Coverage of OPAL event by Mike Bevins

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Cowardly Trimet executives send their clerk to pick up OPAL's report

OPAL asked for Mcfarlane to come down, he said no.

Then they asked for Kelsey, he said no.

The Trimet executive culture is truly a despicable culture of supremacy. 

 

OPAL delivers its report to Trimet

OPAL delivered THIS REPORT to one of the ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS because no high and mighty Trimet executive would come out to receive it.

Trimet (and Portland) is run by what author Thomas Frank calls a "professional class" of neoliberal technocrats who represent the interests of an "intellectual elite" who have no concern for the fact that their policies are worsening economic conditions for those on the bottom of the economic ladder.  Light rail is one of the more obvious examples of neoliberal Trimet. Not only does light rail make millions for construction moguls and professional 'planners', the developer class makes more millions as they install various "sustainable developments" around the light rail. Furthermore light rail attracts the so called "choice riders" who certainly are the people that need government help the least. Transit agencies around the USA have changed their missions from providing transit to people that actually need it to fostering property development. Trimet is the world leader in this movement and technocrats (agents of the elite) come to Portland from all over the world to learn about their methods.

Trimet officials, knowing that OPAL would be pushing for a discounted fare for poor people hired its very own consultant to prepare their own report. (nobody at Trimet actually does any work which is why everything seems to be contracted out). Trimet officials are stonewalling on a discounted fare the same way they stonewalled the extended transfer time.

The public has little understanding that their transit agency is controlled by business/government interests. The Trimet board of directors is all comprised from the technocratic class, political cronies, and special interest business "leaders". Its no mistake that there are no transit dependent riders on the Trimet board and its certainly no mistake that there is not even a "rider advisory committee" at Trimet.

Trimet funnels millions upon millions of cold hard cash through its bureaucracy and the "little people" are not invited into that process. 

Our Pal Mike will be covering the OPAL event today

I wish I was in Portland for this event

Trimet campaign of dirty tricks heads to Employment Relations Board

OPAL protest brings fear and loathing to Trimet executives

Lockdown of Trimet offices tomorrow due to the dangerous and violent group that might storm the building and sieze Trimet headquarters. 

Just look at these people, I wouldn't go within one block of these crazied anarchists

Trimet headquarters going into LOCKDOWN!

Trimet golfers association

https://youtu.be/yqnq5ajFmDo

Dora Morgan calls it quits

Dora was a very close confidant of mine and was very active in Trimet and ATU757 affairs. She appeared several times in mainstream media in the links below. 

Dora will definately be missed by her brother and sister union employees. 

The company is probably happy to see her go because she refused to submit to their 'authority' when they were wrong on issues involving the lives of Trimet bus drivers.

DORA ON KATU 
DORA DECLARES SUPPORT FOR UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE 
DORA HELPS POLICE CATCH BIKE THIEF
DORA ON THE ESTACADA MAYOR 
 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2_mjZNG1aBk

Jarrett Walkers pro Trimet essay on the Powell redevelopment deal

In case you don't know who Jarrett Walker is, he (and his associates) are basically a pro public transportation 'think tank' for the industry. He gets checks from numerous transportation districts (including Trimet) and functions as their mouthpiece like every other special interestthink tank in America does. 

In this piece he compliments Trimet for thier 'groundbreaking' Powell proposal. 

As far as I am concerned the Powell/division project is another useless capital project benefitting property developers and construction contractors just like all the other Trimet capital projects. I don't see any benefits from this project at all for riders

http://humantransit.org/tag/trimet

The case of the tiara wearing Trimet bus driver

I spend most of my social media time on twitter these days (information junkies heaven) and during the course of one of the conversations this picture came up. 

After a little discussion one of the participants happened to know the story behind this tiara wearing driver.

Apparently she had been wearing a beret for a long long time. Like 15 years. Then one day some Trimet manager got a bug up their ass  and told her she can't wear it anymore because "its not sold at Dennis uniform".

Experience with this sort of thing leads me to believe that this driver is not one of managements favorites. When the management doesn't like you what happens at Trimet is they start enforcing every little rule and regulation they can in an attempt to hurt you psychologically. I don't know if that's true or not but its a distinct possibility.
I don't know this driver personally so I can't get her side of the story.

Whatever, anyway, it turns out that this tiara is sold at Dennis uniform!

