conductor

laborer

diesel mechanic

rail technician

specialist

CPKC

My husband had applied for the Conductor position at CP.   He was contacted by CP hiring-manager-type person and went through a phone interview.  Later followed by a an in-person interview.  Passed a drug test.  Waited on training, which was postponed from August, to September. Then September to October.  Then again until November and finally, again, until January.  Luckily during this time, he had a reliable job that allowed him to continually prolong his stay.

Finally, the training began.  Training, which according to CP will take 4 months, only pays $1400/2 weeks.  One of the paychecks removes an almost $100 union due - which makes it a $1300 paycheck.  This is an alright wage for classroom time, however, after the initial couple of weeks of classroom time, they send you to in-the-field training.  During this training, you follow various positions and go to various locations, at bizarre hours. with random days off.  Your schedule gets sent to you on Sunday night for the Monday-Sunday.  You are constantly asked to stay overtime with no extra pay.  This is somehow legal through the union contract.  You will be making $2700/month and working 200 hours, rather than 160.  Sometimes only having 1 random day off between shifts, where you will be sleeping to recover from night shift, only to start day shift the following day. 

Of course, this year, the  Covid19 pLandemic happened.  CP extended the in-the-field training.  It is now end of JULY (7 months since training has started) and my husband is still not a qualified conductor.  We anticipated 4 months (as promised) of sh*tty wages, but it has now turned into 7 months.  Finally, this week, they returned the trainees back to class, to finish the last 4 weeks of classroom time.  This will make for a total 8 months of training at peasant wages and extreme shift work.  

It is disappointing that rather than laying people off and allowing them to collect the CERB/EI - they kept them working in the field for an additional 4 months with absolutely no kind of wage increase!!  During the last 7 months, I have seen my husband less times than when he was working on the rigs in Alberta for 4 years.  There is absolutely no work/life balance.  This is all extremely frustrating considering that his wage for the full month has been $2700.  My husband has insisted on finishing this, so that he gets his qualified conductor certificate/ticket but it has been extremely trying. We are lucky to be two-person income and have savings to get us through this 8 month period.  The plan is to finally become qualified and see what the first real paycheck will be like and if it's worth it to continue working there.

Working at CP Rail was undeniably the most regrettable and distressing experience of my professional career. From the moment I embarked on the hiring process, up until the unfortunate day of my layoff, the company exhibited a series of deeply troubling issues that cast a dark shadow on my time there.

The hiring process itself was cumbersome and disorganized. I encountered delays and a lack of communication from HR, which set an unfortunate tone for my journey with CP Rail. This initial frustration should have been a sign of things to come, as it only worsened once I joined the company.

The onboarding process was especially disheartening. After four weeks of in-class training, I expected to receive proper onsite mentorship to consolidate my knowledge and skills. However, this proved to be a mere illusion. Instead of being paired with competent trainers, I was placed with conductors who clearly had no interest in assisting trainees. It was evident that management had forced them to take on the responsibility reluctantly. This lack of support made it challenging for me to learn and adapt to the role efficiently.

A significant contributor to my dreadful experience was the palpable sense of discontent and unhappiness among the employees. Almost every individual in the company appeared to loathe their job, fostering a toxic work environment that was impossible to ignore. This pervasive negativity sapped my motivation and enthusiasm, making it increasingly difficult to find any sense of fulfillment in my work.

Furthermore, the union, which was meant to safeguard the interests of the workers, proved to be ineffective and unresponsive. Attempting to reach out to shop stewards for assistance or guidance often ended in frustration, as most of them ignored calls and messages from their own colleagues. This lack of support left employees feeling abandoned and without recourse for addressing their concerns.

It is with a heavy heart that I recall my time at CP Rail. The company's poor management, inadequate training, toxic atmosphere, and seemingly indifferent union created an environment that was detrimental to employee well-being and career growth. My experience with CP Rail has undoubtedly left a lasting impression, but not one that I would wish upon anyone else.

In conclusion, I must caution any prospective employees to think twice before considering a career at CP Rail. The negative aspects of the company far outweigh any potential benefits, and I sincerely hope that the management addresses these issues for the sake of their future workforce and overall company success.

