amtrak coach attendants salary

[MontanaJim]

Just out of curiosity, about how much per year do coach attendants make? what about sleeping car attendants?

just wondering. Might play a part in how much i tip them.

 

[trainboy325]

I was reluctant to reply to this post, but I checked it out and found that Amtrak labor contract hourly rates are public information. So anyone who wanted to find out through the Freedom of Information Act could get this information if they really wanted to, so here it is:

Effective with the ratification of the April 2004 ASWC (Amtrak Service Workers Council) contract between NRPC and its OBS workers, all of whom belong to one of these three unions: Hotel Employees and Resturant Employees International Union (HERE), Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).

The pay system is based on a scale determined by the years of seniority one holds in the craft in which they have qualified. Under the contract, if you can hold a regular job, defined as an employee can work a regularly scheduled job that the employee made a job bid on without being displaced by another employee holding more seniority (commonly known as "bumping") sets the standard for the scale. Here are the numbers for an employee whose is being paid 100% of their craft's pay ceiling (per hour):

Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.) 18.86

Service Attendants (dining car waiters) 18.86

Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants) 19.50

LSA Diner (dining car stewards) 21.93

Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher) 20.30

Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock) 20.66

For example, an employee working as a Train Attendant in the first bracket (75% of ceiling) makes $14.15 an hour, the second bracket (80% of ceiling) makes $15.09 and etc. The brackets are in stages of five years of an employee's seniority in their particular working craft.

It is important to note that tipping is an essential part of the railroad service culture and failure to tip results in a negative passenger profile, especially if you become known to the Amtrak community as a "regular", of being a "zero." I can tell you from experience, regardless of whether you think it is right or wrong, you'll get what you "pay for." Good tippers get good service, zeros get little if any service beyond the minimal job description of the attendant's job assignment. Remember that the attendant determines what he or she is willing to do for you. With the exception of making beds before the train arrives at its endpoint, service provided to the passengers (in reality) is solely at the attendant's descretion. It's also important to remember that these hourly rates are to provide professional yearly salaries to people who spend more days out of the year away from home than in other domestic jobs, living on the train day after day getting only four hours of sleep in a 24 hour period and working in a demanding service environment that is in an industrial environment constantly under fire from managers that don't help you by letting broken equipment go onto the road day in and day out. It doesn't matter how much one makes in salary, good service in America , especially on the train, deserves good gratuity. If you can't afford to provide gratuity to your sleeping car attendant and waiter in the diner, then you can't afford to take a trip by train!

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

I was reluctant to reply to this post, but I checked it out and found that Amtrak labor contract hourly rates are public information. So anyone who wanted to find out through the Freedom of Information Act could get this information if they really wanted to, so here it is:
Effective with the ratification of the April 2004 ASWC (Amtrak Service Workers Council) contract between NRPC and its OBS workers, all of whom belong to one of these three unions: Hotel Employees and Resturant Employees International Union (HERE), Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).

The pay system is based on a scale determined by the years of seniority one holds in the craft in which they have qualified. Under the contract, if you can hold a regular job, defined as an employee can work a regularly scheduled job that the employee made a job bid on without being displaced by another employee holding more seniority (commonly known as "bumping") sets the standard for the scale. Here are the numbers for an employee whose is being paid 100% of their craft's pay ceiling (per hour):

Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.) 18.86

Service Attendants (dining car waiters) 18.86

Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants) 19.50

LSA Diner (dining car stewards) 21.93

Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher) 20.30

Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock) 20.66

For example, an employee working as a Train Attendant in the first bracket (75% of ceiling) makes $14.15 an hour, the second bracket (80% of ceiling) makes $15.09 and etc. The brackets are in stages of five years of an employee's seniority in their particular working craft.

It is important to note that tipping is an essential part of the railroad service culture and failure to tip results in a negative passenger profile, especially if you become known to the Amtrak community as a "regular", of being a "zero." I can tell you from experience, regardless of whether you think it is right or wrong, you'll get what you "pay for." Good tippers get good service, zeros get little if any service beyond the minimal job description of the attendant's job assignment. Remember that the attendant determines what he or she is willing to do for you. With the exception of making beds before the train arrives at its endpoint, service provided to the passengers (in reality) is solely at the attendant's descretion. It's also important to remember that these hourly rates are to provide professional yearly salaries to people who spend more days out of the year away from home than in other domestic jobs, living on the train day after day getting only four hours of sleep in a 24 hour period and working in a demanding service environment that is in an industrial environment constantly under fire from managers that don't help you by letting broken equipment go onto the road day in and day out. It doesn't matter how much one makes in salary, good service in America , especially on the train, deserves good gratuity. If you can't afford to provide gratuity to your sleeping car attendant and waiter in the diner, then you can't afford to take a trip by train!

