TWU Rail Division Hits Amtrak Testimony That Employees ‘Are in Excellent Shape’

Incensed by recent pay increases for Amtrak management but no contract for workers, TWU Railroad Division Director Gary Maslanka took exception to Congressional testimony June 11 by Board Chairman David M. Laney to the effect that Amtrak employees “are in excellent shape.”

“Just days after Amtrak management announced more management rewards, Amtrak’s Board Chairman has the audacity to tell Congress that Amtrak workers are in excellent shape,” Maslanka said. “Clearly, after seven-and-one-half years with no general wage increase, Amtrak workers – the people who actually keep the trains rolling – are not in excellent shape.”

In a flyer distributed to TWU members urging them to contact their Congressional representatives, Maslanka said it is time to send a strong message to Congress that they must make Amtrak’s Board and management accountable. Click here to contact your representatives.

Fueling Maslanka’s ire are management raises announced a few days earlier that add 10% premium pay plans for many Amtrak managers. These are on top of a 3.1% raise awarded earlier. In a letter to Amtrak President & CEO Alexander Kummant, Maslanka called the raises “a slap in the face” to TWU members. He said the “pay premiums point to more of the same at Amtrak. Management leadership that continues to reward itself and deny its unionized workers, who truly have the critical positions and, since Amtrak’s inception, have paid the painful price to keep Amtrak operating.” Click here to read the full text of the Kummant letter.