Pros
The people. Amtrak's union workforce comprises some of the most hard-working, talented and generous personalities you will ever meet. Railroaders genuinely love what they do.
Cons
Where do I start: 1) Frequent leadership changes and cronyism run rampant to where HR will bend over backwards to accommodate any request regardless of ethics. Often times, a manager or director is promoted after years of hard work only to be demoted or moved within 3-6 months. Some of my counterparts had a new leader for each year of their decade with the company. 2) There's also a major problem with turnover. I have personally witnessed hundreds (not an exaggeration) of agreement employees become separated just before the union eligibility period because a manager doesn't like them. Not because of poor performance or any valid reason... I've had managers confide this to me. 3) The last and most egregious con to working at Amtrak is the blatant favoritism and racism displayed in their recruiting process. Most positions that are posted internally have a competitive process, but often times, the recruiting directors will promote their own with no application or interview process necessary. There is one who is particularly the worst and I'm being purposefully vague as to not put her on the spot, but everyone knows because those who benefit also talk about it outside of recruitment. It goes without saying that the people receiving such benefits are exclusively white men and women. Most of which are not nearly as qualified as their peers or are outright unqualified. There are also leaders who direct or manage career professionals from a field they have literally never worked in; even as an intern... This is NORMAL at Amtrak. As minority, it is baffling to see in real time. HR doesn't care because this practice benefits them the most.