Hiring Process

[BusHunter]

1 hour ago, jesi2282 said:

There was an incident with a FG operator last year I believe. A passenger got left behind at Jeff Park by an 85A, the passenger waited for the bus to do its entire roundtrip and when the bus got back to Jeff Park the passenger threw coffee at the operators face.

For someone to put their commute on pause and wait 40 mins for a bus to come back around, in order to "get back" at an operator is nuts...

Yeah forgot about that one. I once had a nut by me try to go way over the top with a friend of mine at the workplace. I knew the person wouldn't defend themself and that just wasn't right to me. So i got into the conversation. Usually you just say your piece and they say there's and they walk away. This guy was different he followed me ranting and raving and I was like uh oh!! It was like taunting. Turned out I had to duck into a secure part of the workplace and security had to have the man removed. I remember security asking me if I was alright cause other employees called them. I guess they saw this guy was nuts too. I remember replaying the experience in my mind almost like a shock experience. Thats about the closest experience i had. So i guess there are a few nuts out here.

[misterb]

I applied for "Flagman" at the CTA website. It is listed as Full Time Temporary. I presume that means the job is only for a set period of time and then you're fired/laid off. If so, how long does such a position last?

[renardo870]

Until you get turned over to full time.  In the interim,  you flag and qualify for RTO and work flagging/RTO/Platform Duty or Information Specialist

[misterb]

25 minutes ago, renardo870 said:

Until you get turned over to full time.  In the interim,  you flag and qualify for RTO and work flagging/RTO/Platform Duty or Information Specialist

Thanks. How long until Flagman can be in the Union?

[renardo870]

Right at orientation ATU 308

[misterb]

On 12/24/2016 at 3:07 PM, renardo870 said:

Right at orientation ATU 308

Thanks. Do you have any idea about how long until I might hear/read from them if they want to interview me or not? The posting was put up there about 2 weeks ago.

[pbal94]

Not sure if this has been covered anywhere else, but I cannot post a new thread so I figured I would drop my question in here as it is related to the hiring process. Anybody know the percentage necessary to "pass" the railcar repairer electronics test? I'm thinking I got at least an 85, potentially higher if the questions I didn't know the answer to were correct guesses, but I'm worried that I didn't score high enough. The lady administering the test said "it's a hard test," but didn't give a percentage that was required to get an interview. Pretty excited to have the opportunity to work for CTA but I hope I didn't blow it on the test!

[Pace831]

2 hours ago, pbal94 said:

Not sure if this has been covered anywhere else, but I cannot post a new thread so I figured I would drop my question in here as it is related to the hiring process. Anybody know the percentage necessary to "pass" the railcar repairer electronics test? I'm thinking I got at least an 85, potentially higher if the questions I didn't know the answer to were correct guesses, but I'm worried that I didn't score high enough. The lady administering the test said "it's a hard test," but didn't give a percentage that was required to get an interview. Pretty excited to have the opportunity to work for CTA but I hope I didn't blow it on the test!

I don't have the direct answer you're looking for, but I wouldn't necessarily assume scoring above a certain percentage is the only way to get an interview. They may consider your percentile score, which compares you to other applicants. 85% correct doesn't sound bad for a "hard test". Do you have any idea how many applicants you are up against? Did they tell you when or if you'll get called back after the test is scored?

[pbal94]

40 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

I don't have the direct answer you're looking for, but I wouldn't necessarily assume scoring above a certain percentage is the only way to get an interview. They may consider your percentile score, which compares you to other applicants. 85% correct doesn't sound bad for a "hard test". Do you have any idea how many applicants you are up against? Did they tell you when or if you'll get called back after the test is scored?

Lol ironically enough, I got an email shortly after posting this saying I passed and will be contacted by the talent department sometime in the next four weeks :^) Guess I just had a little too much post-quiz anxiety haha. I was up against about 25ish people today, but I'm not sure if that was the total number of applicants or just today's session. Hoping the interview process goes well, and that my background check comes through fast! I have a Secret clearance with the DoD, so I'm hoping that will speed things along, and not delay them by having the DoD start asking questions...

[Pace831]

3 minutes ago, pbal94 said:

Lol ironically enough, I got an email shortly after posting this saying I passed and will be contacted by the talent department sometime in the next four weeks :^) Guess I just had a little too much post-quiz anxiety haha. I was up against about 25ish people today, but I'm not sure if that was the total number of applicants or just today's session. Hoping the interview process goes well, and that my background check comes through fast! I have a Secret clearance with the DoD, so I'm hoping that will speed things along, and not delay them by having the DoD start asking questions...

