Trimet bus operator Dora Morgan declares her support for the Block ULP

Dora being interviewed by KGW

 There is a video of Dora who was on KGW below the break

DECLARATION OF Dora

I, Dora Morgan, HEREBY DECLARE the following to be a true statement to the best of my knowledge:

My name is Dora Morgan and I have been a TriMet bus operator for a total of seventeen years.  Thirteen of those years were part time. When going full time I lost my seniority and had to start over again. “Block runs” has taken away the seniority I have built up again by going full time and placing me at the bottom of the list one more time.

Bruce Hansen stonewalls Chris Day's preferring of charges against union officers

Chris Day

It appears that Bruce is intentionally impeding the 'investigation' into the charges that Chris Day filed.
Look at this bullshit email that Chris got from Bruce. The text of the preferring of charges is below the break

From: "Bruce Hansen" <BruceH@atu757.org>
Date: Apr 28, 2015 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: Failure to provide notice to membership of "Preferring of Charges"
To: "Christopher Day" <chipsxday@gmail.com>
Cc: "Jon Hunt" <JonH@atu757.org>, "Mary Longoria" <fstreasurer@atu757.org>
Chris:
The charges you delivered to the Union office have raised a number of procedural questions.  Because your charges are directed against the person or people who would normally chair a meeting, the Union has requested procedural guidance from the International.  We expect to receive the guidance that will allow us to move forward on the charges within the next day or two.

The Union is committed to respecting our democratic values and principles by ensuring your right to bring charges forward while simultaneously protecting the due process provisions of the IU Constitution and General Rules.  We have asked the International to provide direction to make sure that all involved receive a fair process.  You will be briefed as soon as the procedure to address your charges is clarified.

Bruce

Block vs Hansen update

Re:  Shirley Block, et al v. ATU, Division 757
               Case No. FR-001-15
               Order to Show Cause Answer

Dear ALJ Kehoe:

         Complainant received your letter dated April 10, 2015 in which you stated that complainant did not allege any facts related to the ORS cited in the initial complaint and ordered to Show Cause as to why the complaint should not be dismissed.

                                                                                         ORS 243.672(2)(d)
         Complainant wishes to amend the initial complaint to reflect an alleged violation of ORS 243.672(2)(d) which in part makes it an unfair labor practice for a public employee or for a labor organization to violate any written contract with respect to employment relations.  Complainant inadvertently cited (2)(g),  however, the description of the complaint identified the alleged violation against the union president for violating terms of the collective bargaining agreement .

                                                                                         Background  Facts
          Respondent Hansen claims that the contract language does not provide any direction about whether operator runs are chosen on a day-by-day or a weekly basis.  Respondent Hansen’s claim is false.  The manner in which how work has been posted and bid in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement has remained unchanged for over 40 years.  Changing that 40+ year practice has resulted in bus operators being unable to bid the run and days off of their choice, and has had a negative economic effect on some bus operators.  TriMet has in the past, both during collective bargaining for successor agreements and during contract interims, tried unsuccessfully to get the Union to agree to “block runs” and change the collective bargaining agreement in respect to how work was bid.

Another attack

OPAL calls out Trimet bullshit-AGAIN

When OPAL/BRU accused TriMet of a number of budget shenanigans in 2012 (all of which have since been proven correct), the agency moved forward anyway with historically unprecedented fare increases and the elimination of the zone system - including the Free Rail Zone. 

But it also adopted a number of policies regarding cash balances and contingency funds to try and avoid similar budget accusations in the future. 

No governmental agency slings more bullshit than Trimet

In short, these policies require TriMet to budget for an "Ending Fund Balance" that is 2.5 times average monthly operating expenses. For the coming fiscal year, this means the agency wants/needs an Ending Fund Balance of approximately $105 million.

Now the agency wants to raise fares for seniors and people with disabilities - an overwhelmingly low-income group of riders - to the *maximum amount* allowed by federal civil rights guidelines.

Always something

Tom Horton running for Powell executive board

If I were a Powell employee I would vote for this guy in a hot second.

This is one sharp man. 

