1.5 hours on the picket line with CN rail workers and my train knowledge has gone from 0 to a solid 6.5

for instance, now i know the very basic fact that train conductors do not, in fact, drive the same train all the way across the country.

and that inter-modal trains are the ones with shipping containers which are usually packed with stuff for stores like Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire. these trains are lighter and usually reap the highest profits and can accelerate faster than other trains.

AND i learned that engineers drive the trains but conductors are ultimately responsible for the train, and there's usually just one engineer and one conductor per train.

i learned that it's not as common for people to just hop onto trains as the movies would have us believe, BUT that if you absolutely had to hop on a moving train the intermodal ones are the ones you wanna go for bc they'll usually have platforms for you to sit.

i learned that conductors will work 90 fucking hours a week, and that's on the LOW END. many will work 100+ hours a week.

i learned that conductors can often get called into work at any time with only two hours notice before they have to be at their train.

i learned that in the past 2 years, there have been 9 fatigue-related deaths among train conductors between both CP and CN rail.

i also learned that the retention rate for the job is hella low. 1 out of approximately 20 who go through the training will actually stay in the job for more than a couple years.

the workers guessed a retention rate ~ 7%

i learned that the hours are so unpredictable that it's almost impossible for many of them to establish an even somewhat regular sleep schedule.

they might get home by 5 pm one evening but then get called into work at 7 pm the next day.

unlike other shift workers who might regularly work night-shifts and be able to sleep during the day, they don't have the luxury of any regular routine.

alright i'm cheating on these next ones because they're on a brochure they gave me:

- in 2016, Transport Canada put 'train crew fatigue' on its list watchlist of unresolved safety issues. 4 years later and it's still on there.

- work rest rules for railway employees have not been changed since 2002 (!!!) despite massive advancements in fatigue science which have shown what rail workers already know— that they're tired as shit and it's dangerous for them to operate trains weighing 400,000+ lbs

- in Edmonton, the average conductor is away from their family and friends for over 90 hours a week.

- CN can afford to provide their workers with DECENT working conditions. they reported close to $4 billion in their last quarter alone, which is an all-time record for them.

- recently, CN said they'd be laying off 1,400 workers in Canada due to "financial restraints" despite the fact that they just posted record earnings and increased revenue by 11%

i.e. just like every other massive corporation, CN is more concerned about stashing away billions overseas than they are about providing their workers with a decent quality of life.