Amtrak workers fed up too...

[cpotisch]

During my stint as an Amtrak SCA, the typical day went something like this on 58.

1100 - report to work; briefings, etc

1130 - crew van takes us out to the train in the yard

1135 to 1400 (train departed at 1345)- help load supplies on board, starting unpacking the crates full condiments, start getting the tables set up, etc

1400 to 1630 - they’d generally let us go in our room until we had to report back to the diner before dinner.

1700 to 2030 (or so): dinner service, sometimes not constantly busy, sometimes so busy you can barely keep up. The random broken dumb waiters on certain cars made it all the more interesting.

2030 to 2130 - post meal cleanup, prep tables etc for breakfast

2130 to 0500 - sleep time

0530 - report back to diner

0600-0745 - breakfast

0745- 0900 - start cleaning and packing up all items in the diner, *had* to be ready to unload everything once you got to

Chicago. Upon arrival help chef unload items.

0930 - with any luck you’d be able to catch a van around 930 or 10 to the crew hotel.

1000-1730 - layover at hotel

1800 - back to station to report to work

And of course there was no alternate crew if the train was running hours later. If you get to Chicago so late whereas you’d only have a three hour layover, so be it, you’d just hang in the crew lounge, pound energy drinks, and go right back that night.

Sorry, if you were an SCA, why were you working the diner?

 

[Skyline]

During my stint as an Amtrak SCA, the typical day went something like this on 58.

1100 - report to work; briefings, etc

1130 - crew van takes us out to the train in the yard

1135 to 1400 (train departed at 1345)- help load supplies on board, starting unpacking the crates full condiments, start getting the tables set up, etc

1400 to 1630 - they’d generally let us go in our room until we had to report back to the diner before dinner.

1700 to 2030 (or so): dinner service, sometimes not constantly busy, sometimes so busy you can barely keep up. The random broken dumb waiters on certain cars made it all the more interesting.

2030 to 2130 - post meal cleanup, prep tables etc for breakfast

2130 to 0500 - sleep time

0530 - report back to diner

0600-0745 - breakfast

0745- 0900 - start cleaning and packing up all items in the diner, *had* to be ready to unload everything once you got to

Chicago. Upon arrival help chef unload items.

0930 - with any luck you’d be able to catch a van around 930 or 10 to the crew hotel.

1000-1730 - layover at hotel

1800 - back to station to report to work

And of course there was no alternate crew if the train was running hours later. If you get to Chicago so late whereas you’d only have a three hour layover, so be it, you’d just hang in the crew lounge, pound energy drinks, and go right back that night.

Sorry, if you were an SCA, why were you working the diner?

NativeSon can elaborate, but I think strict job classifications of onboard staff is a thing of the past. The polite term is "cross-training." The reality is exploitation.

 

[NativeSon5859]

Sorry I was thinking about SA (service attendant). But I also worked sleepers and coaches on 58 and 20. If you didn’t have enough seniority to hold a regular line, everyone worked everything. This was about five years ago.

 

[NativeSon5859]

On my very first trip as a trainee on 20, we were 14 hours late into NYP. Got there at 0430. In hotel room at 0500. Had to report back at noon to go back to NOL. I presumed incorrectly there would be an alternate crew to take 19 out since we were so late.