Fun being a Trimet bus driver

A 38-year-old man was arrested last week after allegedly attacking and spitting on a TriMet bus driver and repeatedly calling him a racial epithet.
The driver told David W. Morgan that he couldn't board his bus while it was stopped at East Burnside Street and 12th Avenue last Thursday because Morgan had tried to spit on him while he was driving two weeks before, a probable cause affidavit said.
Morgan then began calling the driver racial slurs, got on the bus, spit on the driver and hit him three times in the face, the affidavit said.
The driver soon closed the bus door, locking Morgan outside. Morgan then broke off a bus windshield wiper, according to the affidavit.
Morgan admitted to a Portland police officer that he broke the windshield wiper, but claimed he did not remember spitting on the driver, the affidavit said. When he was asked if he wanted to apologize, Morgan again called the driver a derogatory term.
Morgan was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree criminal mischief, interfering with public transportation, harassment and second-degree intimidation.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Portland man accused of hitting, spitting, yelling racial slur at TriMet bus driver | OregonLive.com

This guy seems to be having a good time

I hear so few positive remarks coming from Trimet employees these days that I thought I would post this tweet. I've been chatting with him on twitter and he genuinely seems to be enjoying that job. (so far). Well, we shall see how it goes for him as time passes. I never found that job "fun". I found it fascinating for sure, but it was always "work" to me. Mcfarlane would never be able to do that job, that much I am sure about.

5 years after bus hits girl, father urges TriMet safety

The relentless David Sale

Trimet (and Portland) couldn't care less about people with disabilities

TRIMET squeezing the helpless 

Before I start this column, I would like to say that I’m a huge fan of public transit. I haven’t owned or driven a car since I was 21. Without public transportation, my experience in Portland and in many other cities would have been dull and bland. Saying that, there are some unsettling trends developing in Portland.
TriMet is proposing raising the fares for Honored Citizen passes from $1 to $1.25.
Honored Citizens are anyone 65 or older, people on Medicaid along with people experiencing mental or physical disabilities.

Portland exemplifies white privilege

Despite all the ballyhoo about 'equity' and 'diversity' the facts are that Portland is the whitest city in America and is actually becoming whiter as time goes on. There is no 'equity' in this city. Sure all the governmental units have 'equity' officers (who happen to be black) but all of it is for show. 

All of Portland's (and Trimet's) policies  are focused on the white population (the wealthiest citizens) and the gentrification of Portland continues pushing the minority out of the city completely.

What is "preferring of charges"?

Are the union officers "almighty" and  above any kind of reproach or questioning about their actions?

Various personalities question those who dissent from majority opinion as 'trouble makers' who's actions undermine unionism itself.

Portland (Trimet) not in top 10 accessible transit cities

Why is this significant? Because our mainstream media constantly reminds us that Trimet is the "gold standard" when it comes to transit in the United States.

Those of us (including myself) who have transit exposure to some of the truly great transit cities always found that description hilarious. Portland has a nice little transit system that operates pretty well in the city of Portland during business hours. But that's it. There is nothing 'spectacular' about the Trimet system.

Sure Trimet made #11 but the difference between the top five transit agencies and the bottom five is pretty spectacular. Even Denver and San Jose have a more 'rider friendly' transit system than Trimet does.

The essential function of transit is too hook citizens to job prospects, that is what this University of Minnesota study rated. Trimet is not considered 'reliable' transportation to most employers in the Portland region. There's a reason for that.

Read the study here: Access Across America

Millennials do not want "more transit" and to 'live in densely packed cities"

This is a perfect example of the power of government false propaganda. Transit agencies (Trimet) attempting to justify their boondoggle light rail projects manufacture whatever propaganda they can to attempt to 'manufacture consent' for whatever they are wanting to do. 

We see this played out here in Portland with the never ending barrage of pro light rail boondoggle propaganda surrounding Trimet's new 'orange line' light rail which was in reality a huge windfall for all the contractors/bureaucrats/government planners involved with that $1.4 BILLION dollar project.

Sure there are some people in that age group that want to live in the so called "walkable' cities, but the research proves that almost all of them want to be homeowners at some point.

Who do you believe? Unaccountable  Government planners trying to justify keeping their tax funded jobs and crony capitalist contractors or real estate professionals who get paid by making decisions in a 'free market' environment where the wrong decisions  cost them real money?

Trimet to raise fares for the most vulnerable citizens

How much more evidence is needed before citizens wake up to the predatory nature of 'their' transit system?