^_^ B) Very well said, sir! OBS...

 

[Guest]

I always thought a TIP was a reward for good performance, and not some form of blackmail.

I'd like to hear from someone who doesn't have a severe conflict of interest, i.e., an non-employee.

 

[AlanB]

It's also important to remember that these hourly rates are to provide professional yearly salaries to people who spend more days out of the year away from home than in other domestic jobs, living on the train day after day getting only four hours of sleep in a 24 hour period

Randy,

Thank you for stating that. I've made that same point more than once myself, most recently in fact when one of those DOT studies said that Amtrak over pays is dinning car workers by comparison to regular resturants.

Yes their salary may be higher, but as you note, their work load is also much higher and the amount of rest that they get is significantly less. Most resturant workers never work breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the same day, much less for two or three days in a row. Not to mention that most resturant workers don't have a moving, bouncing floor underfoot.

The same can also be said for the cooks too. I've often somewhat jokingly asked people, when was the last time you tried to cook on your stove, while your husband was busy pulling and tugging on the carper you were standing on in front of the stove, which he was also busy shaking too.

In any industry that I know of, workers forced to work away from home for long periods of time, typically get paid more than those who go home to their own beds every night.

 

[AlanB]

I always thought a TIP was a reward for good performance, and not some form of blackmail.
I'd like to hear from someone who doesn't have a severe conflict of interest, i.e., an non-employee.

I for one see the tip as a reward for good service. I never give a tip to my sleeping car attendant, until the trip is over for me. Only once in my many trips have I not tipped an attendant and that was due in large part to the fact that he never even bothered to show up as I detrained. He wouldn't have gotten a very large tip if he had showed up either, since his service wasn't great just barely adequate, but I had two bucks ready for him.

The dining car I will leave a tip with my meal, provided that I've been given adequate service. I tend to be very observant and while I've never worked a day on a train or for Amtrak, I do have some idea on what it takes to put out a meal. So I will compensate for poorer service, if I see that the staff is simply overwhelmed with demand. But if the car is empty, and service is bad, don't expect a tip from me. That also only happened once on Amtrak, but I have varied my tips too.

 

[daveyb99]

    Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.)                   18.86    Service Attendants (dining car waiters)                                  18.86

    Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants)   19.50

    LSA Diner (dining car stewards)                                              21.93

    Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher)                             20.30

    Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock)        20.66

But what are the work hours. The Train Attendant/Sleeper Attendant boards in Chicago how long before a 3:20pm departure, then, with a scheduled arrival in Fort Worth at 3:15pm+1, how much of that is paid time versus non-paid time.

 

[daveyb99]

It is important to note that tipping is an essential part of the railroad service culture and failure to tip results in a negative passenger profile, especially if you become known to the Amtrak community as a "regular", of being a "zero." I can tell you from experience, regardless of whether you think it is right or wrong, you'll get what you "pay for." Good tippers get good service, zeros get little if any service beyond the minimal job description of the attendant's job assignment.

Would not the world of the "regular passengers" be the same: We too get to know the bad Amtrak employees, who are called "zeros". The disappointment when boarding when we see who is assigned our car. And the always hiding somewhere, never a nice word to say, only doing what is minimally require, and quick with a complaint or excuse.

Use caution, works both ways.

As a side note, sounds like flight attendants make less than a Train Attendant in some cases, and have a much more demanding job. When is the last time you EVER heard of someone tipping a flight attendant. Well, why not !!!

I too tip based on the quality of service. Call me a "Zero" if you must, but act like I am not even there, and you get exactly what I must be: ZERO

 

[Guest]

I suppose in this profession you would get jaded, but when I've ridden with a sleeping car attendant I've never seen before, I still get wildly varying service. Sometimes it's good and I tip well; othertimes it's non-existant and I don't tip. The first person knows he or she worked for the tip and got it; the second will grouse that he or she didn't give any service because it was obvious I'd be a zero. So wrong, but it all comes down to attitude, which varies so widely on Amtrak.

