NS Unfair to emplyees?

...depends on how you look at it...

8) Yes, the track gangs have a point about the conditions...

However, the only other alternative(the next thing coming) will be cheap motels, and any grill they can find...paid out of pocket, hopefully with a housing allowance.

The idea behind the camp cars, is that the section gang will move with the progress of the work. Constantly moving digs and finding food, takes time from rest.

In the use of manufactured housing tied down to flat cars, I wonder who the architect was.

And then there is the parking problem. Where can you park a camp car where there is no constant rail traffic?
 
I can't get the teamster's site to load, so can only infer what the site contains what others have written. The idea for manufactured housing on flat cars for camp cars for track gangs is probably thirty years old, or so. I remember first seeing this on the BN in the late 1970s. The reason for the arrangement is that the primary source of cars for use as camp cars--retired passenger equipment--was no longer available to the railroads. As to the condition of the cars, again, I didn't see the teamster's site, so I don't know exactly what they refer to.

However, I do know that on the Rock Island, work crews were assigned camp cars for the season, and were responsible for the general upkeep of the cars they lived in--emptying the trash, keeping the floor washed, &c. They were expected to keep the conditions of the interior of the equipment in reasonably good shape, just as one would in a hotel. Now, there was always there was one track crew which was always assigned it's equipment first, and was always assigned the equipment in the worst shape because that the members of this crew always trashed whatever equipment they wee assigned. Equipment in better condition was always assigned to other crews who took more responsible care of it.

Again without having seen the site, but taking account to the bias I know it most likely contains, if the living conditions in the camp cars are bad, to what extent are they bad because the workers, or their comrades, have failed to exercise reasonable care of the condition?

ns
 
I think the Camp cars are Kool

I ran into a friend of mine from Pittsburgh who is currently "stationed" in a NS camp car in my town. They are working on a bridge on a coal sub for 4 x 10 hour days. Guess what? My friend volunteer for this job. Camp cars are free and the money is good. If you know any folks on a track gang they are tough guys who don't need a four star hotel. If I run into my friend I tell him about this thread to see if he is insulted or not.:hehe:

Btw I wish someone would model some camp cars or any other MoW equipment. I sure could use it for my layouts.:)
 
It's a petition

I can't get the teamster's site to load, so can only infer what the site contains what others have written.
Basically it contains a YouTube video (which I will NOT provide the link to) with a union petition by to send to the US (or a US) government.

I'm looking at the video & have looked at the page link, & a few things are questionable to me. For example the page & petition claims the cars are without toilets. That maybe so, however the video shows portable toilets are available.

And also, what are the page & video authors leaving out?
 
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Technically its a bunch of Bull.
Its the Union Workers demanding change, because they feel mistreated.
If i were a track gang, i'd be happy in that type of space, compaired to what i have to deal with at Boy scout camp! as long as the Job gets done, i'd be happy.
I dont like Union workers, as they do more complaining than working.
If you guys ever want Jobs(for the younger trainzers) you may hire onto a union company, but never join the union, because all they do is complain, complain complain.
my 2c
Cheers,
Sean
 
It's propoganda, alright. I could do the same thing by poking a camera around the grungier corners of your house, tight close-ups of the darker, grungier corners, with a voice-over to express the shock and disgust at how you're forced to live.
Those cars definitely need to be upgraded, though. If you ignore the things they focus on and sneak peeks at the edges they're avoiding, they are a bit too crowded for serious use. Although I would like to know a few things...
1: How long at a stretch do they stay in the cars, and how much of the year?
2: What do the other roads do, or do they do anything? Do they just announce where the work site is and expect the crew to magically arrive on scene? Do they rent out a flop house and cram the workers in 8 to a room?
3: If the unions are so much better at running a business, why don't they own railroads and factories to show how much more successful they can be?
Sorry, the last was probably off topic.:D

:cool: Claude
 
Sounds more like the gang employees either don't have the time or motivation to clean up their living space. I lived in smaller areas than those camp cars while in military service, either barracks rooms or tents, and we had to keep our living areas clean as heck. The problems with the shower can be avoided by cleaning the shower at least weekly. Port-a-johns always look like that. I don't know how many hours these teams work but dividing up the cleaning duties among team members would do the job easy.
 
