SEATTLE — Amtrak is restructuring operations on the Empire Builder, the rail route connecting the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, by shifting onboard staffing responsibilities from Seattle to Chicago.
It is a move that has left some Seattle-based crew members anxious and uncertain about their futures, even as the company touts an era of expansion on the horizon.
The changes came into public view over the weekend when James Schweickert, a union representative for local workers, posted a message that circulated among employees. It read, “Just departed Seattle on my last Empire Builder run to Chicago. Feeling rather sad.” The post captured what many workers say has been a difficult and unsettling transition…