Nostalgia & History > Getting dismissed from Amtrak in 1981

Reading about poor Stephen Gardner, I have to relate a personal story.  I was working at the headquarters of Amtrak at 400 N. Capitol in 1981.  Amtrak was under pressure to cut expenses.  So, on a Friday I cameto work and the boss called me in at 8:30 a.m. and said:  You have been a good employee, but Amtrak today is eliminating over 100 people from the company today.  Therefore, here is your letter of termination.  I need your Amtrak travel card.  I need your expense fund cash.  Etc.   I was then marched to my desk where I cleaned out my desk of my personal belongings.  My computer access was terminated.  I was provided with a computer paper box for my belongings, and then shown the door.  

I descended to the ground floor and went out on to the plaza in front of the Amtrak building.  Here were at least 75 people in the same situation as me.  Holding a box of their personal belongings.  People crying.  I was part of a car pool, so I took the subway and bus to my home in northern Virginia.  I admit that I was stunned because it was all so sudden.  Only the big boss of my department knew the plan.  Even he was very kind to me with his words.  I was a big angry because I was performing necessary work regarding fraud by on-board personnel, conductors, commisaries, station agents, etc.  

I did have union seniority in the UTU as a dining car steward, so I could go back to Chicago and simply bump into steward board.  

Now the funny ironic ending:  On the Tuesday following, my immediate boss called me and said:  Mike, I am hiring you back as a consultant, with the same job duties.  What?  Yes, they had to lower Amtrak's employee head count by 150 last Friday.  But now you won't be listed as an employee......  And so after a few days of negotiation, I was back to work.  And about six months later I was "rehired."  

Things change and things stay the same. Story could be 2025.

Bob

Posted from Android

Good story, good outcome.

Been there done that in both directions. Into a company as a consultant, then hired. Years later dumped and hired back as a consultant. Dumb as all heck but I was employed. I worked for that company as a direct hire twice and as a consultant 4 times, once for an 8 year stretch when management wanted all consultants gone, they hired me as they actually needed me. Other consulting jobs held me in between. What a rat race. I've been a direct hire in this company 19 years. Started as a Pump Jockey in a service station and mostly been an electrical engineer after a vacation with my Uncle Sam, Next move would be retirement. Then consult with them as needed!
Gonut

Gee whiz, what a frustrating story. Probably typical of a lot of $#!+ that is going on right now. Good to hear that you came out of that situation in a good position… 🤓

Posted from iPhone

So I take it as a consultant you had to pay for your own health insurance, travel, withhold taxes, etc. Did they pay more money while you were a consultant? They just provided a 1099?

Victor Baird



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/25 09:50 by wabash2800.

                  Lots of talk about being laid off, especially in government jobs currently and it seems many cannot or maybe won't document what they do every day. That documentation sometimes saves the job but apparently none or few want to do it. That always results in " tough, hit the door" responces. AT least they were given the chance.
                  I was laid off 15 years ago by by a superintdant and my manager in 5 minutes and neither knew me nor knew what I did and did not care. Big boohoo boys and girls. Todays mis management does NOT care nor do they know and it only gets worse, Leave the morons in whatever job that is and get on with other work. The higher ups will usually come along SOON and fire those morons.

                 And NO, Amtrak is NOT going to get better.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/25 05:36 by dcfbalcoS1.

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>                   Lots of talk about
> being laid off, especially in government jobs
> currently and it seems many cannot or maybe won't
> document what they do every day. That
> documentation sometimes saves the job but
> apparently none or few want to do it. That always
> results in " tough, hit the door" responces. AT
> least they were given the chance.
>                   I was laid off 15 years
> ago by by a superintdant and my manager in 5
> minutes and neither knew me nor knew what I did
> and did not care. Big boohoo boys and girls.
> Todays mis management does NOT care nor do they
> know and it only gets worse, Leave the morons in
> whatever job that is and get on with other work.
> The higher ups will usually come along SOON and
> fire those morons.

The world is full of bosses who don't know what their people actually do, for good and bad.  That becomes especially obvious when they lay off technical people who set up or maintain systems, or are the trusted conduit to customers, keep suppliers happy, etc.

That's when many just-fired folks become much higher paid consultants to the same firm

Often that means the manager doesn't do anything and should be the one let go. I worked for a guy that was brought in by the owner of the company. He sat at his desk most of the time, and if one of my subordinates screwed up, he would chew me out with four-letter words. But he was supposed to be a Christian...LOL

Of course, if you become an independent contractor, you have to pay your own insurance and withhold your own taxes. Hopefully, the higher rate of pay will cover that plus a little extra to put into a retirement nest egg. Some employers think they can get by on the cheap by setting someone up as an independent contractor. But the IRS has criteria to determine if that individual is an independent contractor or really an employee. If they determine that individual is really an employee on the cheap, fines and back taxes will be forthcoming from the employer. 

Victor Baird


Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>> The world is full of bosses who don't know what
> their people actually do, for good and bad. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/25 07:08 by wabash2800.