Pros
Job security, retirement, pay, and benefits. It is a decent job in a world full of awful companies. Management is working to cut all the good out of the company to fatten their pockets like everywhere else. Again, if you are thinking about working here...only come if you have nothing better, but you will earn every dollar you make. The frontline leads a very hard lifestyle for the money.
Cons
Management is awful, and it is easy to see why...many are uneducated or not educated enough. Even the ones that are educated, going as high up as the CEO (Harvard), have lost the fundamentals due to situational awareness or greediness (getting your buddies paid probably for a kickback). Unfortunately, most of these managers at the higheset levels (directors and Vps) are just working to make the company more efficient (move money from the bottom ranks to the top). Taxpayer dollars are really just going to all the many big execs and contractors at Amtrak (we are flooded with them even after restructuring regardless of what they say). Politics is key to getting a salary above 150k or working as a contractor for hundreds an hour. Like they say...it is not what you know but who you know. Amtrak will never be anything and sometimes I think that is the goal. If politicians and management bankrupt Amtrak they can get rid of it, but not before they profit like the banks in 08. What it comes down to is people working to better themselves over the company. I guarantee if the numbers are looked at closely, management salaries (and not even front line mgmt) top front line employees by a long shot. Lastly, every company wants better customer service...this will never occur unless your employees are happy and satisfied. My perspective is from both the frontline and management levels. The company will sell an employee out in a heartbeat and the organizations watching over us are not much better (FRA and NTSB...just a smoke show. Plus the Unions are not very strong anymore and the company takes advantage of it. Final note, the company also does not hire well at the frontline. Maybe becasue they also want less educated people that are scared to stand and fight against the poor management...no unity here.
