Trimess

Monday, January 7, 2013

Bruce Hansen (atu 757 president) REACTS TO OVERTIME STORY

For Immediate Release                                                                             January 7, 2013
Contact Bruce Hansen






Oregonian Article Just the Tip of the Iceberg
“The Oregonian’s well-researched article about operator fatigue is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Bruce Hansen, the president of the transit worker’s union. He announced today that it was time that the public learned the true scope of mismanagement at TriMet. “TriMet employees have had enough – enough of being blamed when something goes wrong and watching upper management take credit when something goes right.”
In a series of document requests sent to TriMet today, the Union has set out to expose the numerous problems plaguing what was once called the nation’s “best” transit system. The problems span three general areas: safety, service and financial waste. “Some of the most severe problems, such as deteriorated track ties and an inadequate emergency response system, are, in fact, life-threatening,” Hansen noted. CLICK HERE!
Hansen says that TriMet’s management team has made one unnecessary expenditure after another while the system is falling apart. Management compensation also is a big bone of contention, according to Hansen. He challenges people to consider a fundamental question about the agency: “A transit system consists of established routes and fixed schedules that rarely change. So, why does a system that can essentially run itself need so many high-salaried managers?”
The document requests sent today are just the beginning of the employees’ efforts to shed light on what is really happening beyond the public’s view. “There are even more to come,” promises Hansen, who says that the Union will soon have a website, www.transitvoice.org dedicated to information about TriMet’s operation. In the meantime, the document requests sent today can be found at www.atu757.org, under the button labeled, “TriMet Document Requests”.

Link to Oregonian article on fatigue: http://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/index.ssf/2013/01/trimet_overtime_exhaustion_has.html

2 comments:

Unknown said...

New ERA
HB

railsignalman said...

What they don't tell you is that in MOW, we had a reasonable following of the federal hours of service for safety sensitive workers ( 12 )hours maximum, but that was rescinded and changed to match the disaster that is happening now, 17 hours. We are going backwards by their design!

Management did that, not union workers, but it is always spun to blame the union. There is a pending grievance over that change now. It will be interesting to see how they handle that one in light of recent events.