Tag: Amtrak

Home>News>Amtrak

June 27 is an important day for Brother Bill Link.

In 1972, it was the day that he began his railroad career. In 2025, it was the day that he officially retired after 53 years of service, the highest Amtrak seniority in the country.  

“I loved it. It’s like riding on a rolling treasurer chest, if you’re conscious,” reflected Brother Link two weeks into his retirement. “I found out it was the perfect job for me.”

An Abrupt End to Post-Graduation Limbo

After graduating from Lincoln University in the early 1970s, Brother Link wasn’t in a hurry to find a job.

Instead, he was hanging out at the bar with his friends before heading home between three and four o’clock in the morning, just “living life after college.”

Then one morning he woke up to his 6’3”, 300-pound truck-driver father standing over him.  He told him “Boy, if you think you’re gonna be sleeping in my house when I’m going to work after I put you through college, you got another thing coming.”

The next thing Brother Link knew, he was at a job fair in New York City.  

“I said ‘Hell no, I don’t want to county money in a room all my life’ so I went up to Central Park and hung out for an hour or two.”

While he was there, he thought about a suggestion from a neighbor back home about the railroad looking for new hires.

Too Tall to be an Engineer

He vividly remembers taking a test with about 11 other men before being told that he was picked for the premier engineer job but was too tall.

As an African American during the height of the Black Power Movement, Brother Link figured that “reasoning” had something to do with his skin color. But it wasn’t that or physical stature that made him too tall. It was his hair.

He waited in a room for about 20 minutes before someone came in and told him “Mr. Link, if you want a job, come back in one hour without that” and pointed to his afro.

“That was the day the revolution died,” said Brother Link, laughing.

Brother Bill Link (left) at his retirement celebration (Photo courtesy of David Pendleton)

Starting a New Chapter

The day the revolution died was also the birth of Brother Link’s more than five-decades on the rails.

“I was working on freight trains, coal trains, whatever. So I had a mixed career,” he explained. “It wasn’t always on the passenger train, but by the time I got older I got on the passenger train.”

That’s where Brother Link had some of his most impactful experiences.

“The conductor had a lot of roles to play,” he said. “He’s a priest, he’s a policeman, he’s an entertainer. When the train is late, he’s got to keep the people informed and occupied, things like that.”

His last passenger that he talked to before retirement was especially memorable.

“[It] was [singer] Dionne Warwick. She rode the first-class car, and I told her my story about how I’m getting ready to retire.”

The connection that she shares with the railroad is even more memorable: her father was a Pullman Car Porter.

“Can you imagine that?” asked Brother Link. “She was telling me she could always remember two trips that she took. One was to Florida with her father on the train and one to California. She’s the nicest lady.”

Breaking Barriers

Even though he met his fair share of superstars and “shakers and bakers,” Brother Link is most proud of the path that he forged for other African Americans.

“For all we hear in the media and all we hear everywhere, the railroad was very accommodating to race at the time I got hired. There were individuals that were ridiculous, but the railroad as a whole was acceptable.”

Back in the 1970s, his role caught some riders by surprise.

“In my early years on the railroad, African Americans who were 90 years old would come up to me and say ‘Son, we thought we’d never see this day’ when they saw me as a conductor. So I always viewed myself as an ambassador for our race.”

Brother Link was also the first African American to serve as the president of Local 1470.

He received the A. Philip Randolph Lifetime Achievement Award and was presented with the Golden Lantern from SMART-TD upon his retirement. 

Brother Bill Link receives the Golden Lantern at his retirement celebration (Photo courtesy of David Pendleton)

At the end of the day, he attributes his accomplishments to the foundation that his mother laid for him.

“[She was from] the Jim Crow South so she didn’t want to see us boys getting hurt or anything,” explained Brother Link. “She always told us to be humble, caring, kind and courteous. That was the major ingredient for me making it 50 years.”

Honoring a Mentor and Friend

One of the SMART-TD members who already misses Brother Link is Maryland Safety and Legislative Director David Pendleton, who cites him as his first railroad mentor.

