Democratic Senators to Republican Leadership: Any Amtrak Coronavirus Aid Must Put Workers & Consumers First

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) called on Republican Senate leadership to ensure that any federal financial assistance to Amtrak amid the COVID-19 pandemic includes conditions that will put workers and consumers first.

“We write to request that you include enhanced consumer and labor protections for any funding to Amtrak in the emergency assistance legislation currently under consideration,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS). “While we agree that Amtrak is in desperate need of economic aid as the company is experiencing major drops in ridership and loss of revenue, we strongly believe that this legislation must include conditions that will protect both consumers and workers who depend upon the passenger rail industry.”

Worker conditions include respecting collectively bargained agreements, keeping railroad workers employed during the pandemic, providing sufficient unemployment benefits, and ensuring that furloughed employees are able to return to their jobs. Blumenthal and Markey also urged their Republican colleagues to reverse Amtrak’s mandatory arbitration and anti-class action policies – anti-consumer policies that prevent victims of crashes from having their day in court or banding together to file suit – as a condition of providing federal assistance.

Noting that the recently introduced Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act fails to include specific funding that would go to Amtrak and the cancellations and decrease in future bookings the company is experiencing, the Senators also encouraged McConnell and Wicker to consider boosting financial assistance for Amtrak: “We must ensure that our nation’s railroad receives adequate assistance, and we fear that the $500 million proposed by the Administration may not be enough to help Amtrak through this difficult time.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

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