TriMet's hidden pay raises to non-union employees undercut trust before labor negotiations

McFarlane told The Oregonian's editorial board Tuesday: "I'll admit it, we followed a business as usual approach. But last year was not business as usual, and we should have been more transparent."

We'd raise that one: Business-as-usual in a public agency needs to change if it means big money things sometimes go unannounced. Non-union salaries and benefits always deserve full public accounting, even if they did rise far less than did those of union employees between 2004 and 2013.

Oregonian Editorial Board