One additional question. You state an hourly rate. Are these folks being paid 24 hours a day when they're on a trip, or something less? I'm trying to figure out what the standard week is in hours and how that impacts pay. Just curious.

 

[Bill Needles]

On our recent three train trip, I tipped the Texas Eagle attendant $20 at the start of the trip to see what kind of service I would get and it was awesome. On the Capital Limited, I did not tip first, he started out slow but turned out to be a very nice fellow, even let me get off for pics when others didn't and opened the side window for me so I could get some pics...he brought us two meals in our car and I tipped him $5 each time. I tipped him $20 in Washington D.C. on arrival...on the Crescent, the attendant was the least attentive and we were only on the train till 5am so we had minimal interaction save for him making up our room...I tipped him $10 when he let us off at 5am...I probably tipped a little heavy but it was our first trip...I also left $5 at every meal we ate in the dining car...before the trip, I went to the bank and got $100 in five dollar bills just for tipping on the train ....Bill

 

[MontanaJim]

i was referring to the coach attendant, not sleeping car. sure if a coach attendant is really good to me, ill tip him eitherway.

 

[Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee]

Would not the world of the "regular passengers" be the same: We too get to know the bad Amtrak employees, who are called "zeros". The disappointment when boarding when we see who is assigned our car. And the always hiding somewhere, never a nice word to say, only doing what is minimally require, and quick with a complaint or excuse.
Use caution, works both ways.

I too tip based on the quality of service. Call me a "Zero" if you must, but act like I am not even there, and you get exactly what I must be: ZERO

The first part of the preceding is true, too. We do have our world of regular passengers! I have been on both sides of the fence and have dealt with an employee (who wasn't aware I am an employee) who just isn't cut out to provide the service or just plain lazy, etc. However, I will add to the fact most of our regular passengers KNOW BETTER of what is going on and how to travel! That said, I very rarely not recieve a gratuity from one we call a "regular passenger." I get stiffed by a "regular" once in a while, and it is a dissapointment to provide services to someone and then they turn around stiff you regarding the tip and walk away. But I get over it easily as Amtrak provides me with a good wage and benefits. I really can ask for nothing else when it comes to the bottom line of the big picture. Yes "use caution, works both ways" is a true statement to be read both ways!

I think every one here on the forums is well aware of the proper tipping etiquet in the travel industry. The most of the "zeros" we speak of are those who never come here on the boards, those who may not be aware (such as those from somewhere else where culture is different), and of course those who just don't care similar to those who go into a restaraunt and leaving nothing for their server who has been really trying to take care of them. I see it all the time.

When it really comes down to it folks, greed really does funny things to people. You gotta give a little to get a little! You gotta give a lot to get a lot! "It works on the other side, too" I say to my fellow employees. We also have to remember another fact here. Passengers are NOT REQUIRED to tip at all for any service on Amtrak! Amtrak has printed that in the literature distibuted to passengers ie ticket jackets, national timetable, etc. It merely states "Gratuities are appreciated everywhere at Amtrak, though they are not required." Some employees (especially old timers) just don't seem to get it. I am sure you can appreciate this, trainboy, as a fellow "youngblood" employee! OBS...

 

[Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee]

i was referring to the coach attendant, not sleeping car. sure if a coach attendant is really good to me, ill tip him eitherway.

Coach attendant is still a service oriented employee. If they provide you anything such as baggage service, meals at your seat, etc. take care of them. Otherwise if they are performing work specific to their job duties, then normally a tip is not necessary to him/her. Reward them for any good personal service, though. I always make a little bit in tips as a coach attendant. However, I personally don't set out to do so other than to accomodate those who can't help themselves very well such as eldrly, etc. In other words I concentrate on my specific job description when in coaches! OBS....

 

[trainboy325]

I can tell you that I have been a sleeping car passenger as many times that I've been a sleeping car attendant. I can attest personally that it feels good when I receive a tip from a passenger, regardless of the dollar amount. I'm one of those newbees that believes that the thought behind the tip is what counts. It may seem stupid, but a lot of riders, especially new ones, just don't know the tradition of gratuity for service or that the attendant is looking for a reward in exchange for their service. It's in the culture, like it or not.

