Notice the headline says employees are "likely" stealing but offers no proof. I've read the GAO report and the IGs and they both declare this horrendous amount of employee theft yet neither offers almost any proof.
I've witnessed employees caught stealing and they were all dismissed immediately and not a single one was reinstated after investigation. Theft is the easiest way to get rid of a union employee. If management can prove you stole, you're done.
One problem is that in my experience, the server/LSA keeps ALL copies of the meal checkin spite of the fact that they are supposed to give the customer one copy. With all the copies, they can "add" things to the sleeper passengers' meals like desserts that were not taken and drinks that were not given. This can lead to cooking the books.
I have never seen a server or LSA give a copy of the meal ticket to a patron on any trip. I'm surprised Amtrak would not crack down on this since failure to provide them is a clear violation of policy and easy to see as well as an easy way of hiding the fact that items were not provided or that they were "re-sold" to a paying customer.
From the Standards Manual (page 8-179 area)
Meal Checks Consist of Three Parts
• Top - LSA's copy.
• Middle - Customer's record of transaction.
• Bottom - Chef's copy.
All customers (Sleeper, Coach and Employee)
are to be provided with the middle copy of the
meal check.