Now several years back, Amtrak tried a program whereby each long distance train had an On Board Service Chief. This position I believe was considered a management position, meaning they were salaried and not part of the union. Unfortunately either through poor vetting or perhaps other reasons, just like everything else, there were good Chiefs and bad ones. And you could tell immediately which kind of Chief you had, based upon the crew.
So that program went away after a few years
The job title was Chief, On-Board Services and was indeed a unionized position. They were represented by the American Railway & Airline Supervisors Association, part of the Transportation-Communications Union. I'd equate them somewhat to a foreman in a factory, in that they were supposed to keep the troops on their toes but were not actually management employees. They were also supposed to function as passenger service reps, by assisting whenever possible with the problems of passengers enroute. As in every walk of life, there were really good ones and really bad ones. They were either pro-active, reactive, or non-active, the latter basically staying in their rooms thruout the trip except at mealtime.
When I hired out with Amtrak in 1986, the Chiefs program had been in place for some time. It was discontinued around 2001, with many of the senior employees given a new title of Product Line Supervisor
The others went back to whatever Amtrak seniority-based positions they had previously held or left the company entirely. Many of the PLS positions were "Ramp Supervisors", overseeing the arrivals and departures of trains at their crew bases. Others still worked on the road but hardly ever the entire length of the trip as the Chiefs had done. I've been retired from Amtrak since 2005 so do not know the current status of the PLS positions, tho IIRC David Gunn eliminated the term "Product Line" from Amtrak's vocabulary.
I just would like to add that the lowest hourly paid person on an Amtrak train is a waiter/waitress in the diner and the starting pay is around $16 an hour plus tips, plus unbelievable benefits.
From what I can find out, the current starting pay for Service Attendants (waiters) and Train Attendants (coach/sleeper) is $12 an hour, with step increases to top pay over either 5 or 8 years. Lead Service Attendants start at $14 and change an hour. Chefs (the highest-paid of the OBS crew) start around $16.
I'm not sure what constitutes "unbelievable benefits".....I guess that's in the eye of the beholder.
I think there are 3 reasons why in large part management doesn't do more to get rid of the bad apples. First, the union.
Well, here we go again.....it's the union's fault that Amtrak can't effectively manage its employees. Folks, if Amtrak wants to fire any unionized employee, there is absolutely nothing the union can do to stop it. Yes, there are safeguards in place that ensure that Amtrak follows proper procedure leading up to whatever discipline (including dismissal) that it wishes to impose on an employee. If an employee is to be brought up on charges, then a notice of formal investigation is sent out, allowing the employee to arrange union representation at his hearing. Just as the company has witnesses on its behalf at the hearing, so is the employee allowed to bring witnesses on his behalf. After the hearing is completed, the hearing officer decides what discipline will be imposed, ranging from a suspension ("time on the ground") to permanent dismissal. Whatever the discipline imposed, the employee (thru his union) has the right of appeal, altho appeal does not stay the discipline. IIRC, the appeals process starts with the local Amtrak Labor Relations officer, then to Corporate Labor Relations, and finally to a Public Law Board. If an appeal goes to a PLB, it can take a year or more to resolve. PLB's consist of three members- one management, one union, one neutral - and they decide if the punishment "fits the crime" or if the employee was unjustlly disciplined. The PLB can order Amtrak to reinstate the employee if they find that Amtrak has been unjust in the firing or if Amtrak didn't "dot the i's and cross the t's" in the formal investigation process. Very often employees are reinstated as a result of Amtrak's gross incompetence in the hearing process.
As far as Amtrak's management "getting rid of the bad apples", this is a case of "Physician, heal thyself".
If Amtrak historically had top-notch mid- and lower-level managers, I've no doubt we wouldn't be having these discussions. No matter what initiatives Corporate rolls out, they're totally dependent on the lower-echelon managers to implement them with enthusiasm and energy. I'll have more on that in another post.......thanks for listening to this one.