“If you looked up the word ‘trailblazer,’ there will probably be a picture of him somewhere in there,” said SLD Pendleton. “When you think of Local 1470, you think of Bill Link. He’s been a mentor to so many of the members, including myself. I became a union officer at his urging.”

His absence from the train for the past couple of weeks has been an adjustment, but SLD Pendleton is excited for his union brother’s next chapter.

“I’m very happy that my friend is finally retiring and enjoying the years of work that he’s done,” he said. “I’ve been on the railroad over 20 years, and these are the first weeks that I’ve ever been there and he’s not there. So it’s just bittersweet for me. But I miss my buddy, no doubt about it.”

Photo courtesy of David Pendleton

At 75 years old, Brother Link is ready for whatever lies ahead, especially after his retirement celebration.

“The Bible says it best. To all things, there’s a season. A time to be born, time to work, time to live, time to retire, time to die. I had my run with the railroad, and the party they gave me is fulfilling for a lifetime.”

Every day, thousands of passengers and railroad employees pass through Union Station in Washington, DC, navigating the bustling halls and platforms without a second thought for a quiet, solemn space that resides within.

In a corner of the historic station, a memorial stands to remember the Amtrak employees who lost their lives while working to keep people moving.

SMART-TD Virginia/District of Columbia Vice Chairperson for Passenger Rail Service Jarad Jackson recently shared a photograph of the memorial, shedding light on this often-overlooked monument.

“This memorial is more than just a tribute,” Jackson said. “For me, and for every railroader who takes a moment to reflect on it, it’s a powerful reminder of what we’re fighting for. It’s a symbol of the risks our members face and our commitment to improving safety and working conditions. My goal is to ensure that we never have to add another name to this monument, that no more of our union family members will be killed while on duty.”

The memorial is being updated to include the names of those who have lost their lives since 2018. Brother Jackson is engaging with Amtrak to ensure this important update is made, so the memorial can accurately acknowledge every individual who has sacrificed so much.

By taking a moment to visit and pay respects, we honor their memory and reaffirm our commitment to the safety and well-being of all those who work on the railroads. Let it be a reminder of the shared mission and values of the entire SMART-TD community; no matter what working conditions we find ourselves in, we must work safely to benefit our families and our brothers and sisters on our crew.

Brother Matt Tolliver (Local 1601, Appalachia, Va.) originally brought this memorial to SMART-TD’s attention. In addition to serving Local 1601 as secretary and treasurer, Brother Tolliver also serves his brothers and sisters in a leadership role with the UTUIA, providing members with insurance policies that protect them and their families from the unique dangers in the transportation industry.

The SMART-TD Safety and Legislative Boards for the state of Virginia and Washington, DC, have voluntarily merged. This decision, voted into effect by both boards on November 15, will streamline operations and create a more unified voice at local, state, and federal levels. 

Ronnie Hobbs, Virginia’s current safety and legislative director, will lead the combined body. Jarad Jackson, DC’s safety and legislative director, will serve as vice chairperson for Passenger Rail Service, while Ray Miller, Virginia’s alternate legislative director, becomes vice chairperson for Freight Rail Service. 

“By pooling resources, the leadership team is better equipped to advocate in Richmond, the DC Mayor’s office and on Capitol Hill,” Hobbs said.  

Willie Bates, former SLD for DC,  Jarad Jackson, vice chairperson of Passenger Service of Virginia/DC, Ronnie Hobbs, safety and legislative director for Virginia/DC

Hobbs added: “This merger strengthens our collective power. Together, we’ll be more effective in advocating for the issues that matter most to our members. The new structure marks a stronger, more cohesive effort to address the region’s pressing challenges.” 

Safety for Amtrak conductors remains a key priority 

The merger addresses member challenges in Virginia and DC, where many activities span the boundary between the two regions. Combining the boards will focus resources and legislative activities while spending fewer resources coordinating efforts. We can act as one because we are one. 