A Typical day at work:  Take your call, get to work.  Sit around and wait sometimes up to two hours for your train to arrive.  Perform work tasks. Tasks that used to take 30-45 minutes now regularly take double the time because of micromanagement and poor planning.  Sometimes make it to your objective terminal at the other end of the road, but these days normally get re-crewed and ride the rest of thew way in a taxi.  Spend anywhere from 10-36 hours sitting in a hotel or bunkhouse waiting for a train to come back home on.  Spend 24 hours at home or if you're lucky a little bit more then do it all over again.  

What I believe I learned?  I learned that you are just viewed as a number and not a person.  I was always told that when I first hired on, but in the 16 years I have spent here I have finally come to realize that with first hand experience.

Management:  Management on the local level is about 50/50.  We have/ have had some very decent local managers over the years but also some very poor ones.  Upper management leaves much to be desired.  Many have little experience, but act as if they have infinite knowledge.  The intimidation/bullying tactics only make them look ridiculous.  They work on a "proficiency fail" system.  Each manager has a quota of monthly "fails" they have to achieve or else. There is not a "pass" system only a "fail" system. The employee could perform 1000 tasks perfectly and never hear a word from the company.  But do one miniscule thing wrong and you are failed immediately.  This system does not promote a positive and productive workplace, and the workers now work accordingly. 

Workplace Culture:  Toxic work environment.  Zero morale, zero sense of accomplishment or pride.  This has been prevalent since about 2013 when the previous CEO took over.  Running Trades employees are talked down to, and berated in front of other employees.  This has resulted in the attitude of "come to work and do your job, nothing more".  Do as you're told and offer no suggestions because if you suggest something and it doesn't work out now you will face punishment.

Hardest part of the job?  Coming in to work these days is the hardest part of the job.  Because you know you are going to spend all day trying to complete your work but not be able to because of things out of your control.  As a result, you make less pay if you do not get from point A to point B.  No work/life balance, no scheduling, no scheduled time off, on call 24/7. You need about 19 years of service before you get 5 weeks of vacation.       

Most enjoyable part of the job?  Every second thursday (payday).



Working at CP is like working in a special little bubble where time theft does not exist. For each eight hour day you really only work for about five hours, maybe less if you're paired with certain people. The work is dirty sometimes but never really strenuous; cranes do the heavy lifting and locomotives are relatively easy to work on. 

Aside from the relatively high pay, there are not many pros to this career as a diesel tech at CP. Apprentices rotate 3 months at a time on the various shifts, 7-3, 3-11, and 11-7. The apprenticeship is only company-wide, however. Not ITA. After 3 years (or if you qualify to skip apprenticeship) you are at the bottom of the totem pole and are placed in the fuel stand on night shift. It is a place where Diesel Service Assistants used to preside. CP nixed that contract and now they want Diesel Mechanics to go clean toilets and fuel units (at the DM rate of pay). What a bad idea. After maybe 5-10 years, you may be able to bid your way into a different shift. Good luck, many elderly men refuse to retire even though their pension is already set to go. When they do retire they'll probably only live to enjoy 4 years of pension I wager. Serious. 

The afternoon shift earns a $0.75 premium, while nights only earn $0.25 on top of that. The night shift is frustratingly pointless, as maybe five or seven people are there each shift and a few, if not all of them are sent to  the fuel stand. The diesel shop sits empty but they still have people working nights. Employees would be happier to not have to work nights so needlessly. How do they expect there to be a work-life balance if you are stuck on nights? When do you see the light of day? 

This company is the most poorly run I've seen. If it weren't for the power of monopoly, this ship would sink. Supervisors are incompetent at best and abusive at worst. They are not hired by ability or skill.Workers can be lazy, placing others in danger while shrugging off risks. Time theft is the culture of CP. Maybe it is the miserable shift life and the incredible deductions that cause people to give only about half of their effort. Oh well, if I'm going to die miserable I might as well have company.

Canadian Pacific is a company sewn into Canadian history. I am proud to say I have been a part of it. It does have its issues though. The management culture has been documented quite well in the past couple years as being hostile and toxic towards its employees. Wrongful terminations and unjustified punishments were rampant up until recently. Adding this to the fact that Running Trade Employees (RTEs) such as myself are required to be on call 24/7 makes it quite a stressful workplace. 

