FastWalkingShortGuy t1_j98k935 wrote on February 20, 2023 at 1:58 AM

Reply to comment by Uncle_Baconn in Eversource doubles pay for CEO as 'skyrocketing' electric bills hit customers by WellSeasonedUsername

>You don't want your power company struggling to pay their bills

Oof, someone believes in the tooth fairy of corporate benevolence a little too much.

Much better that the consumer struggles to pay their bill to support the shareholders and feather the nests of the board of directors, right?

Christ.

Uncle_Baconn t1_j98nwqb wrote on February 20, 2023 at 2:29 AM

No not at all. I've worked for companies that cut "culture" events or stick two traveling managers in the same EconoLodge room when traveling to save a buck. You know what happens when those sort of cost cutting measures are implemented? Corners get cut on safety next when they try and squeeze their dollars by stretching maintenance windows, and people get hurt or killed. I've seen it twice working for big companies, and its the first thing I look for to start sending out resumes. It's a spiral that is extremely difficult to pull out of.

libananahammock t1_j98q11e wrote on February 20, 2023 at 2:46 AM

You mean like how Norfolk Southern has had record profits yet barely fixes anything so much so you get shit like what happened in Ohio?

News flash… they could be raking in the bucks and STILL cut corners because all they care about is the money.

Uncle_Baconn t1_j98wqcq wrote on February 20, 2023 at 3:43 AM

Except if you look back at 2020, their net income was down what, 25%? I bet a whole lot of maintenance got extended during that time, a whole bunch of really experienced people got let go, and ton of work fell behind. Looks like the cause of the crash might be a failed wheel bearing on one of the cars. They have about 6.5 million rail cars (Wikipedia), with at least 8 bearings each, so 52 million bearings. It takes a week to change a wheel, so I imagine a bearing takes that long too. Looks like some rail wheel bearings last 50 years (per Timken bearings), with reconditioning every 10. So that means that every year, 10% get at least reconditioned or 5.2 million bearings should have been serviced that year. Something tells me they fell behind, and this is the result. Maintenance failures aren't instant - they accumulate over time like skipping oil changes in your car. It's fine until it isn't.