BLET National President Mark Wallace and Amtrak General Chairman Pat Darcy recently represented the union at a meeting of Amtrak’s Executive Leadership where a proposed restructuring of the national passenger railroad was discussed.
In February, the Rail Passengers Association revealed that the Federal Railroad Administration had directed Amtrak to undertake a dramatic organizational restructuring, breaking itself into three distinct operational entities within an umbrella holding company, focusing on operations, rolling stock management and leasing, and infrastructure management and construction.
Although many details remain unclear, the concern among Rail Labor is that a restructuring could lead to the privatization of Amtrak and the elimination of worker protections provided by collective bargaining agreements. There are approximately 18,000 union workers at Amtrak, including more than 1,400 locomotive engineers.
In the meeting with Amtrak, President Wallace and General Chairman Darcy sought assurances that the locomotive engineer workforce would remain Amtrak employees and their collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) would remain intact in the event of restructuring. While it was made clear to Rail Labor representatives present at the meeting that potential restructuring is not about job reductions, service reductions, or privatization, and CBAs would follow any possible structuring changes; the BLET intends to stay involved in any upcoming discussion where the membership would or could see the effects of changes.
“Shifts of this nature raise legitimate and substantive concerns regarding the maintenance of qualifications, preservation of established work jurisdiction, crew utilization practices, pilot requirements, and, most importantly, the continued protection and enforcement of existing Agreement rights,” General Chairman Darcy wrote in a message to BLET’s Amtrak locomotive engineers.