On freight trips, RTEs will take a train across 1 subdivision (usually about 120 miles long). The engineer is responsible for the movement of the train (driving it), while the conductor is responsible for any switching tasks that may need to be performed, making sure that proper documents are on the train, as well as making sure that the train is operating within all of the rules set out by the railway and Transport Canada. Crews can be away from home for over 30 hours on 1 trip, and working up to 3 or more trips a week.

On yard shifts, the engineer is responsible for the safe movement of the locomotive. The conductor and brakeman are responsible for executing the switch lists assigned to them by the yardmaster or assistant train master. One of the skills that comes with this is learning how to problem solve and create efficient and safe short cuts in the switching operations to help execute the switch list faster.

The hardest parts of this job can be boiled down to two things. The lack of being able to plan life due to being on call 24/7, and the toxic and hostile management culture implemented within the past couple of years.

I have learned some valuable skills at Canadian Pacific. It has taught me problem solving skills, has taught me to be resourceful with my time and helped me learn how to be flexible with planning. Other skills it has taught me are the obvious ones, like becoming a locomotive engineer and operating/driving some the biggest trains in North America, if not the world.

Although I spent many years with this company ,I found it very hard to plan with my family , except for AV ,any quality time . 
I spent many hours at home doing work changing plans for work and in the end it cost my family and I years of lost time ending in divorces 

Typical day!! was to plan to get through the day safely and hope that something wouldn't break down and delay operations ,hoping that your guys where working safely watching each others backs.

making sure that parts and supplies where there should they be required checking on outstanding work orders training Operators and mechanics on what they need to know to keep the flow moving planning repairs shifting staff schedualing priority repairs .   

I guess if I have to say anything Positive about this company it allowed me to learn and work with a great bunch of guys from other cultures , countries etc .  
I was given the opportunity to really challenge myself both mentally , physically . I gained the skills that make me who I Have to be in order to  compete In a rapidly changing fast paced world . 

the toughest part of the job was being a husband to my wife , father to my children ,as I always was the job , trying to be the best provider showing that I always had to close the deal it was hard to always have to run to keep up .

I've been able to see most of Canada with my work, was always trusted to lead my team , and respected by most who trusted my work and felt safe letting me guide them in the tasks that where not always in the best interests of our safety but took the time to safeguard against possible dangers or death   

In closing I always believe you have to finish what you start,
take pride in everything you do and do it well , give back wherever possible .   

  Management ??
there are good and bad in all, thank God we are all different .

12hr days, at a desk on the phone and radio with train crews. Assisting operations by troubleshooting mechanical issues over the road to help keep trains moving. It is a faced paced, high intensity environment. Where critical decisions have to be made to ensure operational fluidity and plans are executed as precisely as possible.
The desk requires 24/7 coverage and more often than not you are called in to work on your days off, furthermore, non-union employees do not receive overtime or lieu days for extra hours worked. 
My particular department could be managed more effectively. There aren’t enough people to cover the desk, which requires those of us who are available, to work overtime with no compensation. Work/life balance is minimal at best.
Corporate environment is in a constant state of flux and extremely stressful. There isn't real succession planning and you can no longer apply for jobs that are available, making it difficult to map out your career. Your next career move is left to the employment center, which feels like its left entirely out of your hands and that your best interests are not necessarily taken into consideration.
The people in large part are very hardworking, dedicated, and loyal. I've made some lifelong friendships and for that I am grateful. However, it is no longer an enjoyable place to work and without the ability to plan my career I feel like I could be stuck in my current role indefinitely.  
What I've learned from my current role is how to effectively deal with high pressure situations. How to multitask and use a number of different systems simultaneously to drive quick results. I have learned to deliver complicated mechanical information efficiently to ensure those receiving the information understand the issue. 
More importantly, I've learned that in order to be happy and successful you need to be passionate about what you are doing. I want to be proud of the work I’m doing and always strive to improve.
.
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CP claims it's a great place to work but I did not find it so. they have a great benefits package and the unionized positions are great but from the moment you are out of training, They are out to get you. The company runs its employees on a demerit system and managers watch you while you work to make sure you comply with the rules, If they even think they saw you break a rule you get hauled in and interrogated and even if you defend yourself its their word against yours and they always back their managers over you. and if someone on your crew breaks a rule or causes an incident even if you are not in a position where you can do anything you are still at fault and go down with the ship. every so often you earn an extra day off or EDO but they dictate when you can use it (you get a set day of each month  like the 10-11-12) when you can use these days off and if your regular days off happen to fall on those days then you cant use any extra days off and you can hold up to 12 EDO at a time but can use no more than 3 at once. Most of the Trainmasters at CP have little to no experience working the ground and have very bad time management skills which causes headaches in the yards and problems for the crews almost on the daily. Your schedule is 100% unpredictable because it depends on everyone else's schedule who has higher seniority than you. you are expected to pay yourself through their computer system which is as old as the internet itself and they never properly train you on how to use it or what functions it has and yet once again if you accidentally overpay yourself or make a mistake they haul you into an investigation and call you a thief and either give you demerits or fire you. Once you have any demerits you have a target on your back as the managers are required to get a certain number of fails as this affects their bonus. This is NOT the workplace for you if you have any hobbies or aspirations or want to have a family.

