Screwing our retirees is HOW WE ROLL

Screwing our retirees is HOW WE ROLL

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Pickup driver arrested after joyride along Southwest Portland MAX tracks ends in crash

Uprising in Wisconsin

I could get fired if I took this little video

Trimet weirdos

Seattle Transit beer

Left to right top row: Chad Solomon, Al Margulies, Jeff Welch, Matt Loar
Left to right bottom:Adron Hall, Max  Campos, Michael Anderson, Dave Stubblefield

Fare jumping


Brother Day,

If the people who signed their names don’t agree with your charges against Sister Fox why did they sign their names? Did you not show them the charges? What were they signing their names for if not to express their opinion that the charges have enough validity that they should be aired in a meeting, in public?  Are you saying Sister Fox has no right to know who is accusing her? That is such a basic tenant of justice that I cannot understand your position. Nothing in the constitution says that people can be brought up on charges on the basis of secret signatures. And yes, you can’t control where that information goes once the charges are published. Neither can I. As you noted, only four other signatures besides your signature are necessary. If anyone is uncomfortable with having their name associated with these allegations then they need to remove their name. I suggest you talk to folks and reduce your list to four besides yourself. You still have time to do this. Again, let me know your decision.


Jon Hunt

Crime on TriMet

Gas prices straining mass transit

Transit district sues investment firm

"BRT creep" makes bus rapid transit inferior to rail

Amtrak train vs. AC Transit bus

ATU 757

ATU 757 Members:
I read Neil McFarlane's communication to TriMet members titled "Connecting the Dots." In his communication, McFarlane preached the ago-old party line that separate pots of money can only be used for certain things.
For example, McFarlane claims he has enough money to pay for the Portland-Milwaukee Light Rail Line, he just doesn't have enough to pay wages and benefits to operate the service, unless of course, employees are willing to take less. Beginning to sound like what's going on in Wisconsin and Ohio?
Ask yourself. If TriMet bought buses, signed a contract and then stopped paying the agreed upon terms claiming they had less money than they had budgeted for, what do you think the bus manufacturer would do? What if TriMet contracted with a company to build light rail and the contractor halted the construction claiming they bid the job too low, what do you think TriMet would do?
The contract dispute between TriMet and the Union is no different! TriMet signed a contract with its unionized employees. Contract disputes for transit workers in Oregon are covered by state law which provides a legal and mandatory process those parties to a contract are bound to comply with. TriMet refused to comply with that process, and unilaterally and unlawfully imposed changes to the party's contract. What did the Union do? It filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Remember, Neil McFarlane told union officials in a face-to-face meeting that had the Union not exercised its legal right to file an unfair labor practice complaint, he (McFarlane) would not have implemented the contract change. So, instead, McFarlane violated the law and is now asking employees to accept it.
Just like TriMet and its contractors would not accept a breach of contract, neither should the employees accept a breach of their labor contract. This so-called "bridge agreement" that McFarlane wants employees to accept represents a double-edged sword. He wants employees to accept huge concessions now to obtain an agreement, and then immediately submit the contract to an arbitrator from whom they will seek more concessions. Does that seem like a good thing for the employees?
TriMet needs to rescind its unlawful implementation, and return to the bargaining table in an attempt to resolve the dispute. If an agreement can't be reached, the dispute then moves forward to arbitration as required by law. The arbitrator will then decide on the terms of a new agreement. That is what the law requires. The Union has always agreed to follow and abide by the legal process. Now, it is time for TriMet to do the same!
And for anyone who believes Neil McFarlane when he tells you that the money TriMet saves from making you pay more for health insurance and take less in wages will not help fund light rail, maybe you don't remember or weren't here in 1985 when union employees took a five percent wage rollback to pay for the Westside light rail. And by the way, when the unionized workers suffered that five percent wage rollback in 1985. management received a ten percent wage increase several months later.
Jonathan J. Hunt
President - Business Representative

Connecting the Dots proposal.htm the Dots.htm

International Is Watching

Yesterday I received a letter from International (Click Here to see) commenting about the first letter I had mailed to them. This tells me that our International is watching. 



Ellen Fox’s Stories

            I am sure Ellen will continue with these stories and more. Until she can produce documentation that supports her stories I will consider them as Libel and Slanderous. Ellen is showing qualities of one who would make an excellent FOX News broadcaster.

Going back to true union values-Chris Day


City council strikes stand against LO-Portland streetcar line

Citizen engineer proposes better (and cheaper) fix for Portland buses

Tri-Met runs that bus down there just to suck up taxes. That's a ripoff that ought to stop.

Jack Bogdanski
Concerns raised over some of Hello LO's comments
Transit project numbers are nearly split