Amtrak's Elimination of Dining Car Service is Union Busting
Amtrak recently announced they are getting rid of dining cars on their overnight service routes, touting the change as their efforts to “continue to evolve the travel experience.”
In reality, the change is union busting that has been gradually enacted through steady cuts over the past few years.
“We’re looking at 1700 jobs that could be done away with, the complete onboard service. Our onboard service people, our cooks, attendants, LSAs like maitre d’s on dining cars, and waiters, who are also first line responders during emergencies, trained in first aid and cpr,” John Feltz, the railroad division director of the Transport Workers Union of America, told me in an interview.
Instead, Amtrak is replacing union workers with contracted workers who are paid a little over minimum wage, with no emergency training, while passengers are going to be offered pre-boxed meals either serve cold or microwaved.