Hotline #724

The House Appropriations Committee made its allocations between the various subcommittees on June 3. Transportation gets $12.8 billion in 1993, which is down 7% from this year. That is bad news, meaning that some or all transportation programs will have to take a funding cut this year, including Amtrak and transit.

Amtrak has announced the postponement of the extension of the Sunset Limited to Miami. The new target date is April 4, 1993. The initial payment to CSX for track work has only just gone in, meaning work can't be done in time to provide a reliable service in October.

Amtrak's northbound Crescent derailed yesterday morning 14 miles north of Picayune, Miss., after a grade-crossing collision. Apparently, it struck a garbage-carrying tractor-trailer truck that had become caught on the crossing. No serious injuries were reported.

A House-Senate conference on energy bills will be held soon. The House version contains language we like raising the ceiling on tax-free employer-provided transit passes from $21 a month to $60, and setting a $160-a-month ceiling on the tax-free parking benefit. It's expected that the Senate will accept this feature of the House bill in conference. The Administration also supports it. This feature was part of the big tax bill President Bush vetoed in March for other reasons.

NARP members are urged to write to the three presidential campaigns in support of maintaining and increasing federal funding for Amtrak and transit. To reach Ross Perot, write to Dr. John White, P.O. Box 517025, Dallas, TX 75251.

The strike that is likely for June 24 would worsen Amtrak's present budget crisis, because Amtrak revenues more than cover Amtrak short-term costs. That is different from a strike ten years ago, when a shutdown actually reduced Amtrak's subsidy needs. Some union officials have had harsh words for the new Presidential Emergency Board recommendations. The Board upheld Amtrak's position on wages, saying that to ignore the pattern of already-signed agreements "would reduce Amtrak's wage structure to chaos." There were mixed results on work-rules issues. Further negotiations are beginning.

While Congress may impose the recommendations shortly after the start of any strike, this is not certain. Eighty-three Members of Congress have signed letters urging the parties not to assume Congress would act. However, Representatives Dingell (D.-Mich.) and Swift (D.-Wash.) yesterday warned their colleagues that any speculation on what Congress would do in the event of a strike is "counterproductive" to the success of current negotiations.

Many Members of Congress are uneasy about imposing a settlement because of union political action committee contributions, according to Journal of Commerce columnist Larry Kaufman (June 3). He says the Machinists have one of the largest labor union PAC's. It gave Congressional candidates $1.5 million during 1989 and 1990, overwhelmingly to Democrats. Congress would act just before the Democratic convention and Kaufman quoted a Maintenance of Way union source saying, "We'll be outside in the streets or inside in our seats, but we'll be at the Democratic national convention."

A good column by Jane Holtz Kay was in the May 30 Boston Globe, about reasons for having a rail link as part of the Boston Central Artery project.

Pennsylvania NARP members are urged to contact their state legislators to support HR341, which would require the state DOT to fund a second Pennsylvanian between New York and Pittsburgh.