Norfolk Southern Reviews

Cons

Sometimes long hours, recent high turnover but overall a great company to work for. Conservative and old- fashioned in many ways.

Cons

It is all a mind game, lots of "high school" drama. Everyone is in it for themselves and nobody has your back. You go into work wondering if it will be your last day due to MGMT trying to fire you. The union is not really a union, just another paycheck deduction. TONS of deductions. If you make$2,800 a half you'll probably only being home about $2k at most. You basically have to walk on eggshells all the time trying not to break all the ridiculous rules and then they wonder what takes you so long to get a job done. Your fellow employees will rat on you, especially if they have lower seniority than you. Seniority is everything, it is what allows you to work and hold different jobs that perform different tasks. Some jobs are mon-fri 8 hours, others work 12 hours everyday with tues wed off. Biggest CON of all is the negative work atmosphere. I have never seen such a divide between the Unions and MGMT. Literally if one was on fire, the other would not pee on the other. You start off working the extra board. You will be on call for 5 days 24 hours which is guaranteed (which is a pro) when you get enough seniority ( people above you getting fired, injured, quitting, or killed) you will very slowly move up the totem pole and start being able to hold the worst jobs, many years from now 8+ you might get to hold a decent job with a weekend day off. After your loving life, having your SUN MON off or FRI SAT you will get pulled up to engine service and get trained to run a locomotive. After training you go to the engineer board and start ALL over back to the bottom being on call.. its definitely a lifestyle. You will miss family functions, births, weddings, you will miss it all, your family relationships will decrease and your friends will stop inviting you out. The life of the railroad is nothing to be proud about, its emotionally draining. You will get divorced and your kids will quit talking to you. Family is wayy more important than anything you will get from this company.

Cons

Long hiring process. Long days

Cons

No work/life balance at all.

Cons

For Management. Benefits being ok for a company like this is not good. Should be great.
Railroad retirement looks great. Sounds great but by the time the take all that tax, several rr taxes, regular tax, state tax, possible city tax, medical, dental and 401k...your check is weak for the work you do. This might be okay if you're straight out of school or had very low paying jobs in the past. Reg job at 45K a year takes $10K during the year for reg taxes, 401k and medical. RR is taking $23K a year!!?? Now a lot of that is due to the RR taxes for your retirement. So after 10 years you quit or get fired, what do you think will happen to that $100K? Gone. You'll have the 401k but not the money they keep for your retirement. I could have saved that $100K myself and invested it and it's mine!

Cons

Management
Work Schedule
Not a team environment

Cons

Management
No personal/work life balance
No free parking

Cons

Low Morale, Inconsiderate Management, no "real" room for growth

Cons

Upward mobility shrinking with looming consolidations.

Cons

They try to fire you from the day you start. You are only a number. I have worked here for 12 years and out of the blue they decide to move my job to another state. I wish I had never came to work here. I am looking for another job.