So she wears the tiara at work!

LOLOLOLOLOL!

Love it!

OPAL PDX to stage protest at Trimet headquarters

http://us10.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f8db0acd3d11df17ee85a2bab&id=607c9c2957&e=67b811f6db

Union blues

While Trimet puts out cute little recruitment videos Dan tellsthe 'real' story in just a few words

You've gotta see this Trimet bus driver recruiting video

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZUficrzXi4

Trimets favorite apologist coming back to Portland

2 Trimet line 57 operators save the TV Highway dog sculpture

Trimet podcast episode 11

http://trimetpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2016-08-20T07_05_32-07_00

Why the hell did this take 3 months to release to the public

http://katu.com/news/local/police-release-video-of-teen-girl-on-trimet-bus-nearly-struck-by-gunfire

Did Trimet advise the operators in real time that this was going on? I have my doubts. 

Wow

http://6abc.com/news/at-least-1-dead-9-hurt-after-buses-collide-in-north-jersey/1475979/#gallery-6

OPAL action scheduled

ATU757 vs Trimet

Clackistani's say vote *NO* on neoliberal light rail to Tigard

https://www.facebook.com/notaxformax/

$3 billion light rail on Barbur?
No way!
Light rail through Tigard for $270 million per mile?
No way.
Tigard Vote NO!

Classic tweets

From the drivers side

http://fromthedriverside.blogspot.com/2016/08/blowing-off-steam-and-bestowing-fleas.html?m=1

Major incident on Trimet light rail

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/08/portland_brothers_film_racist.html

Union blues

Labor Unions Stand For Justice To American Workers!

Does our Labor Unions Stand For Justice To Their Members Though?

The kind of bullshit Trimet bus drivers have to put up with

from Facebook, this is sick and the manager should be firEd. I'm sorry but this is sick

I wonder what everyone says when they need priority seating for a wheelchair. What do you say to the people sitting there? I received a sip from some dude in a chair saying I never asked the woman to move and blah blah blah. He said I needed to be trained again. So when I speak with my manager, his only concern was how I asked them to move. Usually I say something like can I get this seat for a person with a wheelchair? The manager said I was supposed to say something like anyone who is able to move may I have these seats or something. Seriously? I honestly don't have the time for a paragraph. I wasn't taught that. I was taught to ask and that you can't make someone move.

How do you ask?

Trimet's war on the poor

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Another Trimet driver spit on

https://twitter.com/alyourpalster/status/764909071099162624

Trimet Podcast episode 10

http://trimetpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2016-08-13T06_00_00-07_00

Trimet Twitter blows it

 I read multiple transit agency Twitter feeds and I've never seen any of them make a comment to a citizen like Trimet did to Erik

The proper response to a disgruntled Citizen is something like "We are sorry we dissapoint you Erik please share your thoughts (hyperlink) and leave it alone. 

You DO NOT say what Trimet said

Don't end up like Portland

Trimet fail-again

Trimet is hiring

ATU video on transit worker assaults

https://youtu.be/uwqXEptwshw

What's going on here?

Trimet board meeting violates Roberts Rules of Order

https://twitter.com/alyourpalster/status/763457812156612608

Apparently since 2 people were on the phone it did meet the requirements

Henry Beasley on the continuing rash of Trimet assaults

From another forum:  Another female operator assaulted at GTC, assailant punched a female passenger and then the operator when she said something.

This makes 32 for the year and counting.

Trimet is hiring

Trimet could be so much better

Trimet bus operators doing the right thing

Trimet FAIL

From Facebook

------------------

Wow I'm glad I'm not hurt or anything because I pressed RRT 2x and PRTT around 1:55pm and still no call back 😡 had to call them from my phone

Trimet golf tournament

Guest post by Steve Fung

Tim Feaver-guest post by Jeff Asch

Tim Feaver, Max Operator. Passed away yesterday after battling cancer at age 68.

 You might say there are 2 types of people in this world: 

Those who talk the talk and Those who walk the walk. Tim was decidedly the latter. He 

Walked the walk as a man of faith, good conscience, kindness, strength, and a healthy sense of humor. He will truly be missed at Trimet by all those fortunate enough to have crossed his path, made his acquaintance, and enjoyed his friendship. R.I.P Tim.

I remember this