Trimet FINALLY puts a stop to the madness

What the hell took them so long

TOP TRIMET STORIES 2016

These are the top Trimet stories for 2016

Trimet treachery re:class action

Trimet INTENTIONALLY sent out those pay stubs and emails to create confusion. Trimet operates on a fiscal year calendar so there was no other purpose to send out pay stubs BEFORE the pay other than messing with its union employees minds.

That is HOW THEY ROLL

UNETHICALLY, ILLEGALLY, AND WITHOUT REGARD FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES

Trimet rail compliance audit

Board of directors December 2016 meeting

Full report is HERE!

Trimet General Manager report-December

Line 99 info not fully updated correctly

Near the beginning of this month, TriMet Line 99 began using its new route, traveling over the Sellwood Bridge and on Macadam Ave. However, not all information on trimet.org was updated correctly.

Classic Trimet tweets

Click on the pic to expand

Is safety really a priority at Trimet?

Warning!

From Facebook

Friendly reminder watch what you post on social media (especially twitter and facebook) (put the disclaimer like s.o.p says)  I overheard management today talking with a trainer about 2 drivers looking at discipline for what they posted.also don't do anything on trimet computers or wifi they can see every key stroke and site you do...no joke I seen it first hand from it dept and trimet has their own social media people looking for posts to get drivers in trouble

Critique of the latest Trimet recruitment video

The most accurate of the recruiting videos however they obviously couldn't mention:
Public transit tops list of the most depressing jobs

Trimet vs ATU757

Click Here

 Trimet dirty tricks HERE!

Trimet light rail vs automobile-dispatch-12/21/16

The brutality that Trimet union workers face

Is this anyway to run a "transit" agency?

20 buses short? 
20? 
That's incompetence

Trimet union busting marches on in "blue" Portland

http://bit.ly/2ilk1hY

FUNNY!

Id be lying if I said I wasn't getting a tremendous amount of satisfaction seeing my name plastered all over Trimet and on  Trimet employees pay slips.

I haven't had this much fun since the Lane Jensen days.

Oh the Hypocrisy never ends at Trimet

Neil Mcfarlane and the Trimet "board of directors" (sock puppets) apparently sent Christmas cards out to Trimet employees.

We have just witnessed the  Trimet directors defending the honor of union buster Randy Stedmen and they have the nerve to send Christmas cards to Trimet union employees.

They must think we are all stupid.

Jared Franz of ATU757

VICTORY!

Trimet union employees are getting some nice hefty checks!

LOL! I gotta admit! I do love it! VICTORY!#TRIMET pic.twitter.com/Pvnaa3O1hL

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) December 20, 2016

The resemblance is uncanny

Trimet director Prosser worries about Randy Stedmen's "feelings"

At the last  Trimet board meeting there was a presentation to Trimet union buster Randy Stedmen for being one of Portland Jobs with Justices Grinch of the year! 

Interestingly, the Trimet board once again showed how disconnected they are from reality.

 They  showed their "disgust"  for the first amendment by attempting to link civil disobedience with "bullying".

Prosser then went on to be upset that  their union busting executive Randy Stedmen was being "singled out". 

This is a man that has created a hostile workplace at Trimet and has disregarded laws and ethical standards in his anti union activities. 

This is your Trimet board, defending the honor of a man that has inflicted pain and suffering on many union employees and the union in general.

Trimet managers dispose of union employees like used equipment

FUCK YOU RANDY STEDMEN/NEIL MCFARLANE

Steve Fung version of Stedmen Grinch presentation

https://youtu.be/R38iE0LhjWE

Stoval lacks human empathy

https://youtu.be/CH9JHemAH9Q

Incredible CTA Christmas bus

Shirley Block at the last Trimet board meeting

Trimet board of sock puppets embarrasses itself when asked about the class action

This is Shirley's expression when she realizes the board is unaware

Trimet changes road relief pay policy

This change of policy is the result of the class action

#trimet changes road relief Pay thanks to

ME ME ME ME!

™👍™👍🇺🇸👋™💀™😹👋🚍™👍

Blowing my horn! pic.twitter.com/n1NGEz2Klf

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) December 15, 2016

Bob Cummings

Randy Stedmen gets SCROOGED!

Travis Stoval whines like a little child

Trimet union employees suffering

https://youtu.be/T9FA_t3fhoc

Trimet dirty tricks ongoing

http://www.oregon.gov/ERB/orders/07-01-12%20thru%2006-30-13/UP04210.pdf

Trimet fare evasion study

https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/2016-12-14/analysis-of-racial-ethnic-disparity-in-trimet-fare-enforcement-outcomes-on-max-2014-2016.pdf

Trimet Rail compliance audit

https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/2016-12-14/rail-compliance-audit-report.pdf

I've been blogging Trimet for a long time but I have NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS

Its gotta be all the rookies on the road. They don't know how to drive in snow.

Here is the union buster at Today's meeting getting his union buster award!

Randy Stedmen, known union buster, a man with little of no ethics who is capable of the worst atrocities against Trimet union employees

Trimetgeddon VIIII breaks late records!

