Passenger Trains > Long Distance back to Tri-Weekly

Good possibility that the long-distance trains will revert to triweekly for lack of OBS and T&E crews. Most trains leaving with less than adequate crews or no LSA for cafe corridor service.

Posted from iPhone

realistic Wrote:
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> Good possibility that the long-distance trains
> will revert to triweekly for lack of OBS and T&E
> crews. Most trains leaving with less than adequate
> crews or no LSA for cafe corridor service.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Source?

No Amtrak is required trains daily since trains are sold out

Posted from iPhone

Heard this on a conference call a couple weeks back. Reason given was about 40% to 50% of T&E are refusing to get vaccinated by Amtrak's November 22nd deadline.

Those who do not get vaccinated or get a religious exemption (which must be reviewed by a panel) will be terminated by that date. Health concerns due to pre existing conditions also not an excuse for Amtrak. Don't kill the messenger.

Posted from Android

Source - staff. If there’s no employees available then there’s no service regardless of funding. They have their “Help Wanted” signs up, but no takers. Trains could leave as all coach without OBS if you really want your daily service requirement!

Posted from iPhone

The NEC and other corridor cuts would occur also. Why no discussion about that ? 

I find this whole thread implausible.  Amtrak is paying good wages and full benefits.  ;

And Amtrak personnel is NOT doing their job.  

The trains must not revert to tri-weakly.  That is Stephen Gardner laughing sickly.................  

If Congress and White House have to intervene to force daily service, so much the better.  

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Heard this on a conference call a couple weeks
> back. Reason given was about 40% to 50% of T&E are
> refusing to get vaccinated by Amtrak's November
> 22nd deadline.

If those numbers are correct, they are significantly higher than employees opposed to vaccination in health care, airlines and law enforcement, to name but a few industries in which there have been some vaccine mandates. In most of those cases the employees not willing to get vaccinated have been in the single-digit percentage range, which is obviously nowhere near half.

MP403 Wrote:
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> If those numbers are correct, they are
> significantly higher than employees opposed to
> vaccination in health care, airlines and law
> enforcement, to name...

That's exactly what I was thinking.  Those numbers would be hugely disproportionate to other industries that have similar mandates.  Most of those are in the very low single digit percentages for those who actually refuse at the end.  Maybe 40-50% are claiming it now, but when you get to Nov 22, I suspect the numbers will fall in line with similar industries.

 

Regardless of high wages and decent benefits, if you can’t find people who want to work on a train AND pass their drug test, you have nobody.

Amtrak people are doing their jobs, the ones they have.

Congress and/or the White House don’t give a rat’s ass about Amtrak or daily service!

Posted from iPhone

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Those who do not get vaccinated or get a religious
> exemption (which must be reviewed by a panel) will
> be terminated by that date. Health concerns due to
> pre existing conditions also not an excuse for
> Amtrak. Don't kill the messenger.

This would be a good time to hire on. Talk about a seniority move!

Agreed. However if Amtrak loses 10% to 15% of the already thin workforce, it would make a bad situation worse.

No one wants to work anymore, and like mentioned above many people interviewed can't pass a drug test.



NDHolmes Wrote:
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> MP403 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If those numbers are correct, they are
> > significantly higher than employees opposed to
> > vaccination in health care, airlines and law
> > enforcement, to name...
>
> That's exactly what I was thinking.  Those
> numbers would be hugely disproportionate to other
> industries that have similar mandates.  Most of
> those are in the very low single digit percentages
> for those who actually refuse at the end.  Maybe
> 40-50% are claiming it now, but when you get to
> Nov 22, I suspect the numbers will fall in line
> with similar industries.
>
>  

Posted from Android

Are the unions doing what they can to:
1. Urge their members to get vaccinated and protect their health and their families?
2. Resist vaccinations in order to inflict pain on management?
 

With all the "ppl dont want to work anymore"...Im wondering how all these ppl are getting by.   Living in tents and growing their own vegetables?

As for tri-weekly... I dont see that happening.   SOOOO many ppl have gotten the vax with good results.   The hold outs are slowly but surely realizing that its going to help them and not kill them.   Most of the ppl at the airlines finally got the vax when the deadlines approached.

An Amtrak source told me this week that approximately 1% of the engineers are so far refusing to get vaccinated.  That is a similar percent that airlines have reported.  In Amtrak's case, this amounts to 16 engineers.  I don't know about the rest of the crew members but I assume it's the same.  No one is going to give up a well paying job with Amtrak to dispute a mandate.  By the deadline of November 22, the number of anti-vaccinators will drop in line with other groups such as the airlines. 

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Heard this on a conference call a couple weeks
> back. Reason given was about 40% to 50% of T&E are
> refusing to get vaccinated by Amtrak's November
> 22nd deadline.
>
> Those who do not get vaccinated or get a religious
> exemption (which must be reviewed by a panel) will
> be terminated by that date. Health concerns due to
> pre existing conditions also not an excuse for
> Amtrak. Don't kill the messenger.
>
> Posted from Android

"No one is going to give up a well paying job with Amtrak to dispute a mandate."

You may be surprised on that one.  I would not be at all shocked to see a very small number (probably can count on one hand) hold out, taking the gamble they'll get fired, file a lawsuit (or join a class action), wait months or years for the court cases to drag out, and hope to be reinstated with back pay when it's all said and done.  And likely won't give a darn whether they end up vaccinated or not...

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/21 10:34 by ShortlinesUSA.

realistic Wrote:
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>
> Congress and/or the White House don’t give a
> rat’s ass about Amtrak or daily service!

Hmmm....didn't Congress pass the American Recovery Plan earlier this year which specifically directed (and funded) Amtrak to restore daily frequencies that existed pre-pandemic.  Seems that they did give a rat's ass.

Dave

Let it fart and fall, that's what Amtrak and some on here want. Back to Conistoga wagons for all!

Thanksgiving planning is upon us.  Will demand require extra cars or extra  trains, that was a long term service expansion prior to 2020.  Remember the special Thanksgiving timetables.

If so many railroaders do not want to work, maybe need to bring in from other nations, who would appreciate the wages.

For OBS some retired from the Pullman of Mexico, may be ready to provide the level of service they were trained and provided until the 1990's

Now smile!

We can all laugh and cry at the same time on the staffing issues.

 

I saw LA sheriff will not enforce mandate so there is some resistance. 
The problem I see is you can force people to do something and even if they should be thankful they probably are not and now become stronger in their resistance and resentment.

For Amtrak-
There may be some increased retirements. 

As far as recruitment not sure how attractive Amtrak is perceived as a career, pay, working conditions etc. 
What is your future look like especially if you read forums like here or think about the future of long distance travel by train. 

Little doubt there is competition for employees today maybe not seen for a while.
Not saying there will be a 3 train a week  but there could be problems.

Just in general I was reading about Singapore with 80 pct plus vaccinated and they are seeing increases in cases maybe not too serious.
Here the booster has been pushed back but the administration push is still there and then a booster mandate could not be far behind esp if cases still run high.

Bob

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/21 11:39 by robj.