Signal Maintainer does not recommend this compan. - Signal Maintainer CN Employee Review

1.0
Jul 24, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pension ( which could be eliminated at any time. PENSIONS ARE NOT GUARANTEED ), healthcare and dental.

Cons

Poor management: Front line managers at CN are hired off the street because internal employees are not dumb enough to take management jobs. They know nothing about working in the field. They are trained to worry about budget and spying on employees in order to find rule breakers ( no matter how minor ). Have fun making $60,000 a year, front line managers. ( They also get treated like crap. 20+ hours a day and screamed at constantly). This will account for a moody supervisor. Low morale environment: Safety comes first? No. It's get it fixed as soon as possible, even if you don't have proper tools because your supervisor is too cheap to buy them. Nobody cares if it's -40 and the highways are shut down. Nobody cares if you have worked for 16 hours. There are not enough employees for the amount of territory a Signal Maintainer has. Especially since double tracking everything is in process. Tools: A rule for this company is to use "the right tool for the job". This can be difficult to accomplish when managers cheap out and are unwilling to buy tools. It's is also unsafe when you have to jimmy rig something with an inappropriate tool. No life: There are not many "normal" jobs with the railways. You are either: on call most of the time ( many calls for mainline work during winter), working shift work, working away from home. Expect long days and not much sleep. Expect a short lifespan due to stress. Many of my coworkers despise this company. Would not recommend to anyone.

Explore other reviews about CN

5.0
Apr 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Its what you make of it. Good union job with good benefits

Cons

You're always waiting on trains.

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CN Response
2mo
Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great benefits. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Please share your thoughts with your manager and on your regular Interaction surveys.
4.0
Apr 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pays decently well for first job out of college. My manager and team are very reasonable with expectations placed on new hires. Working after office hours (past 4:30pm) is extremely rare and only expected in emergencies.

Cons

Very slow and/or limited job growth potential. Promotions into middle management are almost purely based on reputation with middle managers who are largely people with previous field experience. This is very disadvantageous to direct-from-college hires like myself and even my current manager.

avatar
CN Response
2mo
Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Remember to leverage your development plan to have career discussions with your leader and please share your thoughts on your regular Interaction surveys.
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