Very bad. - Senior Buyer Amtrak Employee Review

1.0
Sep 1, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free train rides, some nice colleagues.

Cons

Experience will vary greatly depending on who your manager is. Regularly work 10-12 hours and nights and weekends. Lots of PTO but can't ever take it or you'll be working even longer and harder when your back. The company literally doesn't plan at all. They wait till its out and buy it. These aren't exceptions this is the standard. So constant pressure on purchasing. And culturally everything is purchasings fault. Engineering and project management don't believe its their job to plan or help define their project or requirements. But still everything is purchasings fault. Generally a mean culture and management isn't very nice. They put on show appreciation pizza parties so they can look good to their higher ups, but then it's right back to being treated like dirt. Just now you have to work even longer because they made you sit in a pizza party for three hours. If you want to transfer or even apply to another team your manager has to approve it. So if you are in a bad situation your only option is really to leave. And you will not get promoted ever. No matter how hard you work. It's an old school, work yourself to death or face possibility of getting fired. They motivate through fear. They also actively monitor your screen time, and access your teams and email messages. Part of being an employee anywhere is knowing your productivity is measured. But the intrusiveness and lack of trust this shows has a really negative effect on morale.

Explore other reviews about Amtrak

5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very great company to work for! Great Job Stability and good benefits.

Cons

May be difficult to move up the ladder. Promotions within aren't very common.

1.0
May 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great friends and Travel with plenty to see

Cons

The culture is horrible it’s a very demeaning please. They will fire you for anything. Harassment amongst employees and by management to their employees Is extremely high. I have a MBA degree and I still can not move above the customer service level. I’m a union member and you have to pay union dues to work a non management position. The union Reps work for Amtrak to so there is a conflict of interest. The union is TCU in which they defend the company 100x harder than they do their members. TCU is not organized very well. The pay is fairly well but after union dues in medical and taxes are withdrawn your net income makes it look like you are making at least 15 to 17 an hr. As far as Work culture at Amtrak it is fueled by many rumors and those rumors are more affluent then your resume .

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