Amtrak Union Slams Plan to Allow Guns in Passenger Cabins
The Transport Workers Union calls a proposed Amtrak firearms policy 'sheer lunacy' as the rail carrier moves to allow guns in lockboxes aboard trains.
The union representing Amtrak's onboard service workers has sharply condemned a proposed policy that would allow passengers to carry firearms onto intercity trains in personal lockboxes, calling the plan dangerous and reckless.
The Transport Workers Union, which speaks for approximately 360 workers employed by the national passenger rail carrier, issued the rebuke as Amtrak moves toward implementing protocols that would affect roughly 1,500 train runs daily across the United States.
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Under the forthcoming rules, passengers would be permitted to bring firearms aboard in private lockboxes taken directly to their seats — a practice currently prohibited on Amtrak trains. The union's condemnation centers on the safety risks it says that change would introduce for both workers and the traveling public in an enclosed rail environment.
The dispute highlights growing tension between labor groups and management over security conditions on public transportation, as federal and corporate policy shifts on firearms access continue to generate controversy across multiple transit sectors. For onboard service workers who interact directly with passengers throughout a journey, the prospect of armed travelers in the cabin represents a fundamentally altered working environment, the union argues.
Amtrak has not yet set a public implementation date for the new firearms policy. Continue reading at Business | The Guardian.
