In the July newsletter the Union welcomed the selection of Sam Desue as the new Vice President of Transportation Services.
With his appointment the members welcomed someone with a sense of direction and dedication and someone who realizes that for an agency to exist and be successful you have to listen to the people that make the agency “go”, and treat those people with respect. I still feel that Sam retains this ideology, unfortunately if you’re surrounded by others who don’t, the wheels turn slowly. That said. I must admit we have started to make inroads into some issues that have been long standing.
I will address some of the “inroads” in my report and will note there remains many more but we are working to address them.
One other thing, I am surprised by the scope of the agency re-organization. I have never seen the creation of so many “Directors”. Does this equate to pay increases? If so I would like to inform Management prior to negotiations that we are changing the “Operator” title to Operational Transit Mobility Technicians (Reliefs) and Operational Transit Mobility Engineers (full-time) and we will be looking for more money!!!
Update on Open Issues
Maintenance: January of 2008 will be the roll-out time for new/revised “Maintenance Work Rules”
E-Board Officer Russ Lowe (JLM) Fleet Maintenance, Joe Digiulio Shop Steward Tech & Development and I, in a collaborative effort with Director of Fleet Maintenance Bill Spies and Michelle McKendric Executive Assistant (I hope this is the correct title now), have developed a policy that is concise, and in some areas provide positive changes for members affected by it. The policy will be distributed through “crew meetings” and a more formal presentation will be made at that time. Thanks to Russ and Joe.
Travel Pay: This issue was brought to the attention of Sam and Transportation Services Management as clarification of pay status when Operators have been required to drive an agency vehicle back to transit on their own time.
Effective immediately July 25, 2007, when an employee/member request vacation leave, sick leave, or to get off work early and Pierce Transit approves the request and requires the employee/member to bring an agency vehicle back to Pierce Transit base; Pierce Transit will pay the employee/member “straight” time from the relief point to Pierce Transit base, regardless of whether or not it results in more than eight (8) hours of work in a day. This was a collaborative effort on the part of both Union and Management. We hope to continue to resolve issues in this fashion.
Relief Operators: An issue arose regarding the pay status of our members in the Relief Operator position.
Per the last contractual agreement a wage step was added to the Transit Operator position. A side letter of agreement was also produced protecting current employees, and a “seniority list” was provided specifying who would be affected. Upon several Relief Operators advancement to full-time status, a letter was issued to said Relief Operators based on a side letter of agreement, placing the Operators at the “new” pay scale.
What the individual in Human Resources was not aware of, or the Relief Operators, was a seniority list documenting the “names” of the individuals who would be moved to the second (2nd) step of the full-time Operator position. Without this information one of our members took it upon himself to pretty much launch a tirade in the Operator’s lobby slamming me, the Union, upsetting his co-workers, spreading mis-information all without contacting anyone in the Union office. After a phone call describing how upset he was to me, I invited him to the Union office to discuss his issue. At the meeting I showed him the second (2nd) part of the agreement with his name and the names of his fellow classmates showing their pay scale upon promotion to full-time.
I then addressed the issue with Pierce Transit Management and there was concurrence regarding their promotion to the second (2nd) step at the full-time Operator scale.
In discussion with this member I stated if I am correct on this issue and you are wrong, are you willing to go out among the same group of members, or into the lobby and acknowledge that you were wrong. His reply….NO. Go figure, two things to be learned 1. Being loud does not make you right and 2. If in doubt please contact the Union. Thank you.
Relief Operator Work Schedule: I have personally advocated for improved working conditions for Operators for quite a number of years.
In a discussion with Transportation Services, Human Resources, and Scheduling/Planning we have worked jointly to develop a pilot plan that will address the “availability issue” that you encounter as Relief Operators.
In our discussion we discussed issues related to a position that pretty much demands 24/7 availability and the impact on single parents/social/family life/health (mental & physical), safety and what German and Austrian researchers termed an “effort-reward imbalance” in the work place.
While there are still parameters to be “ironed out” the pilot proposed would consist of three (3) availability times, AM, PM, Anytime (present), hours of availability. The hours would be signed by agency seniority and a target date for the pilot is September.
This is a very brief description of the pilot. Labor and Management will jointly finalize the plan. Executive Board Officer Juanita Hoheusle; Relief Operator Representative, will also be involved in discussions finalizing the pilot and upon implementation will be an excellent resource person for the work group.
Link Light Rail: The Local has been contacted by the Operators of the Link Light Rail in downtown Tacoma that is operated by Sound Transit, and has expressed an interest in being organized by ATU 758. Our first meeting is scheduled for this Friday August 17, 2007. Will keep you posted.
