Canadian Pacific Railway Employee Reviews for Anonymous Employee

"CP Rail is proud of the way they over work and exploit their staff. Being white collar, management, in head office or anyone in a salaried position means you will be expected to be working around the clock. You will be on call 24/7, you will get a steady stream of calls and emails around the clock and the expectation is that you will drop everything and address every single one of them the moment you get them, say goodbye to a full nights sleep because missing a call will be punished. Also I was and you will be deployed to work in rail yards regardless of your actual job. The work will be grueling, you will not be payed more. This happens regularly with a several week rotation but it can also happen at any time depending on the labour needs and what's going on with the union. Salaried workers don't have the same rights and protections as the union workers, so while working in the train yards your shifts will often be 12+ hours long because they know they don't have to pay you over time and use you strategically to save labour costs. Raises/annual increases are so low it's insulating. I left CP because after 3 years of exceeding my annual goals and winning a CEO award I was given 2.5% increase in my salary and told I should be extremely grateful because it was more than everyone else got. I told them it was insulting and technical with inflation I was getting an annual pay cut, they doubled down on reminding me it was more than everyone else got. The health benefits are pitiful and hardly cover anything. The pay is extremely low relative to what other companies pay for very similar jobs. This feels extra low because of being on call 24/7 and being deployed to work in train yards. Working on the technical side is painful, I spent years just trying to get them to provide a computer that was capable of doing my job."

"The pay is very good but, the work/life balance is non existent. Management is actively looking for someone to fire and is a very hostile work environment."

"I've been with CP for over 33 years. In the last few I've seen a huge shift in morale, attitudes and policy. What was once a good employer who recognized the need for employees on 24/7 call to need some time off has become a tyrant. Requests for time off for things like milestone birthdays and anniversaries, weddings and family gatherings are routinely denied. Management has taken to using intimidation and threats of discipline to get employees to violate laws and rules. Good, long term employees are quitting or being fired at an incredible rate. The company won't even negotiate with train crews for a new contract unless we first agree to give up our right to rest over 10 hrs at home. I see everything from respect for employees to safety sacrificed for share price. Where once I enjoyed coming to work, now I can only mark time until retirement and wonder if it's my turn next to be dismissed for some trivial reason. I live and work in a culture of fear."