Power "off and on" on Empire Builder

[PVD]

The problems that people have with covid testing payments in some areas is very frustrating. Regular testing is critical to slowing spread since so much of it comes from asymptomatic or mildly ill folks, even when vaccinated. In NYC, I go to a NYC sponsored site near me, (it is a mobile set-up run on contract for the city to supplement their reach into many more areas) and at all NYC HHC sites, as well as many privates, including a few of the major urgent care players signed on also, they will take insurance info, if insurance pays, you pay no copay, if uninsured, free to you, gov't funded. NYC also converted some spare ambulances for their own extra testing location capacity. There are some privates who will test for a fee, but the availability of city service is excellent... I get a rapid (usually 20 mins for result) and a regular (usually next day by lunch) with virtually no waiting time (maybe one person or 2)

 

[jis]

The problems that people have with covid testing payments in some areas is very frustrating. Regular testing is critical to slowing spread since so much of it comes from asymptomatic or mildly ill folks, even when vaccinated. In NYC, I go to a NYC sponsored site near me, (it is a mobile set-up run on contract for the city to supplement their reach into many more areas) and at all NYC HHC sites, as well as many privates, including a few of the major urgent care players signed on also, they will take insurance info, if insurance pays, you pay no copay, if uninsured, free to you, gov't funded. NYC also converted some spare ambulances for their own extra testing location capacity. There are some privates who will test for a fee, but the availability of city service is excellent... I get a rapid (usually 20 mins for result) and a regular (usually next day by lunch) with virtually no waiting time (maybe one person or 2)

Are you sure you really wanted to post this on this thread and not the COVID 19 thread? What has COVID test in NYC got to do with the Empire Builder?

 

[PVD]

Fair point, it was in response to Triley commenting about having to pay for his testing (initially), I may have gone on too much....but moving it would be fine also....

 

[Bob Dylan]

Honestly, it's not that bad, from the scheduling point of view at least. To us it's no different than the crew split between 7/27, except now the crew splits after the diner, not the coach on 7/8. The biggest concern I have is that it is a slippery slope as far as crewing goes. CHI and SEA crew bases have fought over Builder before, and there's always a threat that the Builder could get turned back in to a CHI crewed train, and SEA only would retain LSAs for the Cascades.

We're using their TAs to crew the coach car on 7/8, and we have so few Food Specialists that we're only running ours to Havre and back (same day), while CHI is sending theirs to Shelby and back (laying overnight).



It's easy to assume it, based on how things have appeared in the past. But nope, with the current sleeper passenger counts, we would always have 2 SAs. Now we get 1 SA, and if the extra board can handle it, they'll try to get us a second SA when possible. Of course, with many patrons being suggested to take orders to go again, I don't know what staffing needs really look like. Someone has to pack the to go orders though, and the sleeper attendants would likely be running crazy with taking orders back and forth.

As far as the coach situation goes, I really can't speak on why that's happening. 1 TA has taken care of up to 3 coach cars in the past (though we have fought that from a cleanliness and safety standpoint). 1 TA can reasonably be expected to take care of 2 coaches.



It's hard to wrap your head around, unless you're familiar with the situation. It was all rather mindblowing when I started, but now I rather enjoy thinking about the logistics of the operations of Amtrak, or even other transit companies. Honestly, I think I would be great at equipment and personnel scheduling. I even came up with a few proposals for potential job schedules for the LSAs on the Cascades once we get one of the Canada trains back.

Honestly, it's a rough situation these days. As I mentioned, it sounds like almost every western long distance train is going to be losing a day of rest at home, to try and help the staffing shortage. It will be a very small difference, but at this point, every bit helps. Hopefully once things stabilize, consist lengths will return to normal!

I won't lie, it's expensive and has been a bit of a struggle these days, but nothing that can't be handled. This past week I found out that our medical covers the cost of any Covid tests, yesterday I filed claims to get reimbursed for the 11 Covid tests I've taken so far (in fact, I have my 12th test scheduled in a little over 4 hours from now), so that'll help. Everything else will be a travel expense for work when it comes to tax time, though it hardly makes a difference. Honestly, I applied to Canadian Pacific as a conductor in the Vancouver BC area, and ended up turning the job down due to things in the contract that didn't sit well with me (the possibility of "forced temporary relocation" anywhere up to 1600 miles away, for example). I also have been looking at BC Ferries, and our local bus/subway system in Vancouver, but haven't seen anything that's worth it.

The trick to me getting through this is reminding myself that it's only temporary, and eventually the border will reopen, and I can resume taking the thruway bus or train across the border. The schedules will be changed, and I won't have to keep staying in a hotel forever!

Thanks once again for the compliments, by the way!



It's crazy how expensive short flights are, isn't it? Suddenly demand was so high on the Seattle to Vancouver flights that Alaska Airlines was up to charging $399 for the 59 minute flight (again, only about 25 minutes in the air) for last minute bookings! Thankfully additional flights are coming available starting tomorrow, so prices have come down considerably, though it's still more than I'm paying per night for a hotel.

As an American citizen, I'm allowed entry in to the US at all times, I just have to provide a negative Covid test prior to boarding my flight. For the return to Canada it was a bit more complicated, but for myself being considered a "frequent cross-border worker", I do not have to provide a Covid test for entry back in to Canada. I did have some issues with the airlines not knowing this exemption, and was denied boarding 3 times. Twice with Delta, I got them to reimburse the cost of the Covid test and hotel. With Air Canada I just cancelled and walked over to the Alaska counter. Because of these issues I was flying Alaska exclusively from Seattle back to Vancouver, but now that the Canadian government has spelled it out quite clearly that someone in my position is exempt, starting next week I'm going back to flying whoever was reasonably priced with the right departure time.

