[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8698-H8699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESS SHOULD NOT BE CAUGHT UNAWARES
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Bachus] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, sometimes we are caught unawares without any
warning. Last month there was a commuter strike in San Francisco where
over 270,000 commuters found themselves without a way to work and a way
home, when the 60-day cooling-off period expired on a labor dispute out
there and the San Francisco Bay area's commuter railroads were shut
down.
About the same time here in Washington, afternoon commuters who were
going home on VRE suddenly found that their trains were not leaving
Union Station, and tens of thousands of them were stranded when
dispatchers at Norfolk Southern called a wildcat strike. Now, these
were regional strikes, they were unforeseen but they caused a great
deal of disruption.
What may be happening to our Nation that I think most of the Members
of this body are unaware of is another strike on the magnitude of the
UPS strike. The gentleman from New York mentioned ``Groundhog Day,''
where suddenly Bill Murray woke up and it was the same day all over
again.
We could very well be facing that again later this month. The date:
October 22. Amtrak is faced on that day with a possible national
shutdown because of an impasse between the Brotherhood of Maintenance
of Way employees and themselves over wages and work rules.
What precipitated this latest crisis was a Presidential emergency
board, actually ruling 232, recommending that Amtrak pay the union
employees what amounts to $25 million in wage increases, including some
retroactive payments, and left another $30 million in arbitration. If
this pattern were to continue, if this Presidential emergency board
ruling were applied to all 27,000 Amtrack employees, it would cost
Amtrak an additional $136 million. Amtrak, which as we all know is
financially strapped, has simply taken the position that it cannot pay
what it does not have, and it cannot pay these increases.
As I said, this 30-day cool-off period expires on October 22. That is
one day after we return from recess. At that time, I fully expect that
Congress will be in the middle of resolving a strike or taking steps to
prevent a strike. If Amtrak is shut down, it will not be a commuter
authority, it will not be like San Francisco or Virginia, it will be
nationwide. It will not be thousands of commuters, it will be millions.
On the northeast corridor alone, think about this impact: Not only
does Amtrak operate several hundred trains, but also commuter
authorities in Boston, the MBTA operates over Amtrak territory;
Connecticut DOT, Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, SEPTA,
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority; MARC and VRE. We are
talking about commuters all up and down the northeastern corridor being
unable to get to and from work. We are also talking about 73 freight
trains on the northeastern corridor alone that would not be able to get
to and from their customers.
If this happens, the strike in San Francisco will pale by comparison
and it will not be one city.
What can we do about this? I would urge the Members of this body to
come together and push for reauthorization of the Amtrak bill, or to
authorize the Amtrak bill that has been reported by the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure on which I am a member.
I would also urge labor not to take this position of a win-at-all-
costs position. Unfortunately, they are holding up the authorization
legislation this year because they are opposed to the same language in
the bill that two years ago they wrote, language which would have been
enacted as part of this year's tax bill and given Amtrak access
[[Page H8699]]
to funds. Now, these same unions are demanding a pay increase. They are
now demanding that Amtrak pay this.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, we have got to start thinking about what
we are going to do. If we do not, we will wake up October 22 or
sometime thereafter faced with a national crisis, and the American
people, and us, will be caught unawares.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record data in support of the topic of
my special order this evening:
Effects of a 1 Day Strike Against Amtrak
Amtrak either operates or allows access over its tracks to
10 commuter agencies serving communities in 12 states. A one
day strike would strand or frustrate the communities of
nearly 600,000 commuters.
Depending on the scope of the strike, all Amtrak trains
could potentially cease operation. Amtrak's average daily
ridership is 60,000 passengers. This would idle 253 trains,
stop service to 510 communities, 130 of whom have no direct
air service, and 113 of whom do not have intercity bus
service.
Each day of the strike will likely cost $3.8 million of
lost revenue while costs will likely go up. In addition,
Amtrak receives nearly $200,000 each day in mail revenues
which would likely be lost. Mail service would be delayed to
35 cities nationwide.
Freight train operations on Amtrak owned property would
also be disrupted or canceled. On the Northeast Corridor
alone, freight operators serve 308 customers, including such
large industries as Chrysler, Proctor and Gamble, and Delco
Battery. Twenty-seven of the 308 customers are listed as
Fortune 500 companies. Amtrak is a vital link for all freight
shippers and their customers along the Northeast Corridor.
Each day approximately 73 freight trains use the Northeast
Corridor and 2 daily trains serve 6 customers on the track
Amtrak owns between Porter, Indiana and Kalamzaoo, Michigan.
There is currently nearly 250 non rail-related construction
sites on or near the Northeast Corridor. To access these
sites, construction crews must cross Amtrak property each day
to access job sites adjacent to the corridor. In the event of
a strike, Amtrak could not safely allow access over its
property potentially curtailing or idling work at these
sites.
In addition, to the lost revenues, Amtrak expects that
additional costs will be incurred from the securing of
facilities and equipment. This cost will escalate with each
day the system is idled.
The effects of the strike will linger for several months
and be reflected in lost reservations and customer
uncertainty. The strike will also damage customer loyalties
enjoyed by commuter authorities. Even a short strike could be
devastating to the Virginia Rail Express still reeling from
service disruptions in June and July.
Once any portion of the railroad right of way that Amtrak
owns or inspects has had a complete shutdown, it could be up
to 24 hours before any train can operate again. This time is
required to perform federally mandated safety inspections.
If a system shutdown lasts more than 2-3 days, condition
such as rusty rails could keep the railroad shutdown for as
much as 1\1/2\ days beyond resolution of the dispute. If a
system shutdown lasts longer than 3 days, it will take as
much as 1\1/2\ to 3 days before trains can operate again.
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