OportRailfan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:10 am ~500 employees took the buyout, but it wasn't enough in the company's eyes. Next up: involuntary separations and furloughs. Coming soon, probably during the new fiscal year.I must wonder about what work is not (will not be) accomplished anymore, due to the fact that there are approximately 500 less employees available to perform these tasks.
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jhdeasy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:34 pmWith less than half the service that's currently offered, it's a safe bet that T&E crews will go. What that number could be, I have no idea.OportRailfan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:10 am ~500 employees took the buyout, but it wasn't enough in the company's eyes. Next up: involuntary separations and furloughs. Coming soon, probably during the new fiscal year.I must wonder about what work is not (will not be) accomplished anymore, due to the fact that there are approximately 500 less employees available to perform these tasks.
Probably less than you think. I've heard that there is still a bit of fat that can be cut on the corporate side of Amtrak. With reduced service you will probably see ticket agents, baggage handlers and redcaps go before T&E. The high training and retraining costs might be a deterrent from furloughing too many T&E.
Rockingham Racer wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 2:32 pmSpeaking as someone who works in T&E, I can tell you that I couldn’t disagree with that more.jhdeasy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:34 pmWith less than half the service that's currently offered, it's a safe bet that T&E crews will go. What that number could be, I have no idea.OportRailfan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:10 am ~500 employees took the buyout, but it wasn't enough in the company's eyes. Next up: involuntary separations and furloughs. Coming soon, probably during the new fiscal year.I must wonder about what work is not (will not be) accomplished anymore, due to the fact that there are approximately 500 less employees available to perform these tasks.
Ill second that 8th notch. They spent too much $$$ training and it will cost as much or more to re train us, figure a year to a year and a half to get fully re qualified. Why risk losing that initial investment. Not to say it wont happen but its not a good return on investment.
What happens up there on your property, Mr. Junkie, when there is less work, and the "old heads" want all they can get?
Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?
Enquiring mind wants to know.
Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?
Enquiring mind wants to know.
We are guaranteed 40 hours and that’s it, the union and the company agreed to work together in favor of preventing furloughs (at the beginning of all of this) the Union did not favor furloughs for junior guys in order to keep the senior ones happy. The company cut out all OT as one of the cost savings measures so very few are getting over the required 40 hour guarantee. As RailJunkie said, furloughs are possible but very unlikely for T&E given the costs to retrain furloughed employees. I will even go a step further and mention that several trains are returning back to schedule on the corridor in the near future.
Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:42 pm What happens up there on your property, Mr. Junkie, when there is less work, and the "old heads" want all they can get?Ohh dont worry Mr Norman there are a few at the top of the heap who are crying poverty and cut the list, funny thing is they can retire and make as much or more than they were making pre covid. As one of the old heads I would rather make less and keep everyone employed instead of the top few being greedy. If you aint made it after 40 years your never gonna make it. A old timer once told me "kid learn to live on 40 hours a week someday all that OT will be gone" well he was right and Ive learned to live on 40 hours a week.
Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?
Enquiring mind wants to know.
Seems like the freights could learn from Amtrak. they seem to furlough at the first sign of a downturn .
Moderator worldwide railfan , Rail travel & trip reports
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
David Benton wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:22 am Seems like the freights could learn from Amtrak. they seem to furlough at the first sign of a downturn .Yep, the US Postal Service is going through the same political machinations right now - it’s both a delivery service and an affirmative-action employer. Politically it isn’t allowed to be efficient or really profitable thus allowing UPS and FedEx to skim off the cream, but if USPS loses too much money (or represents a partisan issue, which it really doesn’t but has been smeared as such) it becomes a target. Amtrak seems to have avoided some of that, but only because there isn’t a direct private competitor who wants their cake.
As you hinted, private companies are allowed and encouraged to be ruthless with their employees’ livelihoods.
8th Notch wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:50 am We are guaranteed 40 hours and that’s it..... the Union did not favor furloughs for junior guys in order to keep the senior ones happy.... As RailJunkie said, furloughs are possible but very unlikely for T&E given the.....OK, Messrs. Junkie and Notch, now I get it. Your Agreement (Schedule on some properties) provides for a weekly guarantee of 40hrs.
Now "back in my day", unassigned service such as Pool Freight, did not have a guarantee, but rather a mileage regulation provision. If requirements of service resulted in, say, the pool earning too many (4K being a number I recall) miles, well it's time for some recalling/hiring. Go the other way, say 2500, and it's time for some "whacking".
But I can certainly understand, with the FRA constantly dreaming up new ways to run the railroad, that it is in both side's interest to "keep men on" even if there really isn't as much work to justify the head count. It's up to your Representatives (LC's) to keep the "old heads", who'd just as soon "live in the cab", in place (nevermind more duespayers around).
Gil Norman wrote:
"Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?"
There are no "mileage regulation" provisions that I can recall in the Amtrak agreement for engineers (or conductors).
No T&E employee on Amtrak gets paid on "mileage".
It's been an "8-hour day" with overtime since January 1, 1983.
- J. Albert
"Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?"
There are no "mileage regulation" provisions that I can recall in the Amtrak agreement for engineers (or conductors).
No T&E employee on Amtrak gets paid on "mileage".
It's been an "8-hour day" with overtime since January 1, 1983.
- J. Albert
Fishrrman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:00 pm Gil Norman wrote:If I remember correctly, FRA dictates daily maximums of service for train employees in terms of hours -- you have trains halted until crews that ran out of "FRA time" are swapped out. I would guess that it's all "hours" and not "milage".
"Doesn't your Agreement have a mileage regulation provision (or possibly hours since that is your pay basis) where if some holding seniority are not getting sufficient miles (hours), someone needs to be "whacked"?"
There are no "mileage regulation" provisions that I can recall in the Amtrak agreement for engineers (or conductors).
No T&E employee on Amtrak gets paid on "mileage".
It's been an "8-hour day" with overtime since January 1, 1983.
Mr. Wolf. the Federal Hours of Service law (HOS, possibly a "railfanese" acronym, as I never heard it during my time) provides that Train and Engine crews - Freight, Passenger, Yard - may only be on duty for twelve continuous hours. After twelve hours they are deemed, "dead", "outlawed", "expired" (I heard a story on my road when a young newly hired clerk heard that "the crew died", she went into "canniptions").
Now a major exception (and the only one I know) to that "hard and fast" rule is called "short rest" or a "respite". This is where a crew has used part of their twelve hours, they can be directed to mark off, be provided "suitable lodging" (generally defined as a single room at a major chainn"econobrand" level hotel), be called between four and eleven hours later, and be "fresh" for the remainder of their time. Ovrrtime could apply, so it could be cheaper just to "start the clock again" with a new "day".
Now a major exception (and the only one I know) to that "hard and fast" rule is called "short rest" or a "respite". This is where a crew has used part of their twelve hours, they can be directed to mark off, be provided "suitable lodging" (generally defined as a single room at a major chainn"econobrand" level hotel), be called between four and eleven hours later, and be "fresh" for the remainder of their time. Ovrrtime could apply, so it could be cheaper just to "start the clock again" with a new "day".