A TWU-supported bill that would end Amtrak’s shameful practice of secretly doling out six-figure bonuses without giving the public and elected officials time to object advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives today.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Marc Molinaro, was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The TWU was the first union to call Amtrak out for its malignant bonus practice after the railroad in 2021 quietly gave top executives more than $200,000 each. Some workers at the time were still out on pandemic furloughs. One Amtrak vice president, William Hermann, received approximately $300,000 on top of his regular salary of $353,ooo, the NY Post reported.
The “Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act” would require Amtrak to brief two Congressional committees on planned bonus payments at least 30 days before they are granted. Amtrak also would have to post the information in the Federal Register and on its own website.
“This bill will prevent Amtrak from sneakily giving fat bonuses to executives without giving the public the opportunity to comment and raise objections,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “Amtrak deserves every bit of federal funding it gets to provide safe and reliable transportation. It absolutely should not, however, be doling out six-figure bonuses to wealthy executives sitting in comfortable office suites while the actual workers are out there providing service, fixing trains and cleaning coaches all day.”
Samuelsen thanked Rep. Marc Molinaro for introducing and shepherding the legislation