Glad to hear you passed. Don't get too anxious thinking they won't call, as others have stated CTA does call back everyone who passes the test. Although that was said about a bus operator position, what you are going through sounds like a similar process.

[misterb]

On 3/30/2017 at 7:25 PM, pbal94 said:

Lol ironically enough, I got an email shortly after posting this saying I passed and will be contacted by the talent department sometime in the next four weeks :^) Guess I just had a little too much post-quiz anxiety haha. I was up against about 25ish people today, but I'm not sure if that was the total number of applicants or just today's session. Hoping the interview process goes well, and that my background check comes through fast! I have a Secret clearance with the DoD, so I'm hoping that will speed things along, and not delay them by having the DoD start asking questions...

Sounds like good news. Seems like they are very     S    L   O    W      about responding to anything. I applied for Flagman in December 2016. Application is still "Active" on my CTA careers profile. No contact. That's almost 4 months now. Not sure if that's a good sign or not.

[Busjack]

6 hours ago, misterb said:

Sounds like good news. Seems like they are very     S    L   O    W      about responding to anything. I applied for Flagman in December 2016. Application is still "Active" on my CTA careers profile. No contact. That's almost 4 months now. Not sure if that's a good sign or not.

Depends on how many vacancies there are at the moment, including how much has to be flagged and how many flagmen are moved up to acting operators.

[misterb]

16 hours ago, Busjack said:

Depends on how many vacancies there are at the moment, including how much has to be flagged and how many flagmen are moved up to acting operators.

Interesting. So that could be up to almost a year with all the projects coming up?

[Busjack]

39 minutes ago, misterb said:

Interesting. So that could be up to almost a year with all the projects coming up?

Can't tell. I don't know what CTA told you, but I'm sure they didn't tell you how many were in line ahead of you. I don't know if they made an eligibility list in advance of sticking someone in the middle of Clark Jct.

[MRChiCity]

Speaking of Clypool and his changes I found this http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2011/10/24/cta-vs-unions how come most people don't understand the transit business? And how come management and the riding public tend not to have much respect for the workers, and complain about pay/benefits? 

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, MRChiCity said:

Speaking of Clypool and his changes I found this http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2011/10/24/cta-vs-unions how come most people don't understand the transit business? And how come management and the riding public tend not to have much respect for the workers, and complain about pay/benefits? 

The problem with Claypool and Huberman in particular, and to a lesser extent Kruesi, was that instead of the CT Board following Sec. 27 of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act that "The Board may appoint an Executive Director who shall be a person of recognized ability and experience in the operation of transportation systems to hold office during the pleasure of the Board" both Mayors Daley and Emanuel appointed their political operatives, usually to "clean up a mess,"* but resulting in a bigger mess, and the boards rubber stamped that. Then Emanuel sent Claypool over to the schools to make a mess there (as Daley did with Huberman).

As far as I can tell, Carter learned enough working in the CTA law department and for FTA to know something about the transit industry. At least he listens better to the riders than his predecessors ever did.

As for the operators, while I recognize the about 90 year history of the ATU, the bus and L operators make about $67,000/year plus benefits plus overtime, but the union engages in stunts like the the threat of an illegal strike last month, which only has the effect of scaring riders.I suppose stuff like the drivers with the least seniority getting the toughest routes and Brittney Haywood have a marginal effect. All the pleading of poverty at budget time (Metra has already started) doesn't help either.

Generally, though, the passengers think that their operator is courteous.

________

*Such as the Kruesi administration, at Daley's insistence, blowing $300 million on Block 37 and then Huberman saying to seal it up.

 

 

[MRChiCity]

I often wonder why the public doesn't care that it seems like morale is low with bus and rail operators? Finally I have often wondered why it seems as if everyone has taken public transportation for granted? It seems like public transit just like Police and Fire departments are viewed as out of sight out of mind, why is this? 

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, MRChiCity said:

I often wonder why the public doesn't care that it seems like morale is low with bus and rail operators? Finally I have often wondered why it seems as if everyone has taken public transportation for granted? It seems like public transit just like Police and Fire departments are viewed as out of sight out of mind, why is this? 

Same thing as nobody cared when Preckinkle said assistant state's attorneys and public defenders would be laid off if the soda tax is enjoined--those are undoubtedly clouted people who would have difficulty getting jobs in the private sector, so it is their money or mine.If buses were autonomous vehicles, riders wouldn't care. There was a stink, at least among Local 308 when CTA did away with L conductors, but 20 years later it hasn't made a difference.Similarly, when there were cutbacks in 2010, the question was whether the trucking industry was strong enough that drivers could use their CDLs there. Some did.

