decisions every minute--dispatchers actually do more with less resources than air traffic controllers, in terms of independent decisions. You don't have the various altitude levels to route trains on; you only have the two dimensions, this way and that way.
Ceres: Any difficulties you've encountered with male coworkers, employees, or executives?
Gail: No. Not even when I was a Regulator (a member of a governmental regulatory agency), where I got to the point of being the second in charge of our Rail Safety program. That was a California agency, and California is very woman friendly--and this agency (Metrolink) is very friendly to women too, and so was the Public Utilities Commission. So, I've never experienced it.
Ceres: What about male intimidation?
Gail: When I was a Parole Officer, I had an all-male caseload, and they were anything from murderers to burglars, abusers, rapists, etc... I did that for fourteen years, so I was pretty much at ease with men, in terms of feeling empowered around them.
Ceres: What's your take on women working in public transportation?
Gail: I think it's wonderful! I mean, women can do anything.
Ceres: As a dispatcher, you must have some good stories.
Gail: Yes. Are you familiar with the Cajon Hill? That's the 15 Freeway that goes up to Victorville, in San Bernardino. The railroad tracks out there are 6% Grade. It means that they are steep. The reason why freight trains are so cheap to run when it comes to sending your goods, as opposed to trucks, is because once you get the train going, the momentum builds up, and there's literally no fuel costs. So, coming down hill, it's steel on steel, not rubber on steel, or rubber on concrete. So, trains gain speed, and if the engineer doesn't control the speed, and they get over 25 miles an hour, they have a runaway train. And, one train dispatcher had that happen to him twice while he was working. The crews had already jumped off the train--they're gonna die if they don't, because the train is out of control. The train dispatcher derailed the train both times. One event happened in 1989, and one in '94. That was pretty amazing! The dispatcher got lots of kudos, for the lives he saved. There were two tracks, and he made all the trains move to the other one, and held them in place away from the runaway train. That was a pretty amazing story!
Ceres: Wow, pretty amazing indeed! What would you say to women out there, to encourage them to get a career in the railroad industry, for example?
Gail: To all women who read or hear about railroad careers, jump in because you're welcome!. We have two female dispatchers and two female chiefs out of 29 people. We need more women.
Ceres: Why is that?
Gail: Because women stay calmer. You always hear about the hysterical woman. Wrong! The guys tend to get upset at the crews; they get mad at them if there's some kind of issue. The women are calm. They tend to handle the stress really well. Ok... maybe I'm a bit prejudiced. (To Scott) I hope you're not sensitive. [Laughters] Really, the man-ego-thing.... I'm sorry, but sometimes... the men engineers and the men dispatchers, they get in little battles, you know, dumb things. Women just don't do that!
Ceres: And, Scott, what is your thought on all of this?
Scott: I grew up in the Midwest, where it's more conservative. I also served in the military, so it's a bit different, as well. But, at the same time, I've been married for about 12 years, and I have a daughter and a son. So, having my wife, who is educated and very forward thinking, point out various dynamics of what I take for granted, as a white male: the way I say things, the way I write things, and my interpretation of how women speak and write... She points out very specific things that I may find frustrating or incomprehensible with women. She basically explains women to me. I think that most men need some type of guidance because, clearly, we don't know everything--inherently people don't. For example, when I read in an email, "Perhaps, we should," I feel that those three words are a waste of time, but my wife has shown and explained to me that, from the time they are young, women are taught differently... taught to say things differently, to speak differently, and learn about gender roles.
Ceres: A lot of women are taught that way. It seems that they often have to test the water instead of jumping in.
Scott: The women that I grew up with, in a blue-collar farming environment, didn't do that. They were hard-working, either in factories or on the farm. The household that I grew up in, women were typically in charge. The old phrase of "If mommy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" was paramount.
88 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016