Burlington Northern Santa Fe Reviews

Pros

safety concerned and supportive environment

Cons

long hours and travel long distance

Pros

Paychecks are on time and they never bounce. Insurance is good although that is becoming a sore subject. Bonues were good and measured fairly, but that may be going away soon as well. Being able to move is an option if youy choose, or stay in one place is an option as well. If you choose to move the opportunities are better for career development.

Cons

If you are a female with a college education, miniority background and maybe even have some military background, you are in. If you do not have these qualities (white male), best of luck to you.

If you have college, you skip the ground level jobs and go right into management, taking care of 30 year veterans and telling them how to work safely and efficiently (How can they know??).

If you do not move, management looks at that as you will never move and may overlook you for a position.

If you do not have these qualities (Female, College, Military, Minority), you will have a tougher time getting "UP" in the company. They higher many, many, many college grads and tell them all they can be the next CEO, and after 18 months if they havent made a contribution to the company, it is on to the next group of college grads... Be aware...

Advice to Senior Management

You need a better mix of "ground people" in your management, and not from the same city. People need to be moved from their origin as to not "Look the other way" when something or someone does something wrong.

Look at the bonus and salary issues of the grade 29, 31, 32's and know that these people are the ones doing the hardest work among the company. They deserve more than a 1.16% - 2.1% raise. Their bonuses are no where near what this company spends of stock options and bonuses for the GM and above levels. Make them "want" to put in the time required to move up.

Pros

money money money money and money! if it wasnt for the money it would never be worth the bs and babysiting we are put through!!!

Cons

crazy hours.no idea when your going to work,could be tomorrow could be in five minutes

Advice to Senior Management

cant understand how they see fit to hire kids to run a multi billion dollar co.. you have to figure out that you can talk safety till your blue in the face but the nuts and bolts of safety is providing a lineup that is some where close to allowing you to be rested. being exahusted is as bad as being drunk.

Pros

Easy work and good pay if you live in a small town like me. you can go to work take a train to the away from home terminal and back and sometimes not even see a boss.

Cons

no family life. You think that you can manage but after a while you just cant keep up. you give up all the things you love one by one. you have no schedule and can't make plans because you are on call 24 7. and if you can live with that you should be ok.... until they lay you off without warning. I have been laid off and had to travel to keep a job with them. I have worked out of 16 different depots in the last 7 years and still don't know for sure where I will be a week from know.

Advice to Senior Management

start to care about people. not just stockholders but the employees and their family as well. there is plenty of room to treat us well and still make profits hand over fist. The lack of a good lineup or schedule has cost me everything I love to do with my family, church, school, and recreation ant those things are the primary reason to have a good job.

Pros

Decent money as long as you are willing to put in the hours. I dont think the way they promote or give the pre-merger guys special seniorty is fair nor is it correct.

Cons

Prior rights is the worst thing any union job that i have worked for. It doesnt maake sense that some one thats been working a job for 7 years can can get knocked out by a guy with 2 weeks.

Advice to Senior Management

We are out here busting our asses to make sure you get your bonus but when things go wrong you easily forgot all the time and sweat we put into the job

Pros

I enjoy working outside, & working in various locations. It keeps you more motivated & focused, than sitting in one place, in an office.You get a feeling of accomplishment, knowing you're helping move comodites & products to were they need to go.

Cons

Working outside in the elements can be challeging sometimes. Like they say, it's the hottest place in the summer, & coldest place in the winter.

Advice to Senior Management

Need more praise & support given to the salaried employees. The ones that keep the trains moving. If it wasn't for them there wouldn't be a BNSF.

Pros

The job is outdoors and pretty interesting.

Cons

We have no payed sick leave. There is always the threat of a investigation if you do something wrong, We did not have this threat even in the miltary. We have mangers who are in charge of people and jobs that they have no clue at all about but because they have a degree BNSF believes that they are more qual. to run the show. This is so far of base it's unreal.

Advice to Senior Management

Put people in charge that know what there talking about and who have experience in the job not some college boy who came of the street that does'nt have clue about the job. You don't have to have a degree to manage people and get production, you need the knowledge of the job and real time lines to get it done. And leave people on task to the end quick jerking them all over the place to put out fires mangers think need put out.

Pros

Good pay, time off when you want it most of the time, good benefits, usually have good and competent people who you'll work with.

Cons

You will go to work at all hours unless you have a scheduled job. If you are on a scheduled job management will be watching you like a hawk because they're to lazy to drive out and test others on the rode.

Advice to Senior Management

You catch more fly's with honey. Treat your workers with respect and you will receive it. Most of the train masters should probably go back to college since they just pulled some of them off the street. If we do something exemplary maybe we should get more than a slip of paper and a pat on the back.
Some kind of profit sharing for all employees would be nice. What reason do I have to care how successful this company is and to work hard day in and day out to help make it that way?

Pros

Pay, job security, benefits, retirement

Cons

Horrible management, horrible hours, lack of personal life

Advice to Senior Management

hire from within with people who understand the job

Pros

good pay and retirement benifits

Cons

no time at home,poor quality of life, hard to get time off for personal busines or family time. No holidays on railroad, Company recently took our rest cycles away 7-3 days off.

Advice to Senior Management

give back 7-3 rest cycles and moale of employees would rise conciderably