Cell Phone Policy: There will be a revised or updated cell phone policy forthcoming in the very near future (if not by the time you receive this newsletter). Per discussion with Transportation Services it was agreed that perhaps different circumstances, warrant different penalties. Enough Said.
ADA Callouts: There are proposed revisions of the ADA guidelines that are being studied at the present time. One draft provision is a requirement and has been supported and advocated for by the ATU International and the local, and myself personally for my last three terms as well as this one A.) Vehicles in excess of 22 feet in length, used in multiple-stop, fixed-route service, shall be equipped with an automated stop announcement system. B) The same or equivalent information included in automated stop announcements shall be provided in a visual format. It is about time!!!
Thanks to all that volunteered and attended the ATU Golf Tournament and Picnic, you made both a success. You put the “U” in Union.
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Lane Chase, Vice President/A.B.A.
V.president@atu758.org
OJI’s: Ever wonder how your compensation is figured for an OJI? Find it confusing like most people do? Well you are certainly not alone. The first thing you need to know is that Pierce Transit has a third party administrator, (Nova-Pro). It is their function to monitor the claim and make the necessary payments to you the injured party. Sounds simple, doesn’t it. What you receive in payment for an injury can vary widely from person to person, so talking with someone else and comparing will not do much good. In fact it will probably confuse you more than help. What you receive is generally based on the L & I formula for payment. This formula is your last year earnings to the date just prior to your injury. Once you have this figure you must add the percentage allowance if you are married or married with children, sorry there is no additional allowance if you are single. After you get this figure you find out your average daily pay for the year and multiply that figure by 14 days. No, I did not forget about days off L & I counts every day and does not count days off. This figure is the one the third party administrator uses to pay you. Confused yet? Just wait it gets better. Transit figures your pay on 10 days not 14. So right away your average daily wage is going to be different. Add to that, that the injured person may be eligible for a supplemental payment from Transit you should start to be really confused. So the best way to try to explain this process might be to provide an example:
OJI HRS ~42.48
HRS WRKD ~37.52
HRS PAY PERIOD ~80
OJI HOURS ~42.48 x $17.21 rate/hr.
REG PAY ~$731.08
80% OF REG PAY ~$584.86
FROM NOVA-PRO ~$495.02
PAYMENT DUE ~$89.84
The payment due is the 20% supplement to bring you up to the 80%. Keep in mind that this example applies to a specific person in a specific instance. Your case would have to be figured separately. However this gives you a good starting point for figuring out your situation. Keep in mind that these figures would change if you did not qualify for some of the special adjustments mentioned previously.
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Sonya Ogden
Recording Secretary
It is that time of the current Union term to announce the coming of nominations for Union Officers. At the October 2007 PM charter meeting, any member in good standing may nominate any other member in good standing or themselves for all Officer Positions. The voting for Officers will take place in November 2007 (exact dates will be announced later). Members who cannot attend the nomination meeting but wish to be nominated must provide a letter to the local Union office (to be received on or before the nomination meeting) or give the letter to the person who will nominate them to present at the nomination meeting, stating that they will accept the nomination for the office in which they are nominated for and will serve if elected. In that letter you must be specific in the office you wish to run for and that you will accept the nomination. If you can not attend the Thursday night charter meeting on October 11, 2007, then you must submit a letter of nomination and acceptance. That letter must be into the Union office on or before Thursday, October 11, 2007 by 3 PM or brought to the PM meeting by a member who is nominating you. Nominations for any office, per our Bylaws can only be done at the Thursday PM charter meeting.
Please be aware that Union and Employer funds may not be used to promote the candidacy of any candidate, which includes you the candidate not actively campaigning on Employer time. All candidates will have the same access to member addresses at the same time if they wish to do a mailing to the members for their candidacy. If you do a mailing, you will be responsible for all costs associated with that mailing. Immediately following the nominations I, the Recording Secretary/Election Committee Chair will verify the eligibility of all nominees and a letter will be sent out to each nominee to state if they qualify or do not.
Any member in good standing may run for the positions of President BA, Vice President ABA, Financial Secretary/Treasurer and Recording Secretary. If you intend on running for an E-Board position, you must work in the work group you plan on representing. The Executive Board (E-Board) positions are as follows: Transit Operator position I, II and III, Mechanic position I and II, Facilities Maintenance Mechanic, Administrative Representative, Service Supervisor, Customer Service Representative (CSR/Shuttle) and a Longview position.
The Election Committee members are Retired Transit Operator Lynne Proctor, Service Station Attendant Helen Matthews, Service Supervisor Deborah Brown and Transit Operator Larry Dahlin. I will be the Election Committee Chair and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me at 253-224-8359. Following the nominations all candidates will receive a letter regarding rules and regulations.
