Amtrak Crew Base Question

[the_traveler]

The AT was set us with a different contract with the union, and still is. It is like it’s a separate company within a company.

 

[Siegmund]

Makes some sense in that its endpoints are different than all the other trains... otherwise youd have people 2 hours the wrong side of DC trying to get to Lorton, if it were one base.

Perhaps the Auto Train extra board is not so bad as a Chicago/DC/NY extra board, in that you know exactly what time the only train in town is going to leave each day? Almost like not being on call at all, if you just have to be available a certain time each afternoon, rather than be on 2 hours notice all day long.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Perhaps the Auto Train extra board is not so bad as a Chicago/DC/NY extra board, in that you know exactly what time the only train in town is going to leave each day? Almost like not being on call at all, if you just have to be available a certain time each afternoon, rather than be on 2 hours notice all day long.

That's one way of looking at it although some people can't adapt, resulting in high turnover in the first year. Still, it depends on the craft.  The plan above may work for OBS crew members but T&E members and mechanical wouldn't be off the hook that easily. 

A lot can happen after the train departs.

 

[Triley]

Why is the Auto Train so separate from the rest of the system? I know that it has its own special lounge cars, Deluxe Sleepers, and of course Auto Racks, but other than that, it’s pretty much a standard Superliner train when it comes to the overall onboard experience and service. 

And the crew rotates thorough job positions. They don't do JUST a cafe job. They'll do a cafe one trip, work a sleeper the next, etc. Or so I've been told.

 

[railiner]

Why is the Auto Train so separate from the rest of the system? I know that it has its own special lounge cars, Deluxe Sleepers, and of course Auto Racks, but other than that, it’s pretty much a standard Superliner train when it comes to the overall onboard experience and service. 

And the crew rotates thorough job positions. They don't do JUST a cafe job. They'll do a cafe one trip, work a sleeper the next, etc. Or so I've been told.

That can be either good or bad...you get some variety in your work life to somewhat relieve the boredom of a repetitious job, and perhaps greater job satisfaction as a result.

But on the other hand, you may get a particular job that you don't enjoy on one cycle...

It would be interesting to hear the opinion's of someone that has experienced working OBS on both AT and elsewhere in the system long enough for a fair comparison...

 

[PVD]

Without knowing for sure what the Railway Labor Act provisions provided for, consider that the AT was a privately owned operation, not a legacy operation of a freight railroad. 

 

[Seaboard92]

I will say at first I hated working dining cars at the beginning because I always was stuck passenger facing. But recently I pulled a kitchen shift. It's my favorite thing to bid on now. If give. The choice between making PV beds and doing kitchen I'll take kitchen every day