El train derailed...hit escalator at airport

[MSchemist80]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

But if the rules that CTA operate under make it such that a reasonable person would find it difficult to stay awake, then those rules are incorrect and cta shares some if the blame. If for example you had to work 18 hours straight, followed by 8 hours off (and the 8 hours includes your commute to and from work), followed by another 10 hour stretch.

Of course you will say "no one forced her to work those long shifts," but if the reality is that if you say "no" then you find it hard to get any more work, then again cta is at fault.

It's no different that the long hours that hospital residents put in. Just that when they screw up, you don't hear about it because you're dead, and the hospital keeps it quiet.

The overtime was voluntary according to the CTA. The CTA also says she worked 55 hours the previous week which is really not that bad. The fact is she wanted the extra money so bad that she put people at risk. She should not have put in for those extra hours if she could not hack it. Also she should have taken herself off duty when she saw she was having difficulty performing her duties.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

The overtime was voluntary according to the CTA. The CTA also says she worked 55 hours the previous week which is really not that bad. The fact is she wanted the extra money so bad that she put people at risk. She should not have put in for those extra hours if she could not hack it. Also she should have taken herself off duty when she saw she was having difficulty performing her duties.

Exactly! Personal Responsibility!!!!

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

The overtime was voluntary according to the CTA.

Voluntary? So if she wasn't driving the train that night, who would have? Companies don't give out overtime unless they have more work than regular employees to cover it. So apparently CTA has so many drivers taking vacation, not showing up for work, etc, that they can keep their auxiliary drivers completely busy with overtime hours. Doesn't that sound like a management problem? There is so much available work and so few regular drivers, that your backup drivers are routinely working double digit overtime hours.

My point is that this issue is not cut and dried. Once in court, CTA will have to explain why they are giving so many overtime hours to rookie drivers.

[MSchemist80]

Still 55 hours a week is not that terrible. A lot of people work 60, 70, or even 80 hours doing jobs more difficult than driving a train.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Voluntary? So if she wasn't driving the train that night, who would have? Companies don't give out overtime unless they have more work than regular employees to cover it. So apparently CTA has so many drivers taking vacation, not showing up for work, etc, that they can keep their auxiliary drivers completely busy with overtime hours. Doesn't that sound like a management problem? There is so much available work and so few regular drivers, that your backup drivers are routinely working double digit overtime hours.

My point is that this issue is not cut and dried. Once in court, CTA will have to explain why they are giving so many overtime hours to rookie drivers.

I am sure there are many unemployed people that would love to have her job.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Voluntary? So if she wasn't driving the train that night, who would have? Companies don't give out overtime unless they have more work than regular employees to cover it. So apparently CTA has so many drivers taking vacation, not showing up for work, etc, that they can keep their auxiliary drivers completely busy with overtime hours. Doesn't that sound like a management problem? There is so much available work and so few regular drivers, that your backup drivers are routinely working double digit overtime hours.

My point is that this issue is not cut and dried. Once in court, CTA will have to explain why they are giving so many overtime hours to rookie drivers.

Unions. They basically aren't allowed to discipline anyone.

[Warsie]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

I am sure there are many unemployed people that would love to have her job.

...until they run over the first suicide jumper......

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Still 55 hours a week is not that terrible. A lot of people work 60, 70, or even 80 hours doing jobs more difficult than driving a train.

Those jobs may be more "difficult" but they probably don't take other people's lives into their hands if they fall asleep at work. There are restrictions on how many hours commercial pilots and truck drivers can work, and how much time between shifts they need.

[MSchemist80]

For the most part the job consists of starting train, stopping train, Opening the doors, looking out the windows for passengers to finish boarding, close the doors, start the train again.... End of run and get train ready for next run. It is not likely working in a coal mine and collapsing from exhaustion.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

For the most part the job consists of starting train, stopping train, Opening the doors, looking out the windows for passengers to finish boarding, close the doors, start the train again.... End of run and get train ready for next run. It is not likely working in a coal mine and collapsing from exhaustion.

Err a bit more than that. The operator is also responsible for the direction of the trains, while there are automated systems for switching, the driver has final control over switching. The job isn't strenuous but it can lull a person into inattention and there are more things to pay attention to than just passengers(for instance the EL gets a lot of repair work at off hours).