Safety remains their top priority, with a focus on addressing staffing shortages at Amtrak’s Union Station, where conductors are often required to work without an assistant conductor.  

Every day, thousands of passengers and railroad employees pass through Union Station in Washington D.C., navigating the bustling halls and platforms without a second thought to the quiet, solemn space that resides within.  

In a corner of the historic station, a memorial stands to remember the Amtrak employees who lost their lives while working to keep people moving. 

Many of our members, including those who work in Union Station daily, might not be aware of this sacred spot. It deserves recognition and reverence from all in the SMART-TD family. 

D.C. Safety and Legislative Director (SLD) Jarad Jackson recently shared a photograph of the memorial with SMART News, shedding light on this often-overlooked monument.  

“This memorial is more than just a tribute,” SLD Jackson said. “For me, and for every railroader who takes a moment to reflect on it, it’s a powerful reminder of what we’re fighting for. It’s a symbol of the risks our members face and our commitment to improving safety and working conditions. My goal is to ensure that we never have to add another name to this monument, that no more of our union family members will be killed while on duty.” 

The memorial is being updated to include the names of those who have lost their lives since 2018. Brother Jackson is engaging with Amtrak to ensure this important update is made, so the memorial can accurately acknowledge every individual who has sacrificed so much. 

Seek out this memorial if you find yourself passing through Union Station.  

By taking a moment to visit and pay respects, we honor their memory and reaffirm our commitment to the safety and well-being of all those who work on the railroads. Let it be a reminder of the shared mission and values that unite us in the SMART-TD community and that no matter what working conditions we find ourselves in, we must work safely to benefit our families and our brothers and sisters on our crew.  

SMART News would like to thank Brother Matt Tolliver, (Local 1601, Appalachia, Va.) for bringing this memorial to our attention. In addition to serving Local 1601 as Secretary and Treasurer, Brother Tolliver also serves his brothers and sisters in a leadership role with the UTUIA, providing our members with insurance policies that protect them and their families from the unique dangers in our challenging industry.

Conductor Nathan Hatton arrived at work on August 9th ready for an ordinary shift. The twice-daily Amtrak run between Pontiac and Battle Creek, Michigan, is usually busy, but calm. Hatton and Dallas Jeffs, his assistant conductor, greeted passengers as they boarded.

One passenger, ticketed for the three-hour trip to Battle Creek, caught Hatton’s attention.

“This passenger was traveling a long distance, and yet he only had one small suitcase. When I greeted him, he was nonresponsive and avoided eye contact.” Hatton explained. The passenger was also wearing camouflage and knee pads.

LESSON 1: KNOW THE PATTERN AND WATCH FOR ANOMALIES

Conductors Nathan Hatton and Dallas Jeffs collaborated to stop a potentially dangerous situation aboard an Amtrak train.

As the local chairperson for LCA-769A, Hatton attended SMART-TD’s 2024 National Training Seminar in July. His training included a session on de-escalation techniques for transit workers. Such training is part of the union’s ongoing effort to confront the rising epidemic of violent assaults involving bus and passenger rail workers across the United States.

“In the training we were taught to watch for things that stuck out to us as not normal. He was checking a lot of the boxes on the list. Things our instructor, John Bostain, told us to be aware of and not to blow off,” Hatton said.

Bostain, an instructor for Command Presence Training, modeled his course on techniques used by the U.S. Marine Corps to anticipate and, if possible, defuse tragic events.

“When anomalies start to pile up, it’s an indication something is potentially wrong,” Bostain taught. “That’s when the transit worker must decide what to do to protect the safety of themselves and their passengers.”

Hatton quietly shared his observations with Jeffs, and they agreed to keep an eye on their unusual passenger.

LESSON 2: WATCH FOR SIGNS OF A PERSON IS IN CRISIS

Early in the journey, the passenger stood from his seat near the front of the car, removed his case, and moved it to an easily accessible luggage rack behind all the other passengers. He returned to his seat for a time, then moved to the cafe car. Hatton observed as the man ordered three shots of gin.

