Passenger Trains > More AMTK labor woes -- 4 Cap. Corridor trains axed thru Oct

Effective August 15, 2022, Capitol Corridor trains will offer a temporary reduced schedule of nine daily round trips. This temporary service reduction is necessary due to workforce shortages that make it challenging for us to offer our full schedule at this time.

The trains that will be affected by this change are 540, 543, 548 and 549, which will be suspended during this time. This change will be in effect through October 2, 2022. These schedule changes are available on our website at capitolcorridor.org/schedules now.

We look forward to reinstating the suspended trains in early October once additional staff is available to support the schedule. Thank you for your continued patronage.

-Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/22 05:41 by Dcmcrider.

WHY NOW??

COVID is declining again (the uptick caused by the "new variant" touted by fearmongers such as Fauci has leveled off and in my area in Northern California has downturned). Allegedly Amtrak is hiring with bonuses. It could be that other employers are hiring too, and employees are fleeing from dysfunctional organizations.

Not to be simpleton but summer vacations?  I'd think better to reduce scheule to one they can likely keep rather than cancelling trains at last minute?

Bob

Amtrak appears to be setting the expectation that "all will be well" in October. Return of the daily Crescent and City of New Orleans, plus the resumption of the Silver Meteor. We'll see... 

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

There's also the planned return of one Seattle-Vancouver BC Cascades round trip, apparently morning up, evening back, moved up from December after well-publicized complaints from the Washington and Oregon DOTs and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WHY NOW??
>
> COVID is declining again (the uptick caused by the
> "new variant" touted by fearmongers such as Fauci
> has leveled off and in my area in Northern
> California has downturned). Allegedly Amtrak is
> hiring with bonuses. It could be that other
> employers are hiring too, and employees are
> fleeing from dysfunctional organizations.

I had a conversation recently with a high-ranking Amtrak Operations Manager who stated that while they are aggressively recruiting new employees (including holding regional 'Hiring Fairs' & offering generous bonuses), the effective final hire rate is only 5 - 10% of all the offers they make due to the drug testing requirement.

Thus, if they make job offers to 100 prospective employees from a Hiring Fair event, all of whom sincerely want to work for Amtrak, only 5 to 10 of the prospects pass the drug test and can be actually hired!

This is NOT an Amtrak problem...this is a societal problem!

Maybe if they paid better with better working conditions they could attract a better quality of applicant?  No idea how a young person could make ends meet on working class wages in Nor Cal. 

sphogger

Typical example of Gardner and his cronies trying to sabotage the Long Distance network. Anything for the corridors at the expense of Long Distance. 

90 to 95% of applicants failing drug screens has wildly different meanings to different generations.
To teens it sounds like a continuing vacation from life and work so no problem taking drugs and feeling good with your friends.
So they get, and likely stay, hooked.
To adults it sounds like massive failures of parenting, role models, and leadership.

railstiesballast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 90 to 95% of applicants failing drug screens has
> wildly different meanings to different
> generations.
> To teens it sounds like a continuing vacation from
> life and work so no problem taking drugs and
> feeling good with your friends.
> So they get, and likely stay, hooked.
> To adults it sounds like massive failures of
> parenting, role models, and leadership.

Many states have legalized marijuana and it’s becoming more socially acceptable and widespread but because it remains federally illegal and current laws for these types of jobs are zero tolerance - IE if you have a smidgeon of pot - no hire. The federal government is probably going to have to change with the times. Put a program in place to sunset the federal ban and in the meantime research technology to detect recent usage and impairment like we do with breathlyzer tests for alcohol. Then the zero tolerance tests can be relaxed which would help immensely.

SPC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Typical example of Gardner and his cronies trying
> to sabotage the Long Distance network. Anything
> for the corridors at the expense of Long
> Distance. 

The Capital Corridor is a state supported corridor you clown.

Posted from iPhone

lordsigma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> railstiesballast Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 90 to 95% of applicants failing drug screens
> has
> > wildly different meanings to different
> > generations.
> > To teens it sounds like a continuing vacation
> from
> > life and work so no problem taking drugs and
> > feeling good with your friends.
> > So they get, and likely stay, hooked.
> > To adults it sounds like massive failures of
> > parenting, role models, and leadership.
>
> Many states have legalized marijuana and it’s
> becoming more socially acceptable and widespread
> but because it remains federally illegal and
> current laws for these types of jobs are zero
> tolerance - IE if you have a smidgeon of pot - no
> hire. The federal government is probably going to
> have to change with the times. Put a program in
> place to sunset the federal ban and in the
> meantime research technology to detect recent
> usage and impairment like we do with breathlyzer
> tests for alcohol. Then the zero tolerance tests
> can be relaxed which would help immensely.

good luck allowing any marijuana in your system while performing "safety sensitive" positions (railroaders, pilots, etc.).  i just don't see it happening........