Trimet director Stoval is indignant

Portland Jobs with Justice gives Trimet's Randy Stedmen Scrooge of the year award

Millions and millions of dollars spent by Trimet technocrats on useless capital projects

These technocrats are literally robbing the Trimet treasury by committing 100's of millions of dollars to all sorts of capital projects like light rail to tigard, Powell whatever it is, and the one in the tweet.

How can they get away with this?

Mcfarlane is spending $60 million on rebuilding the damn Powell garage and wants a NO BID CONTRACT!

How do they get away with this shit? pic.twitter.com/2ZTnQFfTB1

— AL M (@AlYourPalster) December 14, 2016

Audit of Trimet light rail troubling

A manager overseeing TriMet's rail operations is on administrative leave after an audit found safety violations by MAX light-rail operators are on the rise, largely without notice or regular investigation.
Violations have typically been relatively minor, and safety measures like automatic braking mean there's been little chance of the collisions or derailments the rules are intended to prevent.

But the agency has concluded operators are too reliant on the backup measures, while managers have failed to follow up on violations after the fact.

KOIN on Trimetgeddon

Cowardly Trimet execs refused to go on camera!

REPORT HERE 

Trimet just does what they want

Trimet light rail riders stuck on MAX for 4 hours-here is the scanner audio of the event

Trimetgeddon VIII wraps up

Light rail killer

I had another fun three days and spent maybe 10 hours listening to dispatch/control.

 Its the same thing I've heard multiple times.

 Ice shut down  the Portland light rail, and as we know the light rail IS the major connection between Portland central  and the outlaying areas. 

This was the worst I have ever heard though because people were stuck in a marooned light rail vehicle in the gateway area for FOUR HOURS. 

New Trimet operator assault bill pending in Oregon State house

Frederick Casey

 My proposals. First, I wanted to remove you completely from ORS 163.165. I then wanted the language in ORS 166.116 (Interferring with public transit) which states "Offensive Physical Contact" either removed or have Offensive Physical Contact defined by a new ORS. (having that in there leaves a large loophole because this ORS is only a misdemeanor) My next step was to add you to ORS 163.208 Assaulting a Public Safety Officer which, when added, would be worded so that no matter who you are; operator, maintenance, supervisor and even facilities, would be protected while you were working. that includes waiting for a road relief or walking to the bathroom. It would be a felony.

Trimet light rail rescue

Trimet light rail rescue by vids4us

Trimet miserable fail

https://youtu.be/yXobNJ6kiO4

Trimet live scanner

http://www.rosecitytransit.org:90/radio/test2.php

Trimet blows it again-Alan Eisenberg

https://youtu.be/mArD6zlY9cA

Twitter is the place to be for information junkies

 

Trimet union employees eat shit

I've listened to Chris Day.

 I've read posts from Dan Christensen, Tom Horton and Evette Farra, all people that I have tremendous respect for. 

I've spent additional time thinking about the issue.

And I've come to a different conclusion as to why we union members are in the mess we are in now.

IT IS US. WE ARE THE ENEMY OF OURSELVES.

People are complaining and whining "we can't get heard" "our voices are silenced" "we need a new union".

It's all bullshit. 

The union employees of Trimet, primarily the bus drivers have no interest in acting together as a group. 

When it comes to sacrificing even the smallest thing people that talk the talk refuse to walk the walk.

They are chicken-hawks.

When we were going through our first contract dispute the union asked drivers to stop working RDO's. 

Did they do that? Hell no! 

That would hurt their paychecks and no way were any of those people going to sacrifice their paychecks for the good of the group.

Did drivers "work to the rules" to slow down service in an act of solidarity?
HELL NO!

When I filed my suit for road relief pay, I couldn't get anybody to be a plaintiff along with me except my little circle of activists. 

Everybody else was scared. 

"We're gonna get fired" they all said.

Then when the settlement was reached this bunch chicken hawks had the gall to complain.

Sorry Dan, Chris, and Evette, you're all wrong. 

Changing the union leadership or union structure is not going to do a  damn thing. 

The Trimet union employees, primarily the bus operators, are only in it for themselves.

 They couldn't care less about the group as a whole.

Stop blaming the union leadership for the chicken hawks that make up the Trimet membership. Y'all only have yourselves to blame for the mess we are in. 

Not Jon, Not Shirley, Not Ron, Not Bruce, nope

BLAME YOURSELVES because in this case its true.

MBTA has same lawsuit going as we do

we won't be seeing our payments till the beginning of the new year according to attorney Paul Breed

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12286190/t-drivers-suing-for-bus-money

Merlo Christmas dinner by Steve Fung

https://youtu.be/53B8uKfN2uc

Dan Christensen supports the ATU757 division

This is the type of intellectual debate I really relish. Thanks to Dan for taking the time to articulate his point of view.

Jay Frye not fired

In the end the Trimet fascists decided not to fire Jay  completely, they let him go back to being a bus driver. Which of course should have been the "punishment" all along but we know how these people operate. They do like to use fear against their employees.

Beware new hires!

Always found it sorta funny that Trimet has always used the "bus driver" as a punishment for its white shirted class of employees.

