What reason is there now for working at UP? They got rid of the upward mobility almost completely. Can't become a foreman, fg, LEMT, LMMT, or even retire for a lot of people. Can't even make a full paycheck these days. Carloadings are low, losing customers, making the remaining ones mad. Closing shops even after agreeing to undertime. Yeah Carona has a little bit to do with it, but UP announced 3000 cuts before this cr÷p even surfaced. It's has to be bad to wonder about having a job after working for UP 20 years. This is the type of company that will make cuts to a craft that won't even touch the ones that hurt MR Bigg's ego. What happens to those about to retire or who has retired when there's not as many people contributing to the pot? The only hope for this company is that the new CEO can save it because the current regime is sending it down the drain.
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These days, it's just a paycheck. But in a few weeks, when the furloughs reach me, it won't even be that. But I have no intention of returning, even after 8 years.
Just here for the railroad retirement after twenty years of service. It’s good the hear that things are still okay at other points, because we’re working like borrowed mules at my closed shop location and they’re still asking for more! When someone leaves they’re not replaced so we have to pick up the slack to make our set goals. Jesse James got shot in the back for robbing the railroads. Lance Fritz will get a severance package when he’s took far more from the railroad! What an ironic world we live in! I say FUP and I give them a PSR effort. I don’t care if I ever fix another unit for them.
Got 2 reasons to work there. The 10th and the 25th of each month.
Get rid of all the nice things you have I.E-nice car, wife’s nice car, the house and all other materialistic things you have. Oh and that ring doorbell. File bankruptcy and get a 99 Honda Civic and you will be the happiest person in the world! Keeping up with the jones in a time like this will wear you down.
Never had much regard for someone that put on a white hat. Just my opinion. I guess their just people. Overall UP has been a decent place to work and still will be for those that can stay. I haven’t done a comparison on wages and benefits so maybe I’m wrong and the rest of the country has passed us by. But from what I’ve seen on the news, bad times have hit every industry.
Despite any other reasons given, at this point the only reason to work at UP is desperation and lack of qualifications to go elsewhere.
The same reason to work anywhere. A paycheck, health insurance, you enjoy the work, you like your coworkers. You have to weigh everything. If moving up a ladder is what someone wants, then you are right, a Union craft job at UP doesn’t offer much of that.
I get a paycheck and 35 million Americans are out of work! I’m not disgruntled
I have been with Up for 24 years now and yes I agree it is a different company that I hired on in 1996. But hey I still get a nap in and watch movies every night while getting paid for it. I do feel sorry for the many people that have been furloughed for the almighty dollar. But in the long run, the insurance and benefits are still pretty good and I usually work on an average of about 3-4 hours a shift. That is pretty awesome for the pay rate we are getting. So there is my reason for still working at UP. I will care about UP when it starts caring about me. Until then I will continue napping and watching my movies all while making 70k plus a year. Plus it's pretty fun watching all the clueless managers running around in a panic because they have no idea what they are doing.