Amtrak

In October 1970, in an attempt to maintain passenger rail service in this country, Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act and Amtrak, a quasi-government corporation, organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. The members of the board of directors for Amtrak are appointed by the President and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate. Amtrak employs approximately 19,000 people.

Since its inception, Amtrak has been continually underfunded by Congress, but has managed to continue to operate on a shoestring budget, safely and efficiently moving passengers, many of whom lack other transportation alternatives. The rising price of fuel and concern for the environment in recent years has created a resurgence in rail ridership throughout the U.S., particularly Amtrak, and ridership levels have been steadily increasing for the last five years. Following the tragic Metrolink collision in September 2008, Congress scrambled to quickly pass The Rail Safety Improvement Act, which was combined with the The Passenger Rail and Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The combined bill authorized new funding at $5.3 billion in capital grants, $2.9 billion in operating grants, $1.9 billion for interecity passenger rail over five years, and funding for increased compensation for Amtrak employees. They had gone eight years without a contract. Although this was a victory for Amtrak, it has continued to be a struggle to ensure that the funds authorized are actually appropriated.

Some members of Congress continue to push for privatization of passenger rail, which has proven unsuccessful and was the very reason that Amtrak was created forty years ago - the privately owned railroads no longer wanted to continue a money-losing passenger rail service. The 19,000 employees of Amtrak, who every year pay into our Railroad Retirement Fund, are counting on us to continue the fight to keep Amtrak funded and operational. We must be vigilant, for our Amtrak brothers and sisters, in our efforts to ensure that Amtrak be authorized appropriate and full levels of funding in current and future legislation.

The Teamster Rail Conference Policy Committee, which includes BLET National President Dennis Pierce, National Vice President Lee Pruitt, National Secretary/Treasurer Bill Walpert, and National Vice President and Legislative Representative John Tolman, as well as four officers from the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED), created a Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC) in the early months of 2011.  That Committee, which is the vehicle for coordinating BLET and BMWED’s efforts on high speed rail, advocating for more high-speed passenger and commuter rail projects, and defending existing projects from attack by anti-rail forces.