BNSF Railway reviews

3.1

44% would recommend to a friend

(2,426 total reviews)
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Kathryn Farmer

42% approve of CEO

46% positive business outlook

BNSF Railway has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,426 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The BNSF Railway employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transportation & Logistics industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
3.0
Jan 26, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Decent health benefits for union employees -Great classroom or field training if you ask for it

Cons

-Pay is starting to fall behind similar engineering industries especially during the current times of high inflation which could partly be solved by adding a COLA. -Major communication disconnect between director level upper management and field management. It's not uncommon to hear frustrations from field management due to complete lack of acknowledgment when they bring ideas, suggestions or other input for improving new or existing processes which I've deduced down to arrogance and pay grade elitism on the director level. -New field management trainees are conditioned (knowingly or not) to treat all union employees as if they are the enemy and that they should not be trusted which creates a very toxic atmosphere. -Employee appreciation is lacking which was very apparent during the pandemic. -24x7 audio/video surveillance of the interior cabin of all company vehicles. -Mental health and wellness of union employees is and has always been a very low priority. Lodging locations, vacation time, and expectedness to put the company before family at any time of the day or night (sometimes for weeks on end) being the biggest offenders. The company likes to shift blame to the unions saying they don't ask for it so we're not obligated to provide it, but in actuality, the company refuses to bargain on it during contract negotiations.

1.0
Jan 20, 2022

Does not care about employees

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

none that I can think of

Cons

The pay is low for the amount of time away from home you do. Better pay in other industries. Average pay has gone down over the years, as officers think that they are "paying too much" while in reality, it is under $23/hour. This does not take into account time away from home, which is often up to 16 hours unpaid, 8+ times a month. They constantly fight the unions, and life is miserable. Now their new availability policy makes us virtual servants to them. No way of laying off without points adding up to getting fired. Good luck if you get sick. They do not let you have actual sick leave without threats of firing. They constantly violate union agreements and refuse to pay those claims. If you are lucky, you might get backpay on that years later through arbitration.

1.0
Jan 16, 2022

Not the job it used to be

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company was good when I hited on but has sadly been going downhill fast

Cons

You only get 4 days off a month now and have to be available 24 7. The board will show you working for 7am and you will rest accordingly but when you wake up at 7 am after sleeping 7 hours the board will change and say your going to work at 9pm. So youll probably get call to work at 11pm after being up 16 hours and be expected to operate a train for 12 hours and then go to dirty hotel because BNSF was able to get it for a discount. You will spend up to 24 hours at said hotel without compensation before you get a call for a train to go back home. Then imagine if you break any rule while on duty they can put you on a 3 year probation. Imagine working fatigued all the time. Imagine a divorce rate way above the national average because your never home. Imagine average lifespan of a railroad conductor at 60 is only 2 to 5 years. Imagine having a camera installed 3 feet from you to watch you at all times. Imagine a company who wants you on probation for 3 years for any tiny thing because they think thats good management. Imagine working for BNSF

Viewing 52 - 54 of 2,426 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,633 BNSF Railway reviews submitted anonymously by BNSF Railway employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if BNSF Railway is right for you.