Amtrak Reform, Funding Bill

It was nice to see your Oct. 24 editorial supporting funding for Amtrak. Unfortunately, you missed the mark by calling Amtrak’s scheme to contract out work a “good idea.” The very reason that Amtrak is a success lies in the fact that it has a dedicated and efficient work force. These Amtrak employees have taken the railroad from the mess it was 20 years ago to the modern rail transportation system it is today. They did this with hard work under what over the years were very difficult conditions. As a longtime Amtrak employee and union representative, I can personally attest to their forbearance in the face of the continual under-funding that has caused harsh working conditions.

To now call for this work force to be replaced with low-paid contractors is not only morally reprehensible, it just doesn’t make good business sense. Amtrak needs to recognize that it is the people who do the work that make the company strong and get the job done. Amtrak’s problems don’t stem from its workers, but rather from the failure of the Congress to recognize that the company must be adequately capitalized.

MIKE DAVIS

Vice General Chairman

Transportation Communication

Union, Los Angeles