BLE Focus

Amtrak

America's passenger railroad, Amtrak, celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. In those 30 years, it has come close to death many times, but never has its health been as dire as it is currently.

By 2003, Amtrak is supposed to achieve operational self-sufficiency. In preparation for this, Amtrak has reduced its federal operating assistance from $318 million in FY 1999 to a projected $59 million this year and a projected $40 million in FY 2002, on a glidepath to its elimination in 2003.

Amtrak hopes to ride the success of its new high speed Acela Express to self-sufficiency by the 2003 deadline. The Acela has experienced modest success in the busy Northeast Corridor.

While the future of Amtrak may seem somewhat bleak, it has pulled out of jams before and may become a success in spite of its naysayers.

In 1971, the year it was founded, Amtrak announced a schedule of 184 trains, serving 314 destinations.

Amtrak currently serves more than 500 stations in 45 states. Amtrak operates more than 22,000 route miles and owns 730 route miles, about 3% of the total nationwide, primarily between Boston and Washington, D.C., and in Michigan. In other parts of the country, Amtrak trains use tracks owned by freight railroads. Amtrak rail service in the New York-Washington corridor carries enough passengers to fill 121 airline flights per day.

On weekdays, Amtrak operates up to 265 trains per day, excluding commuter trains.

Amtrak has come a long way in terms of ridership. Last year, it set a ridership record. Monthly ridership in 1971 was 1,239,402. By 1999, that figure had jumped 45% to 1,791,667 riders per month. In fiscal year 2000, Amtrak served more than 22.5 million guests. Each day, approximately 61,000 passengers travel on Amtrak.

Amtrak operates 2,188 railroad cars including 173 sleeper cars, 743 coach cars, 66 first class/business class cars, 65 dormitory/crew cars, 65 lounge/café/dinette cars, and 83 dining cars. Baggage and Mail and Express cars make up the remainder of the fleet.

Amtrak operates 343 locomotives, 278 diesel and 65 electric. Amtrak owns three heavy maintenance facilities in Wilmington and Bear, Del., and Beech Grove, Ind., as well as other maintenance facilities in Boston, Chicago, Hialeah, FL., Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Niagara Falls, Oakland, Rensselaer, NY, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Amtrak owns 18 tunnels consisting of 26.5 miles of track and 1,165 bridges consisting of 61 miles of track.

Amtrak and the BLE

There are approximately 1,700 BLE members on Amtrak. BLE members have been an important part of Amtrak's past, present and future. These members have kept the railroad running through all of its problems and will continue through its future uncertainty.

Amtrak's financial crunch makes dealing with the railroad difficult, according to General Chairman Mark Kenny.

"The circumstances in dealing with Amtrak are somewhat unique to that of other carriers," said Kenny. "Its quasi-governmental status, continuing funding uncertainties, persistent efforts to reshape the existing system infrastructure of crew bases under the pretense of achieving fiscal stability, having to cope with a decade of hopelessly inadequate manpower staffing levels, and contending with certain carrier officials who leave much to be desired in terms of their ability to manage fairly and effectively are just a some of the issues that routinely make dealing with Amtrak extremely trying.

"Coupled with falling under the near microscopic scrutiny of the General Accounting Office (GAO), Amtrak Reform Council (ARC), the United States Congress, and the American taxpaying public in general, many of whom are more inclined to devise a scheme to dismantle Amtrak rather than finding a viable means to provide dedicated federal funding at levels consistent with an ability to support a national passenger rail system, makes the work of the BLE/Amtrak General Committee that much more challenging.

"The current round of collective bargaining has been frustrated to the point of near impossibility due to Amtrak's extremely poor financial standing and the uncertainty of whether or not federal funding will continue beyond 2002," said Kenny. "Conducting fruitful contract negotiations with Amtrak, whose long-term future is literally hanging in a very delicate balance, and will in all probability take an act of Congress to consummate, is not an effort that is accomplished easily or quickly. At this point Amtrak is certainly not making any overture toward finalizing any contract negotiations without first having a reasonable understanding as to the status and degree of funding that will be afforded in the future, and whether or not there will be an ability to pay for collective bargaining arrangements struck during negotiations. That places the Amtrak GCA at a severe disadvantage in terms of achieving timely collective bargaining initiatives."

Another obstacle faced by the Amtrak GCA is the national scope of Amtrak's operations. Kenny believes that, "given the physical size and scope of the Amtrak system, there is constantly some issue or problem demanding GCA attention."

In addition to General Chairman Kenny, the BLE/Amtrak GCA Executive Committee is comprised of Vice General Chairman C. A. McDowell (Division 47), Secretary-Treasurer M. J. O'Bryan (Division 57), Eastern Regional Chairwoman E. J. Scher (Division 14), Midwest Regional Chairman S. J. Tuck ( Division 17), and Western Regional Chairman D. H. Hansen (Division 51). There are 27 Divisions throughout the U.S. that make up the general committee.

The respective offices of the Amtrak Regional Chairmen are charged with the responsibility of assisting Divisions within territories that essentially divide the United States into three separate areas of jurisdiction.

"The number of issues and expansive nature of the territorial jurisdiction falling under the attention of each of our Regional Chairmen is enormous, but they willingly take that continuing challenge upon themselves and work endlessly to meet and address the needs of our members," Kenny said.

Chairman Kenny also believes the Amtrak committee is extremely fortunate to have a "small army" of dedicated Local Chairmen, Vice Local Chairmen and Division officers who face a daily battle in the field at the local level, and in turn arm the GCA with the factual information and ammunition necessary to make successful arguments with the carrier.

"In many ways, properly handling the business coming before this GCA is nothing less than thoroughly demanding and equally exhaustive, at best," said Kenny. "However, I truly believe that a spirit of unity exists today between our Committee that clearly was not always present in the past. That circumstance gives us a free hand to address the infinitely more important issues concerning the welfare of our members, rather than contending with internal political strife and personal agendas.

"So, despite the fact that at times we have to overcome seemingly endless obstacles in the course of conducting our business with Amtrak, I truly believe that in many respects we are fortunate as a GCA, particularly in terms of our make-up of GCA and Division Officers. It all depends on the way you view your circumstances and how successful you are in terms of turning seemingly negative situations into positive benefits."

While the relationship between BLE General Committee and Amtrak is not perfect, it has improved greatly over the years, according to Kenny.

"We have come a long way in terms of dealing with disciplinary issues on Amtrak property. In the not too distant past, if an Engineer unintentionally ran past a stop signal, dismissal was the only course of action followed," said Kenny. "Today, there is a significantly less egregious approach taken by the carrier in the disciplinary arena. That way of conducting business also extends to other joint labor/management cooperative efforts."

While the BLE's relationship with Amtrak would certainly not be characterized as perfect at the GCA level by Chairman Kenny, he does say that it "has clearly improved over time, and with continuing dialogue generally produces positive results in many instances."

The past 30 years have been ones of tremendous growth for the BLE on Amtrak, and, while the relationship is far from perfect, the men and women of the BLE have made it possible for Amtrak to continue.

Photo caption: Amtrak's AMD-103 Genesis Locomotive Series 800

Continued on Page 7

Back to Fall 2001 Journal

© 2001 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers