OBS employment questions

[zgscl]

I have not seen a thread on this topic recently so I thought it would make more sense to start a new one.

I am applying for an OBS position as an LSA and a TA/SA and I have a few questions.

Right now they are hiring LSAs out of LAX which I understand means that you could either work long distance trains (Sunset, SW Chief and Starlight), or Pacific Surfliners in the lounge.

They are also hiring SA/TAs out of Miami (Silver service only?) and Chicago (Zephyr, EB to PDX, Eagle, LSL to Boston). Are there any other LD trains that have OBS crew based out of Chicago?

Does anyone have experience with how long from when they close the application until they actually start the class? Is it typically a long process or are they more likely to be looking for people to start immediately?

I know you start out working on the boards for a while when you are hired on, any sense of how long it takes to get a regular route in any of these bases?

Thanks!

 

[OBS]

I have not seen a thread on this topic recently so I thought it would make more sense to start a new one.

I am applying for an OBS position as an LSA and a TA/SA and I have a few questions.

Right now they are hiring LSAs out of LAX which I understand means that you could either work long distance trains (Sunset, SW Chief and Starlight), or Pacific Surfliners in the lounge.

They are also hiring SA/TAs out of Miami (Silver service only?) and Chicago (Zephyr, EB to PDX, Eagle, LSL to Boston). Are there any other LD trains that have OBS crew based out of Chicago?

Does anyone have experience with how long from when they close the application until they actually start the class? Is it typically a long process or are they more likely to be looking for people to start immediately?

I know you start out working on the boards for a while when you are hired on, any sense of how long it takes to get a regular route in any of these bases?

Thanks!

You have a pretty accurate handle on the trains and associated crew bases. You will probably find that classes will start within a couple weeks of interviewing. They should be able to give you the start date at the interview. How long it takes to hold a regular is a crapshoot depending on the firing/retirement rates at each crew base as well as how particular you decide to be about what you want to work regularly...ie SA may take longer than coach attendant, etc. Could be a year or could be longer...

 

[rrdude]

I have not seen a thread on this topic recently so I thought it would make more sense to start a new one.

I am applying for an OBS position as an LSA and a TA/SA and I have a few questions.

Right now they are hiring LSAs out of LAX which I understand means that you could either work long distance trains (Sunset, SW Chief and Starlight), or Pacific Surfliners in the lounge.

They are also hiring SA/TAs out of Miami (Silver service only?) and Chicago (Zephyr, EB to PDX, Eagle, LSL to Boston). Are there any other LD trains that have OBS crew based out of Chicago?

Does anyone have experience with how long from when they close the application until they actually start the class? Is it typically a long process or are they more likely to be looking for people to start immediately?

I know you start out working on the boards for a while when you are hired on, any sense of how long it takes to get a regular route in any of these bases?

Thanks!

Although my hire on was literally decades ago, in Chicago, i was informed in less than two weeks after my interview, given a training start-date, and told to show up.

Gaining enough seniority to bid and hold a "regular job" is gonna depend on the number of staff at the crewbase, seniority level of staff, and the number of trains staffed outa that crewbase. In Chicago, in three years, I was only able to "hold" a job for one run, B4 I was bumped off. Regular jobs are held in high regard, as one can PLAN the rest of their lives around a somewhat regular schedule. However, I was young, unmarried, and working my way thru college, so the Extra Board was exactly what I wanted.

Working Extra Board on LD, there were several pay periods when I worked more than 80 hours a week. I loved those paychecks! (I had what I thought at the time was, "More money than God")

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't necessarily easy, but it was rewarding. As has been told, once I started waiting tables, and / or ran as an LSA, I never actually "spent" a paycheck, they just went straight into the bank. I was able to cover my rent, and other necessities (very meager, remember, I was living the college-student life) out of my tips. It may be harder to do that today, but I ride LD and corridor trains often enough to be able to see when an OBS employee is "working it" and when they are just showing up for the paycheck.

This forum is full of examples of LD employees who "go above and beyond" in their crafts, I'm confident that they too make a healthy supplement to their regular hourly wage with the tips they earn. It's just too GD easy NOT to make that extra money..........

 

[zgscl]

Thank you that is very helpful. Do you have any idea if they interview quickly after the position close?

I think the idea of being on the boards would be fun. It would be harder to plan a life but you could end up going to entirely different places every time and i have no life so having the ability to work more trips would be fun.

If you can hold down a route, can you also also take a shorter trip if needed? For example if you work the builder to portland, could you be on the boards for a 2 or 3 day trip to Texas or Boston, or are they typically not short staffed?

 

[OBS]

Thank you that is very helpful. Do you have any idea if they interview quickly after the position close?

I think the idea of being on the boards would be fun. It would be harder to plan a life but you could end up going to entirely different places every time and i have no life so having the ability to work more trips would be fun.

If you can hold down a route, can you also also take a shorter trip if needed? For example if you work the builder to portland, could you be on the boards for a 2 or 3 day trip to Texas or Boston, or are they typically not short staffed?

You can always make yourself available to work your layover days. Especially if you are near the crewbase and/or can get there quickly, you can make a reputation as someone who can be relied on at last minute.