On a personal note, I would like to state that although we can not as a Union have any requirements for a member to run for office other then being a member in good standing, I would like to share with you that the Financial Secretary/Treasurer and Recording Secretary position work is almost entirely done on computers and knowledge of computers and programs would be a great asset or the willing to learn these programs. If you have questions about these two positions please feel free to talk to me or Don McKnight who is the Financial Secretary/Treasurer. There might also be a candidate forum to be announced at a later time to ask questions and to talk with your candidates.
Women’s Caucus: On Monday, October 1, 2007 we will be celebrating the one year anniversary of the ATU L-758 Women’s Caucus. We will be holding the October’s meeting at the Sizzler at 512 and South Tacoma Way at 6 PM, (two blocks from Pierce Transit). We had a successful turn out at this year’s annual picnic. The weather held out till the end and then started to rain during clean up. The Women’s Caucus sold $107.00 in candle’s and accessories. Thank you to the members who purchased product which supported your local Women’s Caucus. We are also looking at doing a Karaoke night in December. Please look for information in coming months.
Bus parking/stacking: I have not heard one person say they like the new stacked parking on the bus lot at Pierce Transit. I especially do not care for it due to having to walk all the way around to the front or to the back and no matter which side I pick, my bus is on the other end of the row. Because of that, I have been lazy and started to walk down the middle and cut thru the buses weaving in and out to my bus and my runs have 300 series coaches so I have to walk all the way to the other side of the lot. However an incident happened this last Tuesday I would like to share. I was cutting thru the middle, weaving in and out of the buses, stepped out into a row and a Service Station Attendant (SSA) was driving a bus up thru that lane. If not for his actions I most certainly would have been hit, injured and who knows what could have happened. I realized then (although I always knew it was dangerous) that what I was doing was wrong and I was setting up another member for an accident. I do not know how many articles I have written about not setting up your fellow Operators for an accident in past newsletters, but I was now setting up a fellow member/SSA for an accident.
When I got to my bus, I talked with a fellow Operator about what had happened and he stated that he does normally walk around in the crosswalks as expected and he is still subjected to SSA(s) maneuvering vehicles in and out of lanes, and some near misses due to the reduced operational areas. He stated he had almost been hit twice walking in the crosswalks. So in closing we all need to watch out for each other and follow policy regarding our safety. I also would like to see additional pre-trip time given to runs. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to walk out to buses, pre-trip them and then possibly having something wrong, and getting it fixed or a bus change.
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Executive Board Reports
All-star Fitness - Member Trish Gurley has contacted me about All Star Fitness that will be opening the end of August. She can also be the spokes-person for the fitness center, if you have questions. When the doors of the facility open, the moment you walk inside, you will see and feel a completely different kind of health and fitness experience. There will be nearly 70,000 square feet of state-of-the-art amenities. The facility is like a total fitness club, a family recreation center, sports and athletic club, and a resort spa – all under one roof. I have checked with Pierce Transit’s fitness health coordinator in the Human Resources Department and I was informed that Transit can not favor one organization over another, meaning the initiation fee would not be waived if you decide to become a member. In any case, it’s worth checking out and perhaps you might consider becoming a member. The Union is not advocating membership, but we encourage you to check it out for yourself. This facility is located at Lincoln Plaza, 31 Montana Avenue, Tacoma 98409.
United Way of Pierce County - ATU member Kathy Threadgill’s daughter Sarah Norman who recently graduated from Steilacoom High School, was awarded $500.00 from the 2007 Jerry Beckendorf Community Services Scholarship. She will attend University of Washington this fall. This award was presented at the August Pierce County Central Labor Council meeting.
Apprenticeship Training: An 11 week construction apprenticeship Training is now forming in Renton.
To apply you must attend an orientation or call (206) 768-6671, www.anewaop.org.
Upcoming Event:
- August 26th, Solidarity Day XXVII @ Cheney Stadium Game Time: 1:35 p.m.
- September 3rd Labor Day Picnic, Wapato Park, noon to 4 p.m.
- September 7th, The 1st Annual Catholic Community Services Golf Tournament @ Whispering Firs Golf Course. Contact 253-502-2711
- September 23rd, Jerry Beckendorf 4th Annual Scholarship Bowling Tournament @ Pacific Lanes 7015South D Street, Tacoma. Contact (253) 272-4263
Lamarr Bond Sr, Executive Board Officer, Operator Position I
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I would like to thank all our Volunteers and Participants to this year Union Events.
Both the Golf Tournament and the Picnic were very successful and fun. We had a lot of people participate and enjoy them.
To our Volunteers we send you a big thank you for your valuable time spent helping out and making these events a great time!
Thank you!
Watch out for Pedestrians, think of the impact you could make! When traveling through an
intersection we should all be on the look out for pedestