Because trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.
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Because trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Federal regulations require a minimum number of rest hours for train operators.
The average age of male Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the workforce is 41.6 and of female Railroad conductors & yardmasters is 44.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Railroad conductors & yardmasters is White.
The job was very stressful and required long hours. It wasn't unusual for me to work 80 hours a week. I often worked overnight, evenings, weekends and long hours. Over time, I became chronically fatigued.
As with Social Security, Railroad Retirement benefits are generally first payable at age 62, with the full retirement age ranging from 65 to 67, depending on a recipient's year of birth.
Work SchedulesBecause trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Federal regulations require a minimum number of rest hours for train operators.
Railroad employees receive substantial paid time off each year and generous paid sick leave benefits. Excluding time off covered by sickness benefits, the average employee receives 25-29 days of paid time off depending upon craft, with the most senior employees receiving 37-39 days of paid time off.
Any exodus of workers would only exacerbate staffing shortages brought on by railroads laying off around 30 percent of their workforce over the past six years. That, in turn, has led to exhausted workers and persistent delays and cancellations when demand for shipped products spiked.
In rail, workers must get approval far in advance for any paid personal days they take. There's no calling in sick the morning of your shift. It's really difficult, of course, to pre-approve sickness when you don't know you're going to be sick, Hinrichs said.
How much time do train conductors spend away from home? A better quality of life. This is especially true for conductors who spend, on average, 89 days away from home each year. Freight railroad management is reimagining the conductor's role.
U.S. employment in rail transportationAt the same time, working conditions for the employees remaining at these railroads have deteriorated. “Even the good pay and pensions aren't worth it anymore, because they're being so overworked,” said Schuhrke.
The Central Pacific Railroad, which was tasked with constructing the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad, began hiring Chinese workers in 1864 after facing a labor shortage that jeopardized the railroad's completion.
Conductors do not sleep on trains.As operating personnel they are awake for their entire shift, and can be on duty no more than 12 hours. At crew change points, they stay in hotels that the railroad has arranged for them. The same situation applies to engineers (in other countries, the “driver”).
In 2022, the average monthly Railroad Retirement Board benefit for retired rail employees was $3,210 ($4,020 for career railroad employees). The average monthly Social Security retirement benefit was about $1,776 in December 2022.