Amtrak Guest Rewards - Possible Amtrak strike - Jan 31, 2008

http://wcbstv.com/local/amtrak.strike.penn.2.623628.html

Official: Amtrak Strike Would Close Penn Station
Workers May Walk Out As Early As Jan. 30 At 12:01 a.m.

Amtrak workers are threatening to strike. The railroad and its unions are struggling to reach new labor agreements. Workers could walk off the job at the end of January.

If that happens, rail lines across the country could be crippled, and Penn Station in Manhattan would be forced to close.

Heard about this on the news the other day - can't believe it hasn't been posted here yet, but I searched 'strike' here and 'Amtrak strike' at Newsstand and didn't get anything...(mod, please merge if I missed it, of course!)

This has been developing gradually for some time. NARP hotline postings since October detail the progress of the situation (http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline). The NARP site is a good place to read to keep up on political issues affecting Amtrak commuters.

An executive summary of the National Mediation Board's report from the end of December is posted at http://www.pennfedbmwe.org/amtrak.contract.campaign/peb.summary.pdf . The full report has been posted officially, at http://www.nmb.gov/mediation/peb242report.pdf . But I'm not sure why there's no link on the National Mediation Board website.

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=21488

Pretty good discussion over here. Hope they can come to some sort of agreement, it would really suck for it to ruin a California Zephyr trip with all my friends.

I hope that the workers realize that they work for a fragile system that cannot take prolonged shutdowns.

I am travelling on Amtrak this week for work (quick 400 miles trip there and back) and want to take a trip this Spring (long-haul with the family). However, will hold off on the long trip until I see the outcome of this situation.

I hope that the workers realize that they work for a fragile system that cannot take prolonged shutdowns.


One would also hope that Amtrak management is aware of this as well.

A reading of the report linked by dpb above is instructive: The members of the board were appointed by President Bush, hardly a pro-labor advocate, and yet the report firmly endorses the workers position that they should receive pay increases, since these organizations have not had a contract agreement since 1999. It also lays most of the blame for this on Amtrak, not the organizations. Again, very surprising that a Bush-appointed board would side so strongly with the unions.

In any event, I expect that negotiations will continue, using this report as a basis for a settlement. A strike is unlikely, since even if either side wanted to provoke a strike, it would last about 15 minutes before Congress would legislate a settlement under the Railway Labor Act, probably imposing the terms of this report. The impact of an Amtrak strike on commuter operations in the northeast alone would be sufficient reason to legislate a settlement.

Daze,

I agree that Amtrak should negotiate in good faith, as well. However, with the economic climate, loss of union power, and the potential that a strike could terminate Amtrak's viability (at least outside the NE corridor) - the employees have a lot more to lose than Amtrak.

The results of the NWA Mechanics union strike probably reinforce the power that transportation companies have over their unions right now.

Ultimately, people should be paid what their job is worth - not what tenure, union backing, etc think a job should be paid. Many union jobs are out of whack with the "real" market and that causes companies that have unionized labor to be at an operational disadvantage (see Big 3 automakers).

Daze,

I agree that Amtrak should negotiate in good faith, as well. However, with the economic climate, loss of union power, and the potential that a strike could terminate Amtrak's viability (at least outside the NE corridor) - the employees have a lot more to lose than Amtrak.

The results of the NWA Mechanics union strike probably reinforce the power that transportation companies have over their unions right now.

Ultimately, people should be paid what their job is worth - not what tenure, union backing, etc think a job should be paid. Many union jobs are out of whack with the "real" market and that causes companies that have unionized labor to be at an operational disadvantage (see Big 3 automakers).

I posted to provide you with some factual information to use in planning your trip--you seemed to be reluctant to do so based on your fear of a strike. I think you could go ahead and book a trip since the probability of a strike is low.

If my pointing out that the PEB was pro-labor has aroused your anti-union feelings, I would like to point out that that was NOT my intent. Since FT has many pro-union and many anti-union posters, I'm not interested in lighting off yet another endless circular argument on the good and bad of organized labor.

I do, however, hope that you will book that long distance trip for your family and have a great time.

Well it looks as though everyone's travel plans are safe.

Amtrak and nine of its unions have reached a tentative contract agreement, according to industry experts, and plan to announce the settlement on Friday. A strike would have shut down Pennsylvania Station as well as cross-country trains and commuter service in California and the Chicago area

The full story from the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/nyregion/18amtrak.html?_r=3&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin).