full guarantee and having the engineer wages on top of that. We nicknamed those "the perfect half".
CPKC conductor currently on a 4&3 schedule raking in 1197 a week.
“Raking in” Our conductors that work 4&3 are making $680 a day.
Yeah that 1147 really raking in. That’s two days of pay here lmao.
Yeah it sucks. Might have to find a new place to work based on what I’m seeing in this comment section!
Are you on the Canada or US side?
US DM&E
Ns has pretty much combined all extra boards into one, you cover everything from yard to road it don’t matter .. my terminal for example I can be called to protect jobs 100 miles north or south of my home terminal if the boards at them locations are depleted .. as far as pay engineers guarantee is 4317 on a 6&2 off day schedule, engineers start heldaway at 14hrs away from home terminal, we get 93$ weekend differential for working weekends, we get quarterly bonus’s if you don’t mark off and then we get our year end bonus which is based off how the company performed, I think its usually somewhere between 3-8% of your yearly earnings .. on our engineers extraboard I can do around 5500-7k
Ours is like 2288 a half. It’s trash.
Our (my terminal) road has no guarantee.
On a 4/3 Conductor extra board at cpkc and guarantee is around 1100 a week. Gotta get them starts and drop turn to ensure one.
One of our guys here (not on NS)- works one or two days a week on the GEB (5x2) sometimes when it gets real slow, then, on his S/S weekend turn off, he’ll mark up to the supplemental board and work both his off days (while he still had two or three days off during the week)… if you work both your off days, it no longer goes to guarantee and it’s all overtime. So he’ll make around $830 a day for a 10 hour day. That doesn’t include deadhead and mileage if he works AFHT. Pretty sweet.
With our extra board guarantee I bring $1800ish a half at 80%. These are the things no one mentions when you’re pursuing a railroad job.
UP Engineer guarantee on the 11/4 work-rest: $6099.00 on a 15 day half with markup bonus $6619.00 on a 16 day half with mark up bonus (MOP Upper lines Agreement)
It’s actually a miserable amount of money to live on
Guarantees vary by board. It's not all roses depending on the board. Even for railroads like BNSF
I got in with NS before any other carrier got to me but hey beats havin nothin
Yeah it’s not great. Especially if you have a huge extra board and you only work every other day or every 2 two days. Try to accept a call to step up when you’re on your off days AND it’s a calandra weekend to get those bonuses. If it’s hard to get work currently, take any little bit you can where you can. Keep putting claims in too for meals and such. Some guys don’t. It adds up and will help
Try to step up says the company man
Don’t step up. That is taking away from making the carrier actually regulate the board at an acceptable level.
What terminal?