When a job is abolished or a senior employee wants a better assignment, that employee can bump a junior one off a job, and the displaced person may bump someone below them, setting off a chain of displacements down the seniority roster. Bumps decide who works days, who works holidays and who lands on the extra board. Being bumped is normal, and nobody takes it personally, at least not out loud.
They abolished the day goat, so the old head is bumping me off the hump job and I'm back on the extra board.
Also heard as
- bumping
- displacement
- exercise seniority
Related terms
Old head
A veteran railroader with long seniority, respected for knowledge and sometimes resented for it.
Extra board
A roster of crew members with no regular job, called in rotation to fill vacancies and extra trains.
Pool
A group of road crews who rotate between two terminals in first-in, first-out order.
Same word, different worlds
To make a small adjustment to an offset or position, usually a thou or less, to bring a size in.
ElectrotechnologyTo energise a motor for a split second to check its direction of rotation before running it properly.
Boilers & BurnersTo energize a motor, pump or burner for a second or two to check rotation or operation.
Lighting & Color ScienceTo flash a channel or group to full instantly, usually with a console button, to identify it or for effect.
Asphalt PavingTo push excess mix off the old side of a joint back onto the hot mat with a lute so the rollers can pinch it in.