One of my daughters just said (she will not be taking Amtrak for a long time)

[me_little_me]

They are responsible for the contract that sets the structure by which employees are managed, disciplined, etc.

TWU values seniority over service and as such sets the tone and culture by which old staff who play the grievance system are the example and those who try to do right by the passenger are the exception. They bargain primarily for more money and rules that work in the interests of preserving the Union.

AFA, on the other hand, is a union focused on enhancing the profession of being a Flight Attendant. Yes, they fight for better wages and working conditions...but a lot of those are safety focused as part of the air travel experience. They partner with the airlines to keep air travel safe for their members and the customers they serve.

And what does that have to do with managing the employee?It is Amtrak management that has the authority to hire, fire, discipline, counsel and direct the actions of employees in accordance with the contract. That's their JOB!

The purpose of the union is to protect the employees. If employees use tricks or false claims, then it usually means managers were too lazy or didn't care enough to do things right.

I know an employee at my former company who was going to be fired - and more than deserved it. He told his boss that he'd never get another job and pleaded for a good evaluation and reference and in turn he would resign. The stupid manager was too lazy to do the right thing and did what he was asked, writing a glowing evaluation. The employee took the paperwork and said "Now try and fire me!" and would not resign.

 

[west point]

May be that no flights Richmond <> DCA is due to no slots available. Airlines want longer routes if they are limited in number of slots.

 

[jis]

May be that no flights Richmond <> DCA is due to no slots available. Airlines want longer routes if they are limited in number of slots.

Yep. And I bet the UA Richmod - IAD flight is mostly for connecting traffic at UA hub and not for O/D traffic.

 

[neroden]

They are responsible for the contract that sets the structure by which employees are managed, disciplined, etc.

TWU values seniority over service and as such sets the tone and culture by which old staff who play the grievance system are the example and those who try to do right by the passenger are the exception. They bargain primarily for more money and rules that work in the interests of preserving the Union.

Each union local seems to have different culture. In most cities, the TWU locals have actually been pretty decent though NYC has problems.

The "Railway Unions" for FRA-regulated railways, which are balkanized and divided by "craft", are consistently worse than the TWU. Even there it depends on which local, however. Several of the LIRR union locals are *infamous* for supporting thieving, lollygagging, featherbedding, etc. All of the Metro-North ones are basically OK.

 

[bms]

I am not sure if Megabus stops in Richmond but if it does it will be at a street corner. The drivers for Megabus are part of an independent union after being Teamsters for a few years, instead of ATU as is Greyhound. I am not sure about Megabus maintenance and such, and I am not sure how their wage rates compare to Greyhound. Megabus seems low for wages when I read a few articles from a few years ago trying to learn more about them.

Megabus service has been cut back drastically since the pandemic, but it looks like Richmond still has a couple of buses.

 

[andytiedye]

Rude airline employees?...