June 8, 2007
Mr. Alexander Kummant
President & Chief Executive Officer
National Railroad Passenger
Corporation
60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
Via Fax @ (202) 906-2850 & U.S. Mail
Dear Mr. Kummant:
It has come to my attention that
effective June 4, 2007 Amtrak is
implementing two new premium pay
plans for management employees.
These management premium pay plans,
set at 10%, which arrive within just
months of management rewarding
itself with a 3.1% wage increase
equate to a 13.1% wage increase for
many managers’ in less than an 8
month period. This can only be
viewed as a slap in the face to
members of the Transport Workers
Union of America, many which have
gone seven and one-half years
without a general wage increase.
Simply put, this is an outrageous
injustice to Amtrak’s unionized
workers and destroys any trust you
may have attempted to build with
this organization in the meeting you
had with TWU International President
James C. Little and myself in
December. Likewise, in my view it
has completely shattered any trust
you may have earned in several
meetings with rail labor
collectively. Since your arrival at
Amtrak, both in meetings with rail
labor, and in public, you have
portrayed a desire to settle long
overdue contract settlements with
Amtrak’s union workers.
However these 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.
The time has come to stop this
reprehensible conduct in its tracks.
In closing, let me assure you, this
most recent management assault on
Amtrak workers has reinvigorated
this organizations resolve, and
commitment to achieve justice for
TWU members who play a key role in
keeping Amtrak operating.
