Ceres: How long have you been a train conductor?
Rebecca: It will be nine years in January. I started out on freight, then I came over to Metrolink—Connex first, and now it's Amtrak (Metrolink crews are actually Amtrak employees).
Ceres: What brought you to this job?
Rebecca: I met Kathy Vasquez, and she told me that she was a train driver. I thought it was crazy, but she told me to apply, so I did. I got hired as a conductor on freight, which was very scary because it’s rougher. The guys over there
are meaner. They just didn't like to have girls doing that job. They're very old-school with their rules. I cried a lot, let’s just say that happened[laughter] because... they were so mean. Guys are nicer in passenger transportation.
Ceres: What’s your take on women working in public transportation?
Rebecca: I think it’s good. It’s a great opportunity for women. The benefits and pay are fantastic! You get to meet a lot of people. It's a good job! It’s secure. But, you have to be strong, strong-willed and have a tough skin to work here, as guys won’t take you seriously, otherwise. You have to prove yourself three times harder because you’re a girl. Once you're done with that, people respect you by the quality of your work. If you’re coming here with a bad attitude, or if you’re lazy, or you want the guys to do everything for you, it’s not gonna work.
Ceres: What’s your work relationship with the male coworkers?
Rebecca: They’re like my husbands [laughter] because… I spend at least 17 hours a day, almost, with this guy [pointing at the engineer]. We see these people more than our own family, our significant others, wives, husbands, whatever. We spend more time together here than with anybody, so we all have to get along.
It makes your day go by faster when you get along with the person you work with. The guys are really cool once they know your work ethic. They respect you. However, some women expect men to do their work for them because they don’t want to break a nail. They can be very girly, and they don't get things done. They need to earn it. I get things done cause I can dish it out just as the guys dish it out.
Ceres: Describe what a female conductor should be?
Rebecca: You have to be in decent shape, with a lot of upper body, arm strength because you’re going to be throwing switches, you have to put (train) hoses
"The guys are really cool once they know your work ethic. They respect you."
Photos by Lands of Void
Rebecca Sanchez
is a Metrolink conductor who was born in Chicago. She lived in Puerto Rico with her family for a while, before returning to Chicago where she graduated from high school. When she was seventeen, her parents moved to California, and this is where she now resides. We meet her on the Chatsworth line.
18 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016