MACFARLANE AND LIFT 'IN HOUSE'

 {Can we believe anything that this guy says though? He has proven himself to be a liar and manipulator}

I want to set the record straight as many of you have seen calls for TriMet to save money by bringing our LIFT paratransit service "in-house" and how it could save us $7 million. This couldn't be further from the truth. TriMet awards contracts for our LIFT service, and selects the contractor, after going through a highly competitive process which ensures that we not only get a contractor who can provide the service levels we need, but that they will do it as cost effectively as possible. TriMet currently contracts with First Transit for its LIFT paratransit service. Just so you know - most First Transit employees are ATU 757 members.

In 2008 TriMet and the ATU jointly requested a study about the impact of bringing LIFT operators in-house. The 2008 study by Lauka & Associates found labor costs for the contracted service to be $8.5 million annually compared to $16.1 million for labor costs if we used TriMet employees. The report also understates the cost if LIFT operations were brought in-house because it did not account for supervisory, dispatch and maintenance positions. The report also uses FY2005 data so the costs would be even higher as wages and benefit costs have increased since the report was completed. As TriMet faces a $17 million budget shortfall, and will need to raise fares and reduce service, we can't consider anything that would increase our operating costs.

Neil