“The single most important technique for dealing with people in crisis is not escalating,” Bostain wrote. It is easy to accidentally make a situation more intense through confrontation, when a tense situation calls for a delicate touch.

While the passenger was occupied in the bar, the conductors decided it was time to see what was in that case. Hatton kept watch while Jeffs opened the case and discovered multiple loaded firearms. Amtrak police were contacted and discreetly boarded the train in Jackson, an hour out from Battle Creek. Jeffs moved the case to a vestibule, out of sight of other passengers, where the officer could discreetly inspect it.

LESSON 3: STAY CALM, CREATE SPACE AND GET BACKUP

With 15 minutes left in the journey, the Amtrak police proceeded cautiously. By this time the passenger seemed intoxicated, and he may have been armed. While they kept watch, Hatton also contacted the Battle Creek Police Department. The man was detained as he stepped off the train.

REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING

While there is no way for Hatton and Jeffs to know the plan or intentions of the man, his behavior was erratic and, improperly handled, had the potential of being catastrophic.  

By staying calm and working strategically, brothers Jeffs and Hatton may have saved their own lives, as well as several others.

For information on upcoming SMART-TD training opportunities, please visit our website and watch for announcements in our daily SMART-TD NewsWire emails.

Amtrak General Chairpersons Francis Ariola (GO 663) and Rick Pauli (GO 769) are happy to announce a new tentative agreement with Amtrak. Ariola and Pauli’s committees represent over 2,100 Amtrak employees.

The seven-year tentative agreement includes:

  • A substantial general wage increase.
    • Short crew payments are included.
    • Retroactive to July 1, 2022.
  • Substantial paid parental leave.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
  • Bereavement pay includes 3 workdays instead of 3 consecutive days off.
  • Overtime for employees who are on 3- and 4-day yard assignments on their relief days.
  • Increased training pay.
  • Compensation for deadheading to classes.
  • Increased new hire training per diem.
  • Increased conductor certification pay.
  • Pay protection for emergency annulments.
  • Dropped the “90% of the 75% and 80%” when working in the yard.
  • Current employees can keep AmPlan I health coverage.
  • Increased away-from-home expenses.

Details of the agreement will go out to the membership for ratification within the next few weeks. The balloting process will be conducted by TrueBallot, Inc.

In 2022, our union reported that 10 Amtrak executives earned a combined $2.3 million in bonuses.

Amtrak was not happy about that report, but apparently, they were not embarrassed enough to change their practices. This year the railroad paid more than double that amount.

Fourteen executives shared $5 million in 2023, as reported by the New York Times, despite operating deep in the red.

In contrast, Amtrak’s frontline employees received no bonuses at all.

Corporate executives often receive incentive-based bonuses disproportionate to the salaries of their front-line employees, such as the people we represent, who do the heavy lifting. This is not unique to Amtrak.

What is newsworthy is that Amtrak has not turned a profit in its 53 years of operations, is propped up by U.S. taxpayers and still sees its way clear to provide a handful of executives bonuses of over $500,000 each.

All of this occurs, of course, while our conductors, assistant conductors and engineers are left out in the cold.

Amtrak called to account for executive bonuses

SMART-TD and the New York Times are not the only ones taking notice of this behavior. Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) questioned Amtrak’s CEO and president about how they can justify giving out these large performance bonuses in a year when their company was $1.7 billion in the red.

The well-polished answer they received amounted to “We didn’t do as bad as in years past.”

This is true. Amtrak ridership is experiencing a significant increase, which we are pleased about and long-awaited new routes and opportunities to expand service are in the works. The company was “only” in the red by $1.7 billion, compared with its 2021 deficit of $2 billion, which reflects severe losses due to COVID.

Amtrak should invest in their workers

SMART-TD thinks that our men and women who operate the trains, keep the trains on schedule, the cabins clean, and the trains running safely deserve bonuses if the company is inclined to give them.