Here's a story: When my crew gets day trippers that travel on the Crescent between New Orleans and Birmingham/Atlanta after spending all night on the streets, they get into the bed before we leave the station, want breakfast in bed and don't exit the room until five minutes before we arrive into the station and don't have time to make up the beds for the next passengers boarding in BHM and ATL (always full out of these cities). The majority of these passengers don't tip. It's probably due to the fact that their broke from days of eating, drinking and being merry, but it already has created an enviroment among the sleeping car attendants on the first day of the trip that their work isn't appreciated and why bother. Most of us say that "you're getting paid $15.00 an hour, why are you crying?" This is true, but unfortunately, a lot of attendants have lost sight of this fact. I spend most of my time as a Coach Attendant. I spent years working for the Boy Scouts, working in museums and State of Florida government. Until Amtrak, I didn't think of gratuity. In fact on my first trip to New York (while working in JAX), I turned down a tip because I was accustomed to helping people without any expectation of return. I had to learn to get over feeling guilty, it was part of my job! Funny how you change in just a short amount of time being around people who "live" for the money.

On the other hand, when I work the City of New Orleans, the dining car crew starts on the clock at noon and don't start their first meal until 5:00 in the afternoon. With the exception of setting up the diner (a whopping hour at the most), they don't do anything for hours! Because the diner on the City is very slow (I mean that we're lucky to service 150 meals TOTAL for dinner and breakfast combined northbound), the crew gripes about the fact they didn't make a lot of tip money on the trip. My response to them is: WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! I CAN'T COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD KILL TO HAVE YOUR JOB! To sit and play cards for hours, provide average service and expect the passengers to throw money at them! That's what starts the bad road to making "zero employees." They just forget what it means to "really work" for a living on the train. They don't have any excuse to cry, they're riding the gravy train. The fact is that it was SO GRAVY for the crew the company cut the car as soon as the time was right! (ie Katrina)

That's my little personal tidbit on how the tipping issue runs deep in the vains of the railroad employee community. Those who thought my response to Montana Jim was skewed to make people believe that tipping is an absolute, regardless of service received are mistaken. I was trying to provide a complete background in order to allow him to make an imformed decision about much he should tip.

To answer Guest's question. Amtrak OBS employees are paid continuously from the time they report for the pre-trip briefing at their home crew base until they hit the bumper at the turnaround point of their trip. The only time we're off the clock on the train is during our downtime, which is four hours for train attendants (anytime between the hours of 9pm and 9am), 12 midnight to 5:30am for the lounge car attendants and 10pm to 5:30am for all dining car employees. Adjustments are made due to late dinners, en-route problems, etc. In the event that ANY OBS employee does not receive an uninterupted rest period of four hours or more, the contract requires we be paid continuous time (even if we can get two or three hours in a bed). Upon hitting the bumper at the turnaround point, all crew members go off the clock, regardless if our end-of-trip duties that take us more time than scheduled on our time sheet. Time to, at and back to the station/hotel at the turnaround point is personal time OFF THE CLOCK. There are VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS to these rules!

 

[lepearso]

I have learned a great deal from this discussion. Wow!

I want to be remembered as a regular passenger that the crew looks forward to seeing. I remember my last trip on the Cardinal when it had a dining car. On the trip into Chicago, I could tell that the crew was tired and exhausted, but I could also tell that they were putting their best foot forward. I left a nice tip. Since it was only a day trip to Chicago, I was back on the same train and in the same dining car with the same crew that night. They were so grateful to see me! I got wonderful service and, by then, they all knew me by name.

An unusual pattern that I follow is to tip the coach attendant based on how they serve other passengers, especially since I'm a pretty low maintenance passenger. If I see a coach attendant going the extra mile for anyone, I leave a tip!

 

[sechs]

On our recent three train trip, I tipped the Texas Eagle attendant $20 at the start of the trip to see what kind of service I would get and it was awesome.

The problem with "tipping" in advance is that you're encouraging folks to expect this. Your service should be good whether you tip or not; the tip should simply be a reward for this.

 

[AlanB]

On our recent three train trip, I tipped the Texas Eagle attendant $20 at the start of the trip to see what kind of service I would get and it was awesome.

The problem with "tipping" in advance is that you're encouraging folks to expect this. Your service should be good whether you tip or not; the tip should simply be a reward for this.

