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| Re: Amtrak changes-LD Trains (1521424) | |||
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Re: Amtrak changes-LD Trains |
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Posted by Nilet on Fri Aug 16 22:11:16 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak changes-LD Trains, posted by orange blossom special on Fri Aug 16 15:38:34 2019. Then there is something historically wrong that is deeper.It's certainly a tricky problem, but not one any railroad (public or private) has solved. A) You're talking occupancy, which is fine. But there is a whole food-cost formula matrix that every profitable eatery uses. Unless the hot-dog stand is just doggone lucky, they all go out of business if they don't focus on their cost. The trouble is that the limited audience is intrinsic to the situation. The hot dog stand isn't limited to only serving one specific group of customers. You can focus on the cost all you like, but if the physical circumstances under which you operate preclude sufficient volume, you can't make money. Staff is a flexible cost, and not a fixed cost. B) However, in your description, you make it sound like the only restaurant situation where it IS a fixed cost. Maybe it's true. But two things come to mind. The ability to schedule staff for shifts that correspond to mealtimes is greatly compromised for a restaurant that's rolling down the tracks at 79 MPH. While there's a fair amount of leeway to how many people are scheduled and for when, basic physics precludes much of the flexibility that a stationary restaurant gets. If there's any alternative to having the dining car staff ride from Chicago to Emeryville and back, no one has thought of it yet. B-1) Back in the olden days, before The Court changed everything, employers provided housing. You lived at your department store. You even lived at the Hardware Store you worked at. I even seen the contract where you were obligated to go with the owner to Church every Sunday. Check out those old hotels where the servants quarters get the attic. Rooming is not a new concept. The horrific state of work conditions and labour laws prior to the development of unions is hardly relevant to Amtrak's dining car needs. B-2) "at a substantial premium due to overtime and the difficulty of convincing people to work such a demanding job." Then privatize it so they can illegally hire people to work in this exact situation. I know a restaurant where the staff works a so-called "split-shift" everyday, for 6 or 7 days a week. The owner wouldn't even give a dude off a few hours so he can upgrade his phone. I'm, uh, not exactly sure that "just violate labour laws" is a viable solution here. I mean, if you're willing to resort to crime to make a profit, you might as well just staff the dining car with slaves. Maybe Amtrak needs Pepper the Robot. Maybe Congress needs to repeal the law that Amtrak must make a profit on its dining cars specifically. Dining cars have been a loss leader since the start of railroading; the only reason this is an issue is because one specific Congresscritter managed to get a law passed to require Amtrak to make a profit on its dining cars, and he did so specifically because he didn't like Amtrak and wanted to destroy it. |
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