Re: Proposed FY16 Honored Citizen Fare Increase
Chair Warner and Members of the TriMet Board,
The individuals and organizations represented by this letter urge TriMet to table final approval of the proposed increase of the Honored Citizen Fare pending a more complete understanding of the agency’s potential mitigation efforts and the impacts of the agency’s transition to an Electronic Fare (eFare) system on low-income riders.

This new light rail line should provide lots of excitement for scanner fans

See how the tracks cross the bike lane

Looks more a mess than I originally thought. Of course they want the drivers to SCAN SCAN SCAN,which in my opinion shifts the responsibility for safe operation on the operators rather than the designers/planners. Should provide lots of blog/scanner material, hopefully I'll still be around to enjoy the excitement

How is this NOT distracted driving?

His eyes are looking at that screen while he is going down the road. How is that different from looking at a cell phone and driving? Typical Trimet bullshit. 
https://twitter.com/rideappdiscount/status/591319055312773121 

 

Trimet sock puppets meeting

I'm not in Portland so I can't produce individual clips but at 10:17 into the meeting David Sale
gives Trimet hell for all their phony posturing bullshit. This is the five year anniversary of the tragedy that killed his daughter.

I'm really looking forward to the new Max line

Trimet drivers exist in a constant state of fear

An extremely reliable source informed me that recently a 78 bus driver was 'hit in the arm' by an irate rider. He never called it in because the driver 'was scared to'. 

Trimet has taken such a punitive philosophy against its bus drivers that every negative rider interaction is being viewed as being caused by bus drivers behavior. These incidents are then used for employee disciplinary procedures. 

This is not an isolated incident. There are multiple examples of Trimet bus drivers existing in sheer terror of their employer according to the source. 

Crime on Trimet rises 9%

There is an attempt to 'rationalize' the increase in crime. The crime stats are always misleading because there are many things that happen in the public transit system that don't make the stats. Like a fight between people who got off the train before police get there. Or the hollering DK that threatens everyone and ends up causing even more delays, etc etc.

Trimet ridership flat

Click to expand

The Big News: WES ridership continues tumbling. WES never even made it first year ridership projections. That fact alone should be enough to proclaim the WES project the biggest white elehpant in Trimet history. Trimet continues pumping millions into this failure.

Block vs Hansen

Click to enlarge

The Trimet you won't read about in mainstream media

Nor will you see Trimet issuing any press releases about this sort of thing which is actually very common

Rational for the ULP against Bruce Hansen

Block's ULP fails

Reliable sources have informed me that the ERB has rejected the unfair labor practice filed by Shirley Block against Bruce Hansen over the 'block signup' procedure. I have not been able to locate any official documents regarding this yet. 

Manager, Manager, Supervisor, Director, and a bus driver

In this simple picture you can see why Trimet service is so marginal.

At Trimet its all about management careers. 

Transit is a sideline

HOW Does Trimet get away with this shit?

This happens so often how is it not a ADA violation?

Anyone ever encounter rude/angry Trimet operators/supervisors?

My MAX operator this morning wouldn't stop berating a 60 year old passenger who she thought had his music up too loud. He was using headphones, and literally nobody was bothered by it except her...and she's behind a freaking door. She even stood, up, opened the door, and continued to yell at him while we were going 50 mph down the Banfield. She then stuck her head out the window and yelled at a guy and his kid for crossing the street too slowly for her liking. I watched, and they were crossing on their green light, and doing everything legally. At the Pioneer Square stop, she blasted the train horn for a good 10 seconds because another Trimet bus was in the MAX lane.
She was really in a blind rage. She had NO business operating a train, let alone a vehicle.
I filed a complaint on Trimet's website, but I'm not sure how far it would go. Other passengers were visibly upset. I have never experienced such an unprofessional and angry person who is in charge of dozens of people's lives.
 REDDIT!

Trimet survey

Always worth completing these surveys. Take the survey HERE

Never ending Trimet propaganda

When I'm out of town, which is often, I have a hard time keeping up with the events involving Trimet. When I do check in, its the same old same old. Never ending propaganda always intending to persuade citizens of the loveliness of the Portland Trimet system. In this installment of  Trimet propaganda we see them attempting to link the bridge of the oligarchs to native American history.
The whole idea is preposterous indeed but the unsuspecting  public eats this stuff up.  http://koin.com/2015/04/17/chinuk-sculptures-installed-at-tilikum-crossing/

MAX stops for ducklings

Max driver call is HERE!

