Trains reported that railroad company Amtrak was announced as the latest company to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs effective immediately after being recognized as one of the best employers for diversity in 2023.
Employees of the federally chartered corporation were notified on Feb. 6 following a memo handed down by new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordering agencies within the department to “identify and eliminate” all activities related “in any way to climate change, ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions, racial equity, gender identity, ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ goals, environmental justice, or the justice 40 initiative.”
Duffy followed
orders from President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order on Jan. 23 that terminated all DEI programs, policies, and activities within the federal government, a domino effect from the Supreme Court’s ruling to end affirmative action in college admissions.Under the ruling, according to Newsmax, Chief Justice John Roberts said that, for too long, universities have wrongly concluded that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. “Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice,” he continued in the ruling.
Some of Amtrak’s
diversity-related verbiage has already been scrubbed off the company website. In its replacement, a message from CEO Stephen Gardner appears, stating the company is “cultivating a workplace culture that welcomes everyone.” Press releases for the company’s 2023 and 2024 diversity reports have stayed put, although the links no longer work for the four diversity reports, beginning with 2020. The press releases highlighted Amtrak’s track record in the diversity space, including a 55% promotion rate for diverse talent in 2023 and growth in membership in Employee Resource Groups at 60%, “which offer camaraderie, personal, and professional development opportunities.”After being listed in Forbes
as one of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2023, former chief human resources officer Qiana Spain said, “Amtrak is building a new era of passenger rail that will change how America moves.”“This includes a comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy that supports recruiting, developing and retaining our people. Being recognized as Forbes Best Employers for Diversity validates our efforts as we work to deliver more trains to more people,” she said in a press release.
In addition to DEI being tossed aside, so is remote work for Amtrak employees. Starting March 3, a company
spokesperson confirmed employees will be required to report to the office four days a week. The move also aligns with another executive order from Trump requiring all executive-branch employees “to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”RELATED CONTENT: OPINION: Former President Barack Obama Booed At Trump’s Inauguration: A New Low For Republican Decorum