WASHINGTON — More than 18,000 union workers at Amtrak will receive $900 holiday bonuses to mark the company’s record year of ridership and revenue, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced.
The worker bonuses announced today (Dec. 11) come as Amtrak executives have agreed to forgo 50% of the bonuses that would have been paid out under their existing bonus structure, at the urging of the Trump administration, according to a Department of Transportation press release. Amtrak’s board of directors has also taken action to eliminate long-term bonuses for senior executives and to distribute those bonus funds to the union workers.
“We are truly in the golden age of travel,” Duffy said in a press release. “… my department is working every day to enhance the travel experience for the American peple. We rely on our incredible workforce, including our unionized workers at Amtrak, to make it all possible.”
Leaders of the two largest rail unions applauded the move.
“This long-overdue recognition of the employees who keep the railroad moving is a step in the right direction,” said Mark Wallace, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Said Jeremy Ferguson, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, “SMART-TD appreciates Amtrak’s decision to prioritize the men and women who keep our passenger rail system running every day. Providing frontline employees with a meaningful bonus is an important acknowledgement of their dedication and service, especially during holiday season.”
In a separate press release, John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, also celebrated the move.
“Frontline workers make Amtrak run every day, not railroad executives,” Samuelsen said. “This bonus acknowledges that fact and, for the first time in years, restructures the Amtrak budget to direct resources to workers on the line instead of into executives’ pockets.” Samuelsen called it a “major victory” following what the union said was “years of pressure” to address executive bonuses.
Amtrak said in a Dec. 16 email to Trains.com that it had nothing to add to the original release.
Amtrak’s executive bonus structure has been a long-running source of controversy. In fiscal 2023, 13 top managers received a total of $2.98 million in bonuses [see “Amtrak defends management bonuses …,” Trains.com, June 20, 2024]. The bonus structure has also been a target in congressional hearings [see “House Republicans ask Amtrak to explain …,” Nov. 3, 2022], as well as with legislation that would require full disclosure of bonus payments and the criteria for those bonuses [see “Bill requiring disclosure …,” Jan. 14, 2025].
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, noted in a press release that the committee has advanced legislation to make the executive bonuses public. “I commend the Administration for working with Amtrak’s leadership to redirect much of that bonus funding to the thousands of Amtrak employees this holiday season,” Graves said.
— Updated Dec. 12 at 8:10 a.m. CT with comment from Transport Workers Union; updated at 12:14 p.m. with link to original press release, not previously available on DOT website, and comment from U.S. Rep. Graves. Updated Dec. 16 with Amtrak response. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
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