TOLEDO, Ohio — Amtrak employee unions are calling on the passenger railroad to reinstate full dining-car service on two routes between the East Coast and Chicago, saying the move “threatens jobs and pensions from coast to coast,” the Toledo Blade reports.
As of today (June 1), the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited no longer offer full dining service, replacing it with pre-packaged cold meal options for sleeping-car passengers. [See “Cold-meal service coming to ‘Capitol,’ “Lake Shore Limited,” Trains News Wire, April 19].
The Amtrak Service Workers Council, which includes members from three unions, said in a statement that “with as little as nine-day notice, seven chefs represented by the Transport Workers Union of America received furlough letters, giving them a little more than a week to make a major life decision. … Due to this sudden decision, our members will be forced out of work, and some will be faced with the difficult decision of whether to uproot their lives, to relocate and exercise their seniority to replace ASWC members working other routes.”
The Blade report is available here, and the full statement from the Service Workers Council is here.
Amtrak boss figures that if the food gets bad enough fewer people will ride long distance trains. As it is, trains that take 10 to 12 hours have very little in the way of viable food even though you are on the train long enough for 3 meals. Truly disgusting, and a big reason why when I’ve needed to travel to Montreal from New York I have not chosen the train. Of course, another reason is that I have to get from Long Island to Penn – reliably, on time – something you can’t count on LIRR for.
This past March, My wife and I took an around the country Train trip with “America By Rail”, departing from Chicago. I love Trains and looked forward to the trip. My wife, not so much. We had a roomette which included meals, that were perfectly adequate, but nothing like I remembered from many years ago. As I previously mentioned, I love trains, so I was looking through the “America By Rail” catalog for another train trip. I found one that I could interest my wife in. Departing Chicago for Washington DC, then down to Florida, A cruise to San Diego, and Train back to Chicago. Sounds like a great trip, Right! Now, I read that boxed meals will be served on a portion of the trip. After being pampered on the cruise, and then getting on a train and having boxed meals. You have to be kidding me. Not gonna happen. How many others feel the same way. America By Rail should try and put pressure on Amtrak, to upgrade their service, to increase ridership, not cut it and lose customers like us.
AMTRAK was created to release the private railroads of the financial burden of operating money-losing passenger trains and to retain some main routes by offering an acceptable standard of service – including full-service dining and sleeping cars. AMTRAK was never expected to be profitable but to offer a standard level service over the entire system in order to reduce expenses.
Richard Foster I have previously posted wondering how far we are away from the resurrecttion of the Meal o Mat cars offering food from vending machines and a do it yourself Micro Wave and toaster Oven that we were graced with by the SP and the New York Central in the 1960’s. You are so correct that we are re living the past.
No John McQuigg, I have not heard anything either except grumblings by the on-board staff.
Whether it’s the removal of full dining-car options or the elimination of station agents, Amtrak seems to be following in the footsteps of private railroads of the 1960s. Next, Amtrak reps will be suggesting to potential passengers they take the bus, which I’m aware occurred at least once in 1969. Is it any wonder many of us living in S.P territory 50-years ago referred to the S.P. as the “Sloppy Pacific.” Is Amtrak trying to emulate the former S.P.?
Amrtak can do as it sees fit but if someone there thinks I’m going to drop a small fortune for a roomette and then get a lousy box lunch instead of a decent dinner in the diner, they will instead find me on Southwest Airlines.
See this quote from Fred Frailey’s blog = Meals on Wheels. Oh My! (which also appears in the July issue of TRAINS magazine).
“The other forgotten fact, which Richard Anderson is not allowed to forget, is that Congress preordained this to happen. Embedded in the Passenger Rail Reform & Investment Act of 2015 is this command: “Beginning on the date that is five years after the date of enactment of [PRRIA], no Federal funds may be used to cover any operating loss associated with providing food and beverage service on a route operated by Amtrak.” (You’ll be amused that Congress also decreed that no Amtrak employee lose his or her employment due to implementation of this order.)”
NO AMTRAK EMPLOYEE LOSE HIS OR HER EMPLOYMENT DUE TO IMPLEMENTATION
Now read this quote from the news wire story:
“seven chefs represented by the Transport Workers Union of America received furlough letters.”
Sounds like someone is not complying with the law enacted by Congress!
JOHN McQUIGG – Revenue growth on Amtrak consists of offloading the deficit to states and localities, which Amtrak counts as “revenue”. Revenue growth in your sense, more riders who are more satisfied and come back for more rides, means nothing to these guys.
Will never forget breakfast on the LSL. We were told that they were out of breakfast meats which did not bother us since we have no appetite for that sort of thing anyway. What did appall us, however, was the pile of bacon and sausage they later brought out when the crew sat down for their own breakfast. Too often employee responsibility is poor or just does not exist. It may be a cultural-social challenge. If only it were possible to hire people from a higher social level who better understood their place in the macro picture.
Whether or not problems such as this are relevant to the current dinning situation I, of course, do not know but it would not surprise me if employee behavior along with costs may be involved. I too will probably fly on my next trip to Chicago this fall both for the absence of a pleasant dinner in the diner west of Albany and the absolutely unpredictable arrival time. A late train detracts from the pleasure of a trip in a major way for me. It often makes me feel disrespected barring a force majore event. It is regretable that things are this way. My trip a year ago on the Canadian from Vancouver could have been an experience to remember. On board service was, without being obsequious, so pleasant but the five hour late arrival in Toronto took the edge off the experience; and that would be considered good as things have been recently.