Agreed. One should tip based upon the service, not based upon what one hopes to get. I actually read one report where someone tipped at the beginning and never saw their attendant again.

 

[Bill Needles]

I agree, as I stated, it was our first trip. $20 was probably steep, should have been $10 and only at the end......at least we tipped.....next time....Bill

 

[Amtrak traveler]

Well.. I am currently on an Amtrak train as I type this en route to Carbondale Illinois from New Orleans Louisiana. We spent Thanksgiving with friends. I have never been more disappointed in the lack of service!!! This is the second time I have traveled with Amtrak, the first time with my almost grown children, and the workers have been sitting in the dining car playing cards, eating, and doing NOTHING.. I have yet to see anybody come to our three sleeper cars that I purchased... I couldn't get an intelligent and informative answer if I presented brand new crisp $100 dollar bills for these people. They seem to have no or very little care for the " Paying passengers" I mean, do they think they have a job because the Federal government subsidizes the railroad??? Oh man, please, someone create a luxury line of travel by rail.. I would gladly participate!!! Geez!!!!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I was reluctant to reply to this post, but I checked it out and found that Amtrak labor contract hourly rates are public information. So anyone who wanted to find out through the Freedom of Information Act could get this information if they really wanted to, so here it is:

Effective with the ratification of the April 2004 ASWC (Amtrak Service Workers Council) contract between NRPC and its OBS workers, all of whom belong to one of these three unions: Hotel Employees and Resturant Employees International Union (HERE), Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).

The pay system is based on a scale determined by the years of seniority one holds in the craft in which they have qualified. Under the contract, if you can hold a regular job, defined as an employee can work a regularly scheduled job that the employee made a job bid on without being displaced by another employee holding more seniority (commonly known as "bumping") sets the standard for the scale. Here are the numbers for an employee whose is being paid 100% of their craft's pay ceiling (per hour):

Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.) 18.86

Service Attendants (dining car waiters) 18.86

Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants) 19.50

LSA Diner (dining car stewards) 21.93

Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher) 20.30

Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock) 20.66

This is actually very useful information. It could be used to calculate operating costs.

 

[PRR 60]

Well.. I am currently on an Amtrak train as I type this en route to Carbondale Illinois from New Orleans Louisiana. We spent Thanksgiving with friends. I have never been more disappointed in the lack of service!!! This is the second time I have traveled with Amtrak, the first time with my almost grown children, and the workers have been sitting in the dining car playing cards, eating, and doing NOTHING.. I have yet to see anybody come to our three sleeper cars that I purchased... I couldn't get an intelligent and informative answer if I presented brand new crisp $100 dollar bills for these people. They seem to have no or very little care for the " Paying passengers" I mean, do they think they have a job because the Federal government subsidizes the railroad??? Oh man, please, someone create a luxury line of travel by rail.. I would gladly participate!!! Geez!!!!

Pullman Rail Service

It might be a tad more expensive than Amtrak.

 

[oldtimer]

I was reluctant to reply to this post, but I checked it out and found that Amtrak labor contract hourly rates are public information. So anyone who wanted to find out through the Freedom of Information Act could get this information if they really wanted to, so here it is:

Effective with the ratification of the April 2004 ASWC (Amtrak Service Workers Council) contract between NRPC and its OBS workers, all of whom belong to one of these three unions: Hotel Employees and Resturant Employees International Union (HERE), Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).

The pay system is based on a scale determined by the years of seniority one holds in the craft in which they have qualified. Under the contract, if you can hold a regular job, defined as an employee can work a regularly scheduled job that the employee made a job bid on without being displaced by another employee holding more seniority (commonly known as "bumping") sets the standard for the scale. Here are the numbers for an employee whose is being paid 100% of their craft's pay ceiling (per hour):

Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.) 18.86

Service Attendants (dining car waiters) 18.86

Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants) 19.50

LSA Diner (dining car stewards) 21.93

Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher) 20.30

Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock) 20.66

This is actually very useful information. It could be used to calculate operating costs.

Your calculation of operating cost could be skewed by the fact that a train could possibly be served by a crew of employees that have less then one year thus 75% would be the cost, and likewise if the crew all had more then 5 years, than 100%. Amtrak went on a massive hiring binge in the 70's and they hired then "young" employees to replace the assumed railroad employees many of whom were close to retirement as the railroads with their reductions of service prior to May 1, 1971 had reduced forces by attrition and layoff.

