This is immediately after he had announced to his board of puppets and the public that there would be 70% cuts to services if union employees/retirees did not submit to his demands to cut their health insurance coverage.
Mcfarlane has waged a relentless war of disinformation against his unionized employees using rhetoric such as 'the richest health policy in the country', something that has been proven to be completely false. The MILLMAN MEDICAL INDEX which tracks these expenses for Americans shows that Trimet health care coverage is actually average in cost. The rhetoric is completely made up.
To add insult to injury Mr Mcfarlane, supported by all his cronies on the phony 'board of directors' insists that the state legislator change the 'no strike' provisions requiring binding arbitration. This he insists 'speeds up the process'. What it actually does it takes away all logical and methodical systems in place to assess the truth of managements and unionized positions contractually. Mcfarlane is obviously very disturbed that all managements positions be analyzed by a neutral arbitrator. Why is he disturbed about this? He had already prevailed in one arbitration. (although the arbitrator himself questioned the legality of many of the provisions.)
Mcfarlane, being Oregon's answer to Wisconsin's SCOTT WALKER, obviously thinks he has a better chance of bullying his employees/retirees into submission than dealing with the neutral arbitrator.
Mcfarlane is another puppet in the world wide movement to destroy unions by playing into the 'class envy' of the public that is earning less than unionized employees. It's a tactic that has worked successfully around the United States who's citizenry is splintered into factions against itself, such as 'conservative' or 'liberal'. These divisions work for the power elite who put forth the propaganda and let the citizens eat each other alive which only benefits the power elites.
And the greatest insult Mcfarlane and his phony board have perpetuated on the public is his refusal to open the contractual bargaining to the pubic. The ultimate act of arrogance. There is no logical reason to keep the talks secret, yet Trimet under the regressive leadership of the career technocrat millionaire Mcfarlane insists it be so.
Trimet, which has basically concocted its reputation as a 'world leader' in transit does indeed have one of the finest propaganda departments in the business. Fred Hansen, who was in charge for a little over 10 years is known as a 'transit guru', a title completely created out of thin air. What did Fred Hansen actually do that would earn him that title? I can't think of anything. Light rail was around long before Portland put it in, and there is absolutely nothing about the Trimet system that would qualify as 'unique', it barely qualifies as big city transit at all. Sure Portland has good transit, FOR A SMALL TOWN, but it is hardly world class. Fred Hansen concocted the title of 'guru' for himself and now trots around the globe talking about light rail funded by Portland tax payers to the tune of $16,000 a month FOR NOT WORKING here. (as well as other state funded pensions)
Portland has also been selected by power brokers in Washington as the city in which to 'model' the latest in federal policy. Portland officials are always happy to oblige Washington as Washington hands billions of dollars over to people like Mcfarlane to perpetuate their agenda.
Ladies and gentlemen, don't let the con man Mcfarlane fool you, the fiscal crisis he speaks of (if it even exists) is the result of Trimet management inability to live within their means. They have created the fiscal crisis and it is them that should be given the boot right out of Portland.
Well written essay Al.Good job.
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