66

Wolverine350 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SPC Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Typical example of Gardner and his cronies
> trying
> > to sabotage the Long Distance network. Anything
> > for the corridors at the expense of Long
> > Distance. 
>
> The Capital Corridor is a state supported corridor
> you (inappropriate insult deleted).

===============================

It is a State supported corridor but the operating employees on the trains work for the contractor, Amtrak. I don't think it's a shortage of clerical staff, janitors and building maintenance at the offices of the Capitol Corridor/BART that forced this.

FAILURE TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL.

... and Amtrak will not be paid for running those trains.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/22 11:19 by GenePoon.

I would argue that it’s clowns who fail to see satire.


> The Capital Corridor is a state supported corridor
> you clown.
>
> Posted from iPhone

I find the passenger board can get "touchy" at times. I have never posted anything in a passenger thread before I believe but here goes. There are 3 Union Pacific Engineers in the Roseville Sevice unit that have had enough of the UP and are going over to Amtrak including one that Fired for me years ago. They go through the Amtrak simulator on the east coast and rules and will come back to Sacramento or Oakland I assume, whatever their seniority can hold. I don't know anything about Trainman, but I was told that could be happening also. This is not the first time this has happened here.

Is it 6 weeks of training ? 

A quick glance at Amtrak jobs board shows they are actively hiring LSAs, coach cleaners, electricians, machinists, carmen, pipefitters, and sheet metal workers in Oakland. Sign-on bonuses up to $12,500 for the mechanical trades. The mechanical listings specifically mention that Class 1 experience will give applicants a shot at the higher bonus levels.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A quick glance at Amtrak jobs board shows they are
> actively hiring LSAs, coach cleaners,
> electricians, machinists, carmen, pipefitters, and
> sheet metal workers in Oakland. Sign-on bonuses up
> to $12,500 for the mechanical trades. The
> mechanical listings specifically mention that
> Class 1 experience will give applicants a shot at
> the higher bonus levels.

That's a good link, thank you.  Hiring people with class 1 experience will attract people who know the drill on use of regulated substances, railroad work schedules, etc.

Many occupations, not just rail, face employees who demand to set their own work schedules, pay levels, etc.  Right now, there's a demand for workers in many areas which exceeds the supply of interested workers.  Deal with it, or do without...

The CC has gone from  being great to being very mediocre.  Lots and lots  and lots of trains with 1+ hr. long delays.  And it keeps increasing.  Mostly due to "fire department / police department activity" along the right-of-way, as well lots of "abandoned car on rail" incidents.

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> good luck allowing any marijuana in your system
> while performing "safety sensitive" positions
> (railroaders, pilots, etc.).  i just don't see it
> happening........
>
> 66

Nor do I. When I hear that railroads or Amtrak have problems hiring people who can pass the drug screen, I am unfortunately not the least bit surprised. It is extremely plausible to me. And to somehow say that this demonstrates management antipathy to the long-distance trains is absolutely ludicrous.

This all could have been foreseen, and easily. As I have moved around the country with my career and then into retirement, I have lived in two states (Colorado and Michigan) which held elections on recreational marijuana while I was a resident. Both unfortunately passed.

I thought it was huge mistake in both cases, and I was not shy about my opinions with family, friends and co-workers. My opposition was moral at a personal level, but at the civic level for any other voter, it was centered on the effects on the workforce. Time and again in discussing the issue, I mentioned the effects that legalization could have on hiring for all kinds of safety-sensitive positions, and good-paying jobs with good benefits that go with them. Many people I spoke to admitted that they had not given any thought to that fact.

And that's not to mention many other jobs without a technical, legally-regulated drug test requirement, but where an employer has a drug-free work and testing requirement for an entirely legitimate reason. Often it's because their lawyers or insurance carriers insist on it for safety and reduction of liability. And yes, because an employer genuinely cares about the safety of their employees. I have found that this is true particularly in many manufacturing environments. Having worked in manufacturing project management at the end of my career, and near a factory floor with many potential hazards, this made all the sense in the world to me.

We are now paying, and will pay further, and deeply, the price for this foolhardy excursion into legalized pot. It all could have been avoided with just a little common sense by voters, and some spine by politicians (difficult as both can be to find at any time).

MC