The culture of the organization is best described as schizophrenic. The company and its executive team constantly talk about running the organization like a business, yet they never address the underlying problems that cause the organization to struggle. Excessive union pay, benefits, and work rules essentially tie the hands of most managers. There hasn't been a true CFO with real world experience in the organization in years. No one is ever held accountable for poor performance or management.
The executive team is an absolute joke: they either hire unqualified candidates from the outside that just want to get experience (because the company can't attract A players with its low high-end pay), or they hire soon to be retirees that just don't have the desire to tackle tough problems. Those that get experience in mid-level jobs and are truly talented eventually leave. Only low-caliber managers and rank-and-file union employees who've moved into management stick around. Most "managers" are former union employees that have no other options after wearing their bodies out in operations. The end result is a culture of railroaders that have all risen through the ranks together butting heads with managers who've come from the world outside of Amtrak. In such an environment, very little of substance actually seems to improve from year to year.
