John Samuelsen, International President of the Transport Workers Union of America, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the long journey to getting Amtrak onboard service workers a historic wage increase and industry-leading paid parental leave in their recently ratified contract.
At the end of July, the TWU secured the largest wage increase for Amtrak workers in its 53-year history. Samuelsen explained the work that went into achieving the record contract. After more than three years of negotiations, more than 85 percent of the 360 Amtrak onboard service members that make up TWU Local 1460 ratified the contract.
The new agreement will give workers a 34 percent total wage increase over the life of the contract. This contract is backdated to July 1, 2022, and will include full retroactive pay for members. Samuelsen said the onboard workers may not have the power of Amtrak's engineers, but they are crucial to Amtrak’s operations.
Samuelsen discussed the work-life balance portions of the contract and how they will improve the quality of life for members. One of the big wins he highlighted was the industry-leading paid parental leave program, which the TWU said far exceeds other rail carriers in the country. Starting in 2025, there will be 10 weeks of paid parental leave for workers who have been active for at least one year.
For more on the historic Amtrak contract, please listen to the show above.