Backyard, their was a reason I didn't post the video link.

Okay, what was I about to say yesterday, oh yeah.

skiingiggy wrote:
I don't personally care about the petiton, i was just wonderin what you gusy thaught.
No offence S'giggy, but then why link to it? What do I think? That is nothing more than propaganda by some union members. They should be thankful that they aren't in the mid 19th/early 20th Centuries, where they would HAVE been living in tents, or similar setups & that they now have modern machinery instead of picks & shovels!

I wrote:
For example the page & petition claims the cars are without toilets. That maybe so, however the video shows portable toilets are available.
Within the first half a minute or so, it shows at least port-a-loo toilets available.

LVman wrote:
Technically its a bunch of Bull.
Its the Union Workers demanding change, because they feel mistreated.
If i were a track gang, i'd be happy in that type of space, compaired to what i have to deal with at Boy scout camp! as long as the Job gets done, i'd be happy.
I'm in agreement with LVman. The video & page seem as though they have twisted some truth about the living conditions. Another example; I see an air-conditioning &/or fan unit inside one of them - honestly, what do these guys expect? (:rolleyes: ) I have a STRONG feeling that the items were placed like that to "look" cramped, &/or it was deliberately left like that, (similar to what current affair shows do). I note the video states the cars can sleep up to 8 people, not that will carry 8 people. From what I can see, the cars are about 3/4 the size of a Superliner.

PS: I thought that political links were not allowed on this discussion board? This is clearly a propaganda video & petition link, & believe the links should be removed.
 
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...aww come on folks!

8) It is obviously a legitimate complaint, and no politics are involved.

This is the difference in Organized Labor, and unrepresented interests. It would take a lot of Labor Board complaints to get anything done.

All the complaints are legit. 'Folks, this is 2007, not 1897, or 1907.

Remember, Norfolk Southern delivered thousands of FEMA trailers(they had wheels), actually camping or recreational trailers, to the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina, and Rita, and they all had an indoor private toilet.

I don't know when you last used the "Porta-Jon," but given that they are emptied by the renter once a week, after the third day in 100 degree weather, I wouldn't let my dog use them!

The employer could just as easily configure the toilet inside a bathroom, and hire a waste company to clean the holding tank(hopefully more than once a week).

And remember, these railcars, are parked next to active railyards...no chance of a good nights sleep.

And show me a picture of any railroad locomotive more than a year old, which has been kept clean(wiped clean of sweat, dirt, etc.).

Camp cars are a good idea, if done properly, however there are no regulations that the company have to follow, which provide habitable living quarters.

The Asplundh Tree Expert Company, has a 24/7 Storm Center, which constantly monitors storm areas, secures motel rooms, and food sources, for power restoration tree crews...sometimes 500 to 700 three man crews! Free motel rooms, 3 free meals per diem, and pay from the time you leave your motel, to the time you return, all paid for by the hosting power utility.
 
Ran into my friend......

I ran into a friend of mine from Pittsburgh who is currently "stationed" in a NS camp car in my town. They are working on a bridge on a coal sub for 4 x 10 hour days. Guess what? My friend volunteer for this job. Camp cars are free and the money is good. If you know any folks on a track gang they are tough guys who don't need a four star hotel. If I run into my friend I tell him about this thread to see if he is insulted or not.:hehe:

Btw I wish someone would model some camp cars or any other MoW equipment. I sure could use it for my layouts.:)

I ran into my friend on the NS track gang. Yes, the camp cars are very difficult to live in. The cars are designed to sleep six. Fortunately, my friend is in a small bridge gang of five. They sleep 3 to one car and 2 to the other. (Actually they modified the camp car so that it can't sleep six) I didn't ask how they did that. NS has rail police you know.:hehe: To put this in perspective the comment was made that you are provided more space in prison.
 
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