Yep. One day you work 12-15 hours for $30 an hour, the next day you work the same hours for $5 an hour. The next day you lose $30 an hour doing the same work.
The cows have to be fed and watered twice a day, no days off, no bereavement time, no sick days, no vacation.
Work in the middle of the night to pull calves or work on equipment for the next days work.
The only first hand experience with railroad workers I have is working at the coal fired power plant. BNSF brought in 150 cars full of coal. The drivers and crew, what ever their title is left the train after spotting it and our equipment took over to dump the cars.
It took several hours to dump. The railroad guys had a break room with TV, bunks, and snack machines to occupy their time while on down time.
My job in control systems maintenance involved working on the gear that dumped the trains when it failed. We would get the controls repaired and need a test run that had to be performed by the RR guys.
Nope! Even after three or so hours of sleep and rest, they ran out of federal time limits to be on the job. A transfer vehicle In Arkansas City Ks would have to round up a call out crew to come 50 miles south to the plant to drop off the fresh crew and pick up the crew that was timed out.
Meanwhile after working a 10 hour day, getting called out at 2am to work on the train controls for an hour or so to fix and then waiting on a transfer by BNSF for around two to three hours where we were not allowed to sleep, we had to be back on the normal day job at 7am.
I lived 18 miles away one way. Typically, I just set the alarm on the phone and slept in the parking lot with the truck seat laid back.
I'm not saying they don't have some complaints and issues that need fixed, but they aren't the only people in the world who have to work for a living and do some sacrifices.
The overtime double pay was great though.
