Make yourself AWARE of CP, read these reviews before hiring on!
Pros
The pay is merely decent, when hiring on as a Conductor you're told to expect to earn around $90,000/ year; this is the first of many lies the company will tell you, expect to earn that much after at least 5 years of service. Realistically, your first year will be in the high 50s to mid 60s. The company states that its employees have endless room to advance into positions of more responsibility. I do believe this to be somewhat accurate, there is always opportunities in management but you will have to sell your soul and home life to the devil, C.E.O. Eugene Harrison (I refuse to call him by the name everyone knows him as because he chose that name and I'm sure that name makes him feel more powerful). The benefits are good but of course better for managers. They get the option of buying shares in which the company throws in free money, unionized staff no longer get this benefit even though it was advertised when I hired on (not sure if it's still advertised this way).
Cons
The training program for new conductors sucks to say the least. You are dragged through it very quickly so they can get you on the ground as a "qualified" (I use that term lightly) employee. As a running trades employee i.e. Engineer and Conductor, you will be away from home quite often. An example of a typical trip would be as follows: Get your 2 hour call to report to work (the max time you are allotted to be notified and report to the office for your shift, this will be in effect your entire career). Work up to 10 hours on the way to your away from home terminal. Be held at the away from home terminal for at least 10 hours (to reset your clock) and up to well over 24 hours. This time is spent sitting in a hotel room or CP owned bunkhouse. Work up to 10 hours on the way home. Lets say you got lucky and your trips to and from the away from home are under 10 hours each, you're still looking at 24 hours away from home. If you had the 24 hour lay over you could be gone 44 hours! When you arrive home the max rest you can book is 24 hours. Annual Vacation (holidays) are from Sunday at 2200 to Sunday at 2200. No exceptions, you cannot take a day off here or 3 days off there. Want to go to mexico for a week and are a new employee? Better take both your weeks of holidays back-to-back because you can actually end up working into your vacation i.e. get called at 2159 Sunday night and not get back from your trip until late Monday or early Tuesday. SUSPENSIONS! Yes, this company believes in suspensions... without pay! Things that a manager at another job would just tell you to correct warrant suspensions here. Forgot your safety glasses on your head? Didn't zip up your high-vis vest completely? Maybe your vest is filthy or your clothes are tattered (there are sharp objects that will rip material)? These trivial little things are just a few examples of things that you will be taken into a formal investigation for. Following the investigation you will receive your suspension ranging from 5-30 days off, again with no pay!