The other thing to figure is that other than premium services like on I-55 or people who really don't like to drive downtown because of the expensive parking, transit has lost its discretionary riders. Again, it has become something subsidized for the poor, in which only someone like Emanuel finds any personal profit.

[BusHunter]

4 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

I often wonder why the public doesn't care that it seems like morale is low with bus and rail operators? Finally I have often wondered why it seems as if everyone has taken public transportation for granted? It seems like public transit just like Police and Fire departments are viewed as out of sight out of mind, why is this? 

I think people in general can't relate to these people because they don't make their higher salaries by a majority. This link I'm providing says that a staggering 80 percent of americans don't make $30 bucks an hour or more and just over half make below $21 (54 percent I think ) So it's like this when you have a majority, the minority is always the shunned party because the group will understand each others situation better.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-majority-of-americans-make-less-than-20-per-hour-2014-11-14

I can relate to the CTA's issues a little but I think the operators are slightly overpaid already. Many people are working hard out here for less money. But really it's not that extreme. The Police and fire depts are getting ridiculous money especially chicago officers. Some are getting 3 or 4 times the pay of a "Mayberry" cop or up to 6 or 7 times the pay of a minimum wage worker. I understand it's more dangerous, but parts of the city are safer than others pay should be based on the danger factor.

I think the teachers got to be the most favorited groups of workers especially in chicago. They complain and go on strike regularly, get paid for the whole summer vacation their standard pay, but when you hit the average joe with taxes for a pay increase the buck has to stop somewhere as you can't keep doing that or you'll have no municipality. That can be blamed also on a lazy politician that doesn't think of a more fair finiancial source than on the backs of workers.

Like currently in the news, Preckwinkle wants to lay off "X" amount of county workers because she cannot get this sugar soft drink tax started. Should we feel sorry for her? She brought up the ordinance got it passed, but we need to look at the big picture here. In Philadelphia, this ruined the soft drink industry as 50 percent of the sales were lost. So while county workers may lose their job, soft drink workers could lose there job. But it's more than soft drinks, it's basically any drink that is not milk. So you have a cascading flow of new unemployed workers. These workers vote. The job loss could be up to 5X here. 

With all this talk of money and being overtaxed here most people are losing around 30 percent of their net pay to taxes regardless. So it is what it is. We could move to sticksville, USA but we would have no stores, theatres, public transportation, or much else. Slowly though the computer age may change that notion.

[MRChiCity]

I often wonder why it seems like the public takes Public Transportation for granted? And how can CTA get some of the discretionary riders back? 

[artthouwill]

6 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

I often wonder why it seems like the public takes Public Transportation for granted? And how can CTA get some of the discretionary riders back? 

Be like NY.

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Be like NY.

I thought this was in response to @BusHunter's tax comment. My tax withholding went down $65/week when I moved from upstate NY to here, but that advantage is now being rubbed out. Only difference is that NYC can impose an income tax, while home rule units here are barred.

Or maybe you meant more rides are nondiscretionary in NY.

10 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

I often wonder why it seems like the public takes Public Transportation for granted? And how can CTA get some of the discretionary riders back? 

At this point it can't. The ride for discretionary riders is Uber or Lyft, and soon will be some autonomous ZipCar. Your question is about the same as asking how the Easter European mob's taxi medallions can be made valuable again.

Maybe the L could be more attractive to discretionary riders by extending it to Oak Brook, Woodfield and Briargate, putting in Metra style seating, and sweeping the criminals and vagrants off, but there's no money for that.In fact, there's no money to extend it to serve its core constituency south of 95th. Actually, the Rosemont and Cumberland parking facilities being full indicate that the Blue Line is doing better than one would expect.

[Busjack]

Someone did figure out a way to get discretionary riders--the old one of getting Miller Lite to pay for it. (Sun-Times). But Molson-Coors (owner of Miller Lite) is also paying Uber.

[pbal94]

Just wanted to update that I finally ended up completing the hiring process after about 8 months...lol. Currently down at 89th St completing car repairer training then will be moving to Rosemont shop. Glad i stayed patient and didnt look for another employer!

[Kaykay1987]

Any new updates on CTA 2018 hiring process or it's still the same will they contact you via email or phone??? I'm waiting on background check to clear any websites to purchase cheap uniforms??