The good news: The ducklings survived.
The bad news: When the conductor of an eastbound MAX train on Thursday morning slammed on the brakes to avoid a family of ducks sauntering across the tracks, a 67-year-old passenger was sent crashing headfirst into an interior wall of the train.
The duckling incident led to delays and snarled train traffic on TriMet's westside MAX system.

Stay classy

Another day another delay

Historical Trimet documents

CLICK HERE!

Classic tweets

Stay classy Trimet

We love light rail

This is not pick on Dan Martin day

And I like Dan, I really do. 

But he seems to be in the middle of some  activities lately that has caught the attention of various readers who send me this information which I find to be interesting enough to post on this blog.

The question here is why is Dan working out of his classification?

Dan Martin facing union charges

Click on the pictures for best viewer

What's wrong with Trimet's trip planner?

Click on the pic

There are two very bad errors here!

Comparing TriMet's MAX to Bus Stop along the Orange Line

An Erik Halstead Production

Trimet bus operators continue working under extreme pressure

We've all heard the press releases. "More frequent service", "More reliable schedules".
Unfortunately for the public there is no way to independently evaluate any of Trimet's claim as true.

Mcfarlane takes his award winning schtick to Salem

This is not a new Schtick, we hear it over and over and over. 
Trimet has sure been good to Neil Mcfarlane. He's grossed approximately $3.5 million in salary (not including any perks) so far. $150,000 year pension awaits him when he decides to leave. Why would he leave? He doesn't "work" for his money. He just walks around and talks to people all day. It pays to be a senior member of the Portland Light Rail Mafia
The media blackout over Mcfarlane throwing the  retirees under the bus is complete and total. Trimet (light rail mafia)  keeps its firm grip over the mainstream media.

Trimet wants the public to "get involved" with transit

OPAL is not invited

Just make sure its a government sponsored function and not some place like OPAL PDX which is conveniently left off this 'official' list.

TriMet: Get Involved in Transportation Issues in Your Community

Joe Rose is an intellectual prostitute

This is a guest post by a current Trimet bus driver who wishes to remain unnamed

Portland Mercury

Anyone else suffer through the perfect storm that was TriMet yesterday? Gateway and downtown switches broken. Green, red & blue trains down. Ticket machines down. TriMet you fuck up my commute at least 3x a week. Is this shit going to keep going on or are you going to finally just deal and replace those switches? Is this what we can expect from the Orange train? Oh no, that's brand new. But 5 years of no maintenance should level the playing field for all in 2020. Jesus. Hire some people. Spend some money. Get your act together!

 TryLess | I, Anonymous | Portland Mercury

Sleezbag Trimet officials con the union

So here we have Dan Martin who has been nothing but cooperative with Trimet  and here we have Trimet withholding information from Dan!

Now what would be the reason that Trimet is hiding this from Dan?

un·scru·pu·lous
ˌənˈskro͞opyələs/
adjective
adjective: unscrupulous

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.

Latest at the TRIMET CIRCUS!

Trimet Circus Theme Song

A tiny sampling of my crazy trimet twitter feeds

Mike Bivins watched a Trimet fare mission today

CLICK HERE TO VIEW
All in all it looked pretty mellow

Guess who I ran into walking down the street?

Ellen Fox at court with her 'evidence' against me

Yes it was Ellen Fox! 
We stopped on the street and chatted for about 45 minutes like old pals.
No lie!

Joe Rose picks the 10 worst Trimet bus stops

#MyTerribleBusStop finalists: Check out the Portland area's 10 worst bus stops | OregonLive.com

And coincidentally Trimet just put out this little 'news release'

TriMet improves bus stops with help of public jurisdictions, property owners and you | TriMet News and Media Releases (don't you gotta love these guys?)

The death statistics for transit operators is startling

The fact are clear, if you take a job as a transit operator you increase your chances of death

Trimet workers are ripped off when it comes to pensions

And that was one of the reasons  we had the excellent health care for retirees, to make up for the puny pensions. But Mcfarlane decided to make his employees the enemy disregarding all the facts from the past. He then  attacked his employees  publicly while he himself gets rich and his managers make double what his union employees make.

And then our union leadership sold  us out.

The mainstream media did a hatchet job on Trimet union employees. 

We got thrown under the bus

3 Trimet light rail fails today!