Jay's statement about it all below the page break

To split or not to split? THAT is the question

I've done my homework before writing this final post on where we should go regarding our union and its future.

 I've followed this material on a daily basis for over ten years now so I think I have a pretty good understanding of the topic. 
I am not aligned to any factions, I operate completely independently from Trimet and ATU757.

 I have nothing to gain by supporting one point of view over the other. This post is from my point of view as a Trimet retiree and only from that point of view.

The first thing I want to do here is examine the current leadership.

Chris Day gives his thoughts on starting a new local

I happen to have a great deal of respect for Chris Day so I called him up and got his opinion on this issue.

Tom Hortons argument in favor of splitting with the union

I have no dog in this show, I am basically neutral but I have been very disheartened by the never ending bickering that has been going on at ATU757 for the 20 years I have been involved with it.

I can't remember one instance where there was actual solidarity at this local. 

 

With that said, Tom makes some excellent points.

Tom Horton is a superior writer , if only it was a simple as he puts forth.

 The complications of forming a new unit would be HUGE! 

He makes it sound so easy. 

Vote for a new union and everything will be fine. 

His entire argument is basically "our current leadership is 100% corrupt so we need to do this." What he totally leaves out of his piece is that the leadership WAS DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED! And not once, but twice. 

I know there are a lot of things at the union that are not helpful to the members.

The lack of transparency and the iron fisted rule is contemptible.

BUT, I do not believe that making a brand new union, at this time, a Time where the Republicans have control of the federal government is a good idea.

Unions are on their last gasp right now, this would only hasten the demise of our union if a Federal "right to work" rule comes into existence, which is what the Republicans want.

A shitty union is better than no union.

I have posted his piece in total but I have made notes with my comments 

Don't forget vacation hold back

operators have till December 25th to file the request

Stop dragging all of us down! End the internal bickering!

I gave considerable thought on this issue and cannot see even one advantage of breaking up the union right now. 

We have a democratically elected leadership who was elected not once but twice.

This never ending internal bickering is literally killing us.

RE: splitting the union

 If the union splits apart the pension fund for Trimet would strictly be in Trimet's hands and would be the directive probably of the Trimet board. 

This because the pension is a contract between Trimet  and ATU 757.

 And that would be the easiest way to fund more rail expansion.

Resolution 15-05-20 Authorizing a Contract with Pension Consulting Alliance, Inc. for Providing Investment Advisory Services for Pension Trust Funds - Res-15-05-20.pdf

Trimet cash machine

Most people are under the impression that Trimet is a transportation service.

 Well the truth of American public transportation, and Trimet, is that it's actually a cash machine for the segment of the public employed in it or contracted with it.And the money is HUGE! The information is from last fiscal year ending July 2016

ATU757 blues

Always been infighting at this local for as long as I've been a member. That's democracy for ya I guess.

https://twitter.com/alyourpalster/status/803649963985092610

Trimet's Randy Stedmen makes " Jobs with Justice" Scrooge of the year

 And Stedmen  beat out the guy from Wells Fargo so you know he's REALLY REALLY bad.

This is the kind of people that Trimet's evil leader, Neil Mcfarlane, hire to deal with the employees, you know, the people doing the work.

So, good people, get out of your mind that there is any sort of "benevolent" management at The Trimet transportation system. 
The company is run by a gang of greedy technocrats that despise their employees and hold the public in contempt.

Click Here to go to Jobs With Justice

2. Randy Stedman, Trimet Director of Labor Relations: Before taking his current job at Trimet, Stedman cut his teeth as a union buster at Mt. Hood Community College. Since moving to Trimet he has run a campaign to expand "management rights" and a unilateral, top-down management culture at Trimet. He has vigorously fought ATU Local 757 on reasonable grievances, has negotiated in bad faith, and has consistently frustrated union access to the workplace.

Mulligans stew

Trimet confustion leaves riders stranded

We had a situation where a Trimet driver was attempting to inform dispatch that there is something wrong with Trimet scheduling.

 Dispatch was adamant that the bus driver was wrong.

This involved the bus 19 and the union manor loop. Dispatch insisted the bus didn't go there on Sunday  while the bus driver insisted that the schedule said it does.

Well guess what, the dispatcher was wrong.

The shit that Trimet bus drivers have to put up with

I've been fascinated by the lives of public transit drivers and riders for over a decade now. 

It's my opinion that USA public transportation operates inhumanely, for the riding public and the people that deliver the service.

This incident that I am discussing in the video below illustrates some of the brutality of American public transportation and Trimet specifically

If I had my way I would halt all expansions of Public transit across this country until they find a way to deliver the service without torturing the riding public or the people doing the work. 

The technocracy that runs Trimet (public transportation)  is responsible for these inhmane working conditions.

Unions have become impotent in stopping this brutality.

Unusual Trimet service alerts

Entertaining service alerts sent to on duty buses 

Trimet light rail control during power failure

Stabbing on Trimet light rail

https://twitter.com/AlYourPalster/status/800927570397167616

Trimet fascists apply the screws

https://twitter.com/alyourpalster/status/799722669512019970

Mcfarlane on OPB

https://youtu.be/sxmwGEpBvPg

Trimet light rail control during stabbing