South Shore Line employees worry that pay levels are leading to higher turnover, as contract negotiations continue. Employees told the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) board last week that the railroad would be better off paying current employees more than having to recruit and train new ones.
Train engineer Sherri Zorek argued that wages haven't been keeping up with inflation, and many of her colleagues have left for higher-paying jobs. "NICTD used to be a sought-after lifetime career. Now, it seems to be a breeding ground for other railroads," Zorek said.
But NICTD President Mike Noland said turnover is a nationwide problem. "Are we frustrated with the turnover like I've never seen in my career before? Yeah. . . . Are we the only ones? No we're not," Noland said.
He said NICTD has already negotiated a fair and equitable contract with one of its unions, and he promised to continue working with the other four using the process provided by the Railway Labor Act.
Still, he acknowledged that inflation is dramatically different than it was during the last round of negotiations. "So we can't wave a magic wand and just simply fix that," Noland said. "We have a collective bargaining process."
He also stressed that the South Shore Line hasn't shortened its training program as a result of the turnover, vowing that the railroad would never compromise safety.