The employees that were hired in the 70's are now at retirement age and are leaving as soon as they are eligible, thus many crew members are not at 100% wage as stated in the chart.

It is also important to remember that many crews have a long unpaid layover period before their return trip, this is after almost 3 days on duty with only 8 hours rest while on the train.

Also for those of you that think you would like to get paid the above stated amounts you must remember that railroaders do not pay into social security but into railroad retirement at a much higher rate which reduces your take-home pay

Benn there, done that for close to 38 years.

 

[SarahZ]

My SCA on the SWC told me she works for six days straight (LA to Chicago and back) and then is off for six days. While on the train, she has a break to sleep from approximately midnight to 5 AM, depending on what's going on in the car. On the trip to ABQ, she was in charge of two cars instead of one.

I overheard the LSA on his way to bed around 11:00 and told someone he had to be up at 3:00.

The cafe attendant worked from 6:00 AM to 11:30 PM every day.

The pay is good, but I would not want to work those kinds of hours, especially in customer service. Since both of our SCAs provided great service, with smiles, the entire length of the trip, they definitely earned the tip we gave them. We tipped at the end of the trip because we feel a tip is an appreciation for good service. I wouldn't want to tip someone at the beginning and then experience bad service. We ended up adding to our pre-determined tip amount at the end of the trip because both of our SCAs were fabulous. They were also very gracious and thankful for the tip.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I was reluctant to reply to this post, but I checked it out and found that Amtrak labor contract hourly rates are public information. So anyone who wanted to find out through the Freedom of Information Act could get this information if they really wanted to, so here it is:

Effective with the ratification of the April 2004 ASWC (Amtrak Service Workers Council) contract between NRPC and its OBS workers, all of whom belong to one of these three unions: Hotel Employees and Resturant Employees International Union (HERE), Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).

The pay system is based on a scale determined by the years of seniority one holds in the craft in which they have qualified. Under the contract, if you can hold a regular job, defined as an employee can work a regularly scheduled job that the employee made a job bid on without being displaced by another employee holding more seniority (commonly known as "bumping") sets the standard for the scale. Here are the numbers for an employee whose is being paid 100% of their craft's pay ceiling (per hour):

Train Attendants (coach, sleeper, business, etc.) 18.86

Service Attendants (dining car waiters) 18.86

Lead Service Attendant (cafe/lounge/dinnette attendants) 19.50

LSA Diner (dining car stewards) 21.93

Food Specialist (second cook/dishwasher) 20.30

Chef (kitchen manager/held responsible for food stock) 20.66

This is actually very useful information. It could be used to calculate operating costs.

Your calculation of operating cost could be skewed by the fact that a train could possibly be served by a crew of employees that have less then one year thus 75% would be the cost, and likewise if the crew all had more then 5 years, than 100%. Amtrak went on a massive hiring binge in the 70's and they hired then "young" employees to replace the assumed railroad employees many of whom were close to retirement as the railroads with their reductions of service prior to May 1, 1971 had reduced forces by attrition and layoff.

The employees that were hired in the 70's are now at retirement age and are leaving as soon as they are eligible, thus many crew members are not at 100% wage as stated in the chart.

It is also important to remember that many crews have a long unpaid layover period before their return trip, this is after almost 3 days on duty with only 8 hours rest while on the train.

Also for those of you that think you would like to get paid the above stated amounts you must remember that railroaders do not pay into social security but into railroad retirement at a much higher rate which reduces your take-home pay

Benn there, done that for close to 38 years.

I mean I could at least TRY to calculate. It's better than no info.

 

[Ziv]

I put myself through college by working in a tipped position, so I am a bit biased, but tipping isn't an option for me unless the staff is actually failing to do their job. My father worked for Great Northern and then for Burlington Northern and grew up during the end of the depression. He used to say that if you could see how a man treats an ugly dog and a poor waitress you would have a rather good way to judge the measure of the man. I travel sleeper overseas quite a bit, but I have never done so in the US, yet, so my gut on this is hypothetical, but I imagine $5 a night would be fair if the Sleeper Car Train Attendant did a basic job, more if they helped more.

That having been said, a 'missing in action' Train Attendant would test the patience of Job...