SCA Training question answered

[sportbiker]

Another thread I haven't searched for asked a question about the training regimen required to become a sleeper attendant. At NTD today I spoke a real live honest-to-goodness SCA and asked.

To be a SCA requires two weeks of classroom training that focuses mostly on FRA regs and safety rules. That's followed by one full-length round trip shadowing a working SCA. Following that is... uh... oh yeah, there is nothing else. That's all it takes to become a SCA. He himself volunteered that it's not a lot of training. I would add it goes a long way to explain the variability of service.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Another thread I haven't searched for asked a question about the training regimen required to become a sleeper attendant. At NTD today I spoke a real live honest-to-goodness SCA and asked.
To be a SCA requires two weeks of classroom training that focuses mostly on FRA regs and safety rules. That's followed by one full-length round trip shadowing a working SCA. Following that is... uh... oh yeah, there is nothing else. That's all it takes to become a SCA. He himself volunteered that it's not a lot of training. I would add it goes a long way to explain the variability of service.

Union rules will add/detract to this. Senior-most members, so I am told, get a certain degree of choice when it comes to what routes they want to work. Thus routes like the EB or CL tend to get a lot of experienced SCAs while the Silvers or SSL (from what I've heard) tend to... not.

((Does NOT want to open the whole "union" can again))

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Another thread I haven't searched for asked a question about the training regimen required to become a sleeper attendant. At NTD today I spoke a real live honest-to-goodness SCA and asked.
To be a SCA requires two weeks of classroom training that focuses mostly on FRA regs and safety rules. That's followed by one full-length round trip shadowing a working SCA. Following that is... uh... oh yeah, there is nothing else. That's all it takes to become a SCA. He himself volunteered that it's not a lot of training. I would add it goes a long way to explain the variability of service.

That would be correct as far as the prescribed training is concerned. The rest of a sleeper attendant's experience comes from his/her time in the job itself. As ALC has already noted, usually the more experienced sleeping car attendants are in the better jobs. However, I disagree with him in regard to the actual trains as it is more to the better jobs at each OBS home crewbase. There are still quite a few of the "old heads" down in MIA in the sleepers. Most of them have bid into the trip cycles which have them out and back home with the weekend days (all or part of it) at home. I haven't checked in a while, however, it was about half and half between both trains out of MIA with a few more seniors working #98/#91 than #92/#97. When the "Meteor" was on that old schedule in a three day cycle MIA-NYP-MIA (same day turn with the same train), most of the old heads were on that train out of MIA so they would stay in the same three days and four off schedule each and every week (example Wed, Thur, and Fri). Whereas the "Star" and the "Palm" would rotate with each other and the work/rest days would, too. However, the old heads who wanted a longer layover in NYC would be sure not to bid the "Meteor" during those days. Now it doesn't really matter being both Florida trains layover over night in NYC.

Back to the actual training, I believe they should give them a little more instruction as to how to properly perform their job. When I had a trainee on some trips, that one training trip wasn't always enough time to show them everything they needed to know as some situations might not pop up on some trips as they would on others. Now on those longer trips out West, the one trip should be enough time as they should at least a weeks worth train time in the one trip alone!

And BTW, a little correction for those of you who call them SCAs. The actual title of the sleeper attendant is noted as TAS (train attendant sleeper). TAS and TAC (train attendant coach) are combined crafts in today's Amtrak line up as opposed to being separate crafts in the years prior to Amtrak and up until about the early 1990s or so. And of course back in the day when the Pullman Company staffed the sleepers on their own, the attendants were known as "porters!" Also, a little tidbit about the custom of tipping the sleeping car attendant. Back in the day, porters worked for darn near just their tips! They were not paid a union wage as TAs are today. There were no health benefits either. Because of that, most of your porters took great pride in their work and knew how to hustle for their tips with a smile! It was either that or work for free!

OBS gone freight...

 

[AlanB]

OBS,

If you hadn't objected to ALC's statement about senior people going to the western LD's, I would have done so, although not for the same reasons that you stated. It never really occurred to me that one could manage to get the weekends off.

My reason for shooting that down is that any attendant who pays even a bit of attention to things would know that the Silver's have the most consistent load factors of any of the LD's. The Silver's typically run pretty full in the sleepers regardless of what time of the year it is, unlike the western trains which are usually only full during holidays and the summer months, maybe for leaf peeping.

The Silver's therefore while offering a smaller average tip per room since the journey is only one night compared to two, still come out on top because one is getting more tips per run all year long thanks to more rooms being occupied on average.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Then what draws the best of best or so people say to the Auto Train? Is it the load factor again?

 

[AlanB]

Then what draws the best of best or so people say to the Auto Train? Is it the load factor again?

The Auto Train is a unique situation, it's not really part of the rest of Amtrak in some sense. They have seperate and different union contracts from the rest of the Amtrak system. A sleeping car attendant with 20 years of seniority in "regular" Amtrak cannot bump someone from their job on the Auto Train. If they transfer to the Auto Train, they have no seniority.

The Auto Train just attracts better people I think because they are a bit more careful during the screening process for new hires, because management still rides the trains, and it's a bit easier to get rid of the bad apples.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Then what draws the best of best or so people say to the Auto Train? Is it the load factor again?

The Auto Train is a unique situation, it's not really part of the rest of Amtrak in some sense. They have seperate and different union contracts from the rest of the Amtrak system. A sleeping car attendant with 20 years of seniority in "regular" Amtrak cannot bump someone from their job on the Auto Train. If they transfer to the Auto Train, they have no seniority.

The Auto Train just attracts better people I think because they are a bit more careful during the screening process for new hires, because management still rides the trains, and it's a bit easier to get rid of the bad apples.

Oh okay thanks. I had wondered why people always said the AUto Train has a better quality over all. Thanks for clearing that up.