CLEVELAND, February 6 -– The Rail Labor Division of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department (TTD) is initiating a grassroots effort to lobby Capitol Hill for $1.2 billion in funding for Amtrak.
Current funding levels proposed by the Bush Administration and the House of Representatives fall below the levels necessary for Amtrak to survive.
Amtrak President David Gunn said the railroad needs at least $1.2 billion in federal funding to stay in business. Anything less, he says, will result in a nationwide shutdown.
President Bush’s national budget, released earlier this week, only allocates $762 million, which is the same amount approved by the House of Representatives late last year. So far, only the U.S. Senate has agreed to allocate the $1.2 billion that Amtrak has requested.
The TTD is asking all members of rail labor to contact their members of Congress and voice their support for $1.2 billion in federal funding for Amtrak. The TTD website features e-mails and letters that BLE and GIA members can send to Congress in support of adequate funding for Amtrak.
The survival of Amtrak is crucial to the stability of the U.S. Railroad Retirement system. All working and retired railroaders have a vested interest in the Amtrak situation. If Amtrak were to go under or cease to exist, then its 23,000 employees would no longer pay into Railroad Retirement, creating a situation that could severely damage and destabilize the system.
Members are urged to contact their Congressional legislators immediately. Go to the TTD’s website and click on the link titled, “Amtrak in Crisis!”