Hotline #5 - October 24, 1997

The House Amtrak reauthorization bill, H.R.2247, was dealt a serious setback today.

As expected, a LaTourette (R.-Ohio) amendment to gut the labor reforms was introduced, followed by a Quinn (R.-N.Y.) substitute amendment to neutralize the LaTourette amendment.

The Quinn amendment was voted on first and defeated, 195-223. At that point, Chairman Shuster said he was pulling H.R.2247 from floor consideration because it would lack meaningful labor reform. He added that the failed Quinn vote threatened Amtrak's very existence.

One factor in today's vote was that a split has been developing this week between eastern and western Republicans. The eastern Republicans crossed the western ones on non-Amtrak issues, and just enough of the westerners retaliated on Quinn's Amtrak amendment to sink it.

Where this leaves us is not clear right now. One possibility is a bill, Senate Joint Resolution 37, introduced this afternoon by Senate Labor Chairman Jeffords (R.-Vt.) It would freeze any further action on Amtrak labor issues, including a possible strike in the next week, until after passage of Amtrak reauthorization. S.J.Res.37 could hit the Senate floor October 27 -- ask your Senator to support it.

Unless Congress acts more quickly, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes could strike against Amtrak at 12:01 am on October 29, or later. The BMWE has promised not to picket anywhere outside the Northeast. It also has worked out agreements with Long Island Rail Road to keep their trains running -- pending a safety decision from the Federal Railroad Administration, and the willingness of such workers to cross picket lines. MARC, Shore Line East, and MBTA likely would shut down in any event.

Amtrak services away from the Northeast would not be affected -- but it is still not clear what the effect on trains from the Northeast to Chicago, New Orleans, and Florida would be. Typically, in case of a strike, trains that are underway are allowed to proceed to their destination.

Amtrak says a strike in just the Northeast will add $1 million a day to its losses.

Amtrak West President Gil Mallery addressed the NARP board in Santa Fe, N.Mex., today. He said Amtrak West is proposing to take over dispatching of the California Coast Line from Union Pacific, which is experiencing severe dispatching problems across its whole system.

He also said a third Seattle-Portland round trip could start December 1 if the FRA grants permission to use the tilt mechanism on the Talgo trains.

Amtrak schedules change this weekend along with the time change.