Pros

Money is good only if you look at the $
Benefits
Shares
Pension

Cons

You never know when your coming and going to work, you cannot plan anything with anyone, you wait for the phone to ring all hours and when you check the computer and think you'll go to work everything will change and you will keep waiting. You have no set days off, board change is every friday....One check will be good and the next you sat waiting days and days to go to work cause the board isn't turning....You will sit at your destination town bunkhouse for hours and hours and hours thinking about everything you have to do when you get home or all that you missed while sitting there unpaid. (kids playing sports, birthdays etc). They have a CN mentality of feeling there is never enough time to get things done.......meaning nothing will wait. Sleep deprived constantly (misses 1 night sleep per week at least) poor eating habits and a short short fuse and you'll never know if they'll be home to help with sports, school, chores, appointments or anything! You can book 1 personal day a month.....if there is not too many guys off already and vacation in October/Nov unless you have 30+ years senority....
Why he stays, it never used to be this bad only the last approx 8-10 years and he's invested to much time and energy into this company, can see light at the end called retirement and he has a spouse who is capable of multitasking.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat employees as humans who have spouses and children not robot who can sit waiting all the time for things to start happening, while there waiting, life at home is passing them by...The honchos at there desks need to listen to the employees in the field, on paper is never the same as the real thing in action. Poor work moral = poor work respect- poor work habits= poor health of CN employees and their famillies...