The good news out of all this? I got Delta to match my Air Canada elite status. Then I got Alaska to match Delta. lol So now I've got low level elite status with Air Canada, Alaska, and Delta. Free checked bags, priority boarding, upgrades to First Class. I've also got a growing number of reward points/miles between the three reward programs, so when it comes time for a vacation or any "extra" trips I need to make, they may be free as well.



I don't have access to anything like that. Best I can do is make guesses based on what I'm hearing from other crew bases. If I had to guess? I'd say a minimum of 75 OBS short, just between CHI/LAX/SEA. But I believe CHI was working on a large class, but whether they have the applicants they need or not.....

Do you have "Landed" Status or Dual Citizenship so you are allowed to work in Canada?

I tried in the 80s but the poor economy made Canada reserve jobs for Canadian Citizens so we moved to the US ( I am a US Citizen, my late wife obtained a Green Card so she could work here as Dual Citizenship wasn't possible @ the time for her or me)

 

[neroden]

Indeed we are. I don't know how many applicants they were able to get for SA/TAs, but I highly doubt it'll be "enough".

When we return to having china on the train, we need an extra SA on each train just to handle dishes. Assuming that they stay on the train from SEA-MKE and turn back there (instead of spending the night in CHI), that's we'll say....9 jobs. We need 11 TAs so we can go back to staffing the 711/811 coach (it's currently being crewed by CHI). So that's 20 SA/TAs. We really need 2 SAs upstairs in the diner during the summer/holidays, so we need to plan ahead for that. 31 SA/TAs. Plus we need a reasonable amount to cover the extra board, so I'll say maybe....42? We have 5 that just graduated classroom training (congrats Steve AKA Acela150!), plus 8 on the extra board. So once Steve's class completes the on-the-job training, we'll have 13 on the extra board, and still need another 29. As much as people hate coach not being able to be accommodated in the diner, this is why. Most crew bases are struggling like this.

We also only have 6 food specialists, and we're suppose to have 13-14. We just got caught up on the number of Chefs we have, but only because we pulled LSAs and Food Specialists to crosstrain them.

Oof. I'm still mad at the now-departed Mr. Anderson for laying off all the regular dining car employees on the Eastern trains, most of whom seem to have retired or found other jobs and not come back. There were a lot of really good employees on the Lake Shore Limited. And now Amtrak has to train an entirely new set of dining car crews all from scratch basically. What a mess. I hope they get enough people to restart dining on the LSL soon though.

 

[Triley]

Do you have "Landed" Status or Dual Citizenship so you are allowed to work in Canada?

I tried in the 80s but the poor economy made Canada reserve jobs for Canadian Citizens so we moved to the US ( I am a US Citizen, my late wife obtained a Green Card so she could work here as Dual Citizenship wasn't possible @ the time for her or me)

Just permanent residency, yup. Haven't resided here enough to apply for citizenship, though I'll hit that mark next year. Still not sure sure what I'll do... I think if anything, I'd rather sink the money in to getting my spouse his green card in the US.

Oof. I'm still mad at the now-departed Mr. Anderson for laying off all the regular dining car employees on the Eastern trains, most of whom seem to have retired or found other jobs and not come back. There were a lot of really good employees on the Lake Shore Limited. And now Amtrak has to train an entirely new set of dining car crews all from scratch basically. What a mess. I hope they get enough people to restart dining on the LSL soon though.

Though it will still be a small disaster, it won't go down quite like this. The vast majority of attendants who are trained as SAs are also trained as TAs, and vice versa. It's entirely possible that some TAs would gladly bid back as an SA again. Others may transfer from elsewhere in the country, since theoretically the Eastern crew bases should be lower seniority for SAs, should the jobs ever be recreated.

It'll still bring a massive influx of new hires for one position or another, though. It'll be interesting to see how everything plays out!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Just permanent residency, yup. Haven't resided here enough to apply for citizenship, though I'll hit that mark next year. Still not sure sure what I'll do... I think if anything, I'd rather sink the money in to getting my spouse his green card in the US.



Though it will still be a small disaster, it won't go down quite like this. The vast majority of attendants who are trained as SAs are also trained as TAs, and vice versa. It's entirely possible that some TAs would gladly bid back as an SA again. Others may transfer from elsewhere in the country, since theoretically the Eastern crew bases should be lower seniority for SAs, should the jobs ever be recreated.

It'll still bring a massive influx of new hires for one position or another, though. It'll be interesting to see how everything plays out!

Thanks, and best of Luck!

Hope to ride your train one of these days when I make it back to the NW!

 

[west point]

Amtrak employment openings show OBS & TA ---- LAX, NOL, CHI ===='"
Chefs -- CHI, SEA !

 

[Cal]

Amtrak employment openings show OBS & TA ---- LAX, NOL, CHI ===='"
Chefs -- CHI, SEA !

I was looking at that, so I assume they filled all positions for Miami? And nothing for New York?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I was looking at that, so I assume they filled all positions for Miami? And nothing for New York?

The hiring process is weird. The posting might of been there, and taken down already. Or just not yet posted. There is not a organized method to there hiring. If your looking sign up for email alerts. Be ready to post, don’t wait a hour.