Happening Now
We Still Need Commuter Trains
February 9, 2021
Think We'll All Work From Home From Now On? Think Again.
by Jim Mathews / President & CEO
I'm still fighting the wrong-headed perception that one of the coronavirus pandemic's lessons is that we don't need to travel for work anymore. Thankfully, however, a daily parade of Work From Home Fails continues to offer us all reminders that not everyone's job can be done remotely -- and even if it CAN be done remotely, sometimes it's a bad idea.
For your consideration, click here to watch as a hapless attorney tries to participate in a hearing -- before an actual judge -- through Zoom. Evidently someone had an entertaining filter set up before he logged on and, well...just watch it yourself. I'm willing to bet this poor fellow would give anything right now to be able to show up in person to work.
And, laughter aside, there are millions of people who rely on public transportation to get to and from work, many of whom are waiting out the pandemic and doing their best to work from home with mixed results. Congress is considering a $30 billion injection for our Nation's transit systems as part of a Covid rescue package. I think we know at least one person who can't wait for the pandemic to be over...
"On behalf of Amtrak’s onboard service staff, I want to thank the Rail Passengers Association for honoring their hard work with this award. The past couple years have indeed been difficult for Amtrak onboard service staff – coping with furloughs and job insecurity, adapting to changing protocols and services, not to mention the unfortunate events such as a tragic derailment and a fatal shooting. Nevertheless, our dedicated members at Amtrak have handled these hurdles with the care, attention and diligence for which they’re known. We thank Rail Passengers for their acknowledgement of our members’ hard work and, as always, look forward to seeing you on the rails."
Arthur Maratea, TCU/IAM National President
December 21, 2021, on the Association awarding its 2021 Golden Spike Award to the Frontline Amtrak Employees.
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