For Immediate Release
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”.
2 comments:
New ERA
HB
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a reasonable following of the federal hours of service for safety sensitive workers ( 12 )hours maximum, but that was rescinded and changed to match the disaster that is happening now, 17 hours.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.
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