Start with project application, work out the details, speak to client to clarify any inconsistencies. Create layout, get approval,create final, get final approval with signature, send to printer for proofs, get client approval on proofs, if any changes, effect changes, get new proof for client approval. Once approved, get printed.

I have learned all aspects of design/illustration and printing. I started before computer illustration existed, utilizing blue-line, type sheets and kodalith film to product final text-ready ads. Learned to air-brush for illustration and photo-correction.

With the advent of computers, I started on a PC with the premier version of all graphics programs; Aldus Pagemaker (before Adobe bought the program), Photoshop 1.0, Illustrator 1.0, CorelDRAW 1.0, etc. I had learned to manage the workflow so that deadlines were constantly and consistenly met. I learned colour correction and photo manipulation that traditional art techniques lacked.

I learned to work with upper management, supporting the CEOs of Canadian Pacific over the years. I had learned tact and diplomacy, when to push a point and when not to. I learned to work with my co-workers as a group, finding ways to solve design/techical issues and to produce the best final product possible in the timeframe available. I learned that no matter how rushed the project is, people remember the finished product, not the road it took to get there.

The hardest part was working with clients who had unreasonable deadlines. I have learned to streamline the elements of the project and to produce results that were acceptable to the client.

The most enjoyable part is the work/task. Creating a solution to the graphics problem instills a sense of fulfillment that can't be described by anything else.

Poor work life balance. While on call, you have two hours notice of a shift that can last for two days. Management has a minimum proficiency fail rate that forces them to nitpick and follow employees in order to find fault so their own job does not come into jeopardy. They do this under the guise of of creating a culture of safety. This creates a very tense atmosphere between workers and management. 

Management puts the onus of safety on those who do the physical work, then push the employees to the brink of exhaustion, ignore the collective agreement, then threaten employees with termination if they do not comply. Management makes no bones about individuals being dispensable and replaceable. Through arbitration, most terminations have been found unwarranted and employees are reinstated after potentially years of being unemployed. This costs the union substantial capital and is an example of the poor ethics of leadership. While wrongfully terminated, employees are forced to take loans, lesser paying jobs and watch their families suffer financially before being reinstated. CP stands as a beacon of corporate greed and a questionable regard for those who turn the wheels of their profit. 

You will make lifelong friendships here at CP. You will lose precious time with your friends and families. You will miss birthdays, Christmas dinners, anniversaries and first steps of your children. The monetary compensation can be substantial. You will be able to comfortably feed, clothe and shelter your family. This is a dangerous job. You will be told to do work that violates safety and the collective agreement. But you must proceed and grieve after whatever it is the company wants you to do.  

I make 100k a year with CP. This affords me some luxuries in life others can not. This does not equate to happiness or job satisfaction.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Conductor 90 salaries reported	$228 per day
Laborer 44 salaries reported	$27.17 per hour
Diesel mechanic 39 salaries reported	$46.41 per hour
Rail technician 26 salaries reported	$38.22 per hour
Specialist 5 salaries reported	$97,800 per year

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