TWENTY-ONE EMPLOYEES COUNSELED FOR RECEIPT OF DIFFERENTIAL PAY TO WHICH THEY WERE NOT ENTITLED

Twenty-one Amtrak machinists and supervisors were coached and counseled between October 31, 2019 and February 16, 2020, after our investigation determined the employees received temporary pay increases they were not entitled to. Known as “pay differentials,” these temporary hourly pay increases are granted for work performed beyond an employee’s regular duties. We found that employees based in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, were ineligible to receive the pay differentials, yet they requested these payments from the company’s Work Management System and their supervisors approved them without proper verification. We found that the company paid approximately $43,000 in pay differentials that it was not contractually obligated to pay under its collective bargaining agreement. Company officials said they implemented an updated pay differential policy that will prevent such future payments unless they are explicitly approved by management.