Equipment Operator - Anonymous employee CN Employee Review

1.0
18 Mar 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Excellent pay with no specialized skill set required.

Cons

The worst possible health and safety system I have ever encountered. All injuries are met with discipline and points, 60 points and you're fired. This work environment is extremely dangerous and management is not making any effort to make it safer or even examine the current hazards. Near misses do not get reported as those are also met with punishment. This work environment is micromanaged to the extreme; you're footsteps, hand movements, and the direction your head is facing all need to align with the rules or you'll receive points and be fired. The use of fear and scare tactics, humiliation, and bullying are extremely common. Management views all employees as unmotivated and careless; employees must be scolded and monitored closely to ensure they are working and following rules. There is also no room for advancement even though they preach it when you start. If you have started out as a unionized employee than management will not allow you to transfer into one of their positions. A manager once told me "unionized employees can't make it through the unionized experience unscathed."

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5.0
2 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Its what you make of it. Good union job with good benefits

Cons

You're always waiting on trains.

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CN Response
2mo
Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great benefits. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Please share your thoughts with your manager and on your regular Interaction surveys.
4.0
13 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pays decently well for first job out of college. My manager and team are very reasonable with expectations placed on new hires. Working after office hours (past 4:30pm) is extremely rare and only expected in emergencies.

Cons

Very slow and/or limited job growth potential. Promotions into middle management are almost purely based on reputation with middle managers who are largely people with previous field experience. This is very disadvantageous to direct-from-college hires like myself and even my current manager.

avatar
CN Response
2mo
Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Remember to leverage your development plan to have career discussions with your leader and please share your thoughts on your regular Interaction surveys.
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