As far as I can tell, Coach Attendant is the easiest job on LD Trains, hanging out in the Cafe, Diner or Transdorm during duty hours is not doing their job!!
It's probably the lowest paid in wages and tips as well.
No doubt about it, there are people who, when lightly supervised, will proceed to goof off and hang out with friends instead of doing their damn job. I've worked retail, I've worked blue collar, and I've worked white collar. I feel like some of the people who are quickest to jump on their high horse would not be very pleased if a 1950's efficiency expert arrived through a time warp timed their "productive" hours. Plenty of research has been done on white collar workers, for example, and there is no such beast who works 8 or 10 or 12 hours straight producing awesome work. They are slacking off for some of those hours and if they are not (say, they work for EA) they are making so many mistakes that they and their unit are less efficient than the slackers! On the other hand, a blue collar laborer who works for 8 or 10 or 12 is literally putting their shoulder into it well over 90% of that time. It does so happen that the human body has to stop to pee and drink water, also possibly seek nourishment, though I have met blue collar workers who failed to do these things. They died early from kidney failure, diabetes, etc. Car attendant is somewhere between blue collar and service work, but it's not normal service work. They do indeed work kooky hours and have to pace themselves.
Most workers in the USA (there are some exceptions) are entitled to a ten or fifteen every four hours, and most of those workers get to take that break in a lounge away from the public, but Amtrak workers have to take their break--and do their reams of paperwork, which is not, in fact, a break--right under the public's nose, which causes endless friction. That's why every service job employer I ever had provided a break room out of the way. Not because management loved us but to avoid looking bad in front of customers.
I think the bag/dorm purchase was motivated by trying to avoid this natural friction. I think they have had to cut back on the order, though.