Has anyone heard the current Amtrak management talk about revenue growth, as opposed to cost cutting? I have not.
Sorry to again reference an article in the competitor R&R mag., but Otto Vondrak’s piece on p. 78 of the previously mentioned June 2018 issue is on point. “My Last Trip on the Lake Shore Limited” is a cry from the heart…and he’s not the only one.
TED – I hear you. A recent article on this site indicated that NARP just met with Delta Dick. Wouldn’t have been prudent to have blasted him prior to the meeting.
The constant silence by the NARP concerning the ill conceived, arbitrary changes made by “airline Anderson”,over the past two months is mind bogling1 My belief was that NARP should be outspoken against this recent Amtrak foolishness. Just thinking.
The problem is we are dealing with a three-headed hydra that has little common interest in each other.
Unions: absolutely their position is correct as it is absurd to give a long-term employee but nine days notice of their job loss and to maintain their seniority in that class, they must uproot their family to the west coast, to bump other brothers. However, these are the same unions that balked at, and prevented former CEO David Gunn from allowing Subway to sell aboard the “Empire Service” trains between NMYC-Albany, after NY’s governor refused to pay for the cafe cars (offering undesirable Guantanamo-style food and untrained bartenders). Also, other than preserving their own status, despite knowing the pressure by Congress to reduce food & beverage (F&B) costs, where were these unions not to propose how to reduce costs and waste, without destroying the product and jobs?
Executive Management: while adhering to its sour labor relations style emulating the 1930s, perhaps if it was not so totally focused upon the NEC, it would have intelligently worked with the unions to determine how to prepare and serve hot meals without breaking the bank. But how can we expect such a magnanimous approach to a long ignored, yet simmering issue, when management itself has persistently failed to cut costs and increase revenues where the opportunities have been, such as:
1) Eliminating the outsourcing of commissaries.
2) Controlling cash and inventory on-board with Point-Of-Service (POS) IT system.
3) Increase revenues by training lounge and diner LSAs in mixology to craft premium cocktails (requiring to increase liquor kits, condiments, mixers).
4) To reduce labor costs of diners by not running all the way through, but cut-off and add-on en route.
Board of Directors: delinquent in providing requisite oversight of management to ensure favorable labor relations; maximizing commonsense approach to reducing costs and increasing revenues; failing to recognize its own weaknesses by ensuring a positive stewardship to include as members those with pertinent experience relative to Amtrak’s needs, i.e., food & beverage, IT, and travel.
This sadly is the end result of a Board forfeiting its stewardship and oversight to focus on its political patronage and the NEC; a management group well shorn of experience running passenger trains due to the far too numerous buy-outs and re-organizations; old-time unions lacking the spirit beyond self-preservation to undertake constructive action.
As this dilemma reminds me of the broken spirit of the French Army in 1940, nothing will change until Congress intervenes and re-sets the table for Amtrak–before it just runs off the track.
Very true Michael Klass. But they should be contacting Congress if they want to re-institute dining car service not Amtrak. Congress made the law that requires Amtrak to break even on their meal service not Amtrak. So go after Congress or maybe the union would rather other Amtrak employees be cut. But Michael is right. These employees need to provide better service before they complain about being laid off.
They could work out a plan to keep the staff but rework the menu and have cold and hot food that could be enjoyed in the dinning car or in room, also have some food items that can be prepared when ordered. This would be a way to get cost lower and still provide good passenger service.
Regardless of the sense or lack of sense in eliminating full service dining, perhaps the unions should be more concerned about their members providing good service that passengers will want, rather than just their own personal finances. This is typical “We don’t care if our employer will go out of business, we just want ours” attitude. We used to spank out kinds when they acted like this.
This is an interesting development. I realize this administration and congress are underfeeding Amtrak and cuts need to be made somewhere to be able to pay the bills, but I also find it interesting that not only is it the passengers who are complaining but also the unions representing the displaced workers. Perhaps we can make common cause, although given the present political climate I do not expect the chances of being listened to by those who control the purse strings to be very good.
November is coming. Add this to the list of reasons American citizens should indulge in a little regime change…
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Go find your own damn lawyer.
Also needed: full service first class or business class on day trains. Not the half-baked seats behind the café counter.
Moorman was still at NS when Amtrak removed the dining car from the Star.
News Wire post noted Amtrak was purchasing/rebuilding up to 75 new locomotives.
Number of comments? Zero
Number of comments on dinner cars on two trains? Nine so far
When Wic Moorman was questioned on the removal of the dinner car from the Silver Star his comment was if you knew what I know about Amtrak, this wouldn’t be your priority (paraphrase)
As others have said, one of the best features is full dining service, it needs to be retained, otherwise business might be lost, and I agree with the employees, the new CEO has not done his homework on this one
I had my trip westbound on the Capitol last week, dinner and breakfast. One of the great pleasures of rail travel has been removed. One passenger was trying to get signatures for a letter (I signed). I understand the finances, and cannot understand why Amtrak does not enter into an agreement with a major chain to provide branded, boxed meals. Since these are major chains, they could be re-stocked at major city points (and that would be a requirement of the contract). Cumberland is a smoke break – anyone have a food truck? Dinner in the evening, breakfast in the AM!
ROBERT – Good post as usual .ANNA – The ill-advised Congressional requirement that Amtrak meal service breaks even goes back way prior to the current President. ALL – Regardless of how right the unions may be on this one issue (they are right), let’s remember that Amtrak does not operate for the benefit of its employees’ wages and pensions.