As Brother Rick Pauli, general chairperson for Amtrak GCA-769, said: “We are currently negotiating with Amtrak on an agreement for our members in the Northeast Corridor. It’s good to know the company has all that bonus money available. Myself and Fran Ariola (General Chairperson of GCA-663) will make sure to keep that in mind when discussing our members’ future wages.”

Amtrak’s 14 executives haven’t been confronted with an epidemic of on-the-job violence, as the crews who work these trains have.

In contrast, Roger Harris, Amtrak’s president, received about a half-million dollars as a bonus with a base salary of $479,000, according to The New York Times. Conservatively speaking, he received a 100% bonus.

The popular job search website Glassdoor.com lists the average Amtrak conductor salary at $74,000 and the median engineer salary at $117,000. If our engineers and conductors were working toward a bonus that potentially doubled their salaries, it’s a good bet that attendance problems would be a thing of the past and morale would be at an all-time high!

The recent news of Ron Batory’s nomination for the Amtrak Board of Directors has sparked a lot of discussion on social media. Unfortunately, much has been based on misinformation.

The SMART Transportation Division wants to provide some clarity on this topic for our members and everyone at Amtrak or any other railroad.

Amtrak’s board structure

First, it’s important to understand the rules and regulations surrounding the makeup of the Amtrak board. The board has 10 members, with eight of these suggested by both political parties. The other two are the Amtrak CEO and the Secretary of Transportation.

49 U.S. Code § 24302 governs the composition of Amtrak’s board. The Speaker of the House of Representatives (currently a Republican), the minority leader of the House of Representatives (a Democrat), the majority leader of the Senate (a Democrat) and the minority leader of the Senate (a Republican) ALL provide input about who to consider. There are also geographical considerations. The U.S. president then “appoints” the people selected by this group for the Senate to consider.

Donald Trump’s FRA Administrator Ron Batory

Batory was recommended for nomination by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Batory was not chosen by President Joe Biden or his administration, despite how some media outlets and social media discussions have framed it.

Much of the uproar assumes Batory’s seat on the Amtrak board is a done deal. It is not. Once appointed, a Senate committee considers prospective Amtrak board members, who are then approved or rejected by the full U.S. Senate.

A history lesson

Biden’s choice for FRA administrator was Amit Bose, who has spent his three years in this post undoing the Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) mess he inherited from Batory, who previously led the FRA. The record speaks for itself, as Bose has worked well with SMART-TD and other rail unions to push back against unsafe and inhumane railroad practices.

Unneeded bluster by keyboard warriors

It’s understandable that some people may be confused or alarmed to see Batory listed as a Biden appointee in press materials and in headlines. The president plays a ceremonial role in transmitting the nominations made by the committee to Congress, as depicted in White House communications. Claiming that the president selected the nominees is a smokescreen designed to outrage people and obscure the truth prior to November.

Batory’s nomination to the Amtrak Board of Directors is not a reflection of the Biden administration’s values or priorities. It’s a partisan political decision set forth by the Senate minority leader. The law ensures that both parties have a meaningful way to decide the makeup of the Amtrak Board.

It is important that American railroad workers understand this reality instead of listening to knee-jerk provocations made by those using surface-level observations of the process.

Read the statement by the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department outlining labor’s stance on the Batory nomination.

The United States House Appropriations Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee has proposed a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill that includes drastic cuts to Amtrak funding. In response, SMART released the following statement:

“The House Appropriations Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee’s proposed bill is dangerous for passenger rail transportation in America because it fails to meet the minimum level of funding necessary for Amtrak to safely operate its trains and maintain its assets. Funding shortages will adversely affect numerous capital projects that are essential to improving infrastructure and passenger rail services throughout our country. The failure to fully fund Amtrak is anti-American: It is an attack on America’s public passenger rail transportation, and it is an attack on working Americans. If Amtrak is not fully funded, it could kill thousands of railroad industry jobs, which will negatively impact our communities. Amtrak is good for our country, and it is good for our economy.”