Pros
Wages...when they pay you correctly
Cons
They cut pay and in order to get it right they will hold the funds for years and years without any type of recourse other than letting your union officers handle it. Your union officers are paid bribes by the railroad or carrier, so in many cases you can kiss that little extra pay goodbye. Holiday pay? Nope. Overtime? Nope, they’ll pay a separate and apart transport time instead (screws you out of money). Auto miles? Yeah, they’ll try to say it takes 40 auto miles to go 90 miles the way the crow the flies...again...cutting your pay. On top of all of this, you accrue no sick time. The only leave is vacation (in the yard) and they’ll keep you 12 hours or more with no schedules to go by. You may be lined up for 8am and called at midnight. Then god forbid you’re tired and miss something...you’ll be fired...again...because the national labor board finds in favor of the employee more often than the railroad because they’ve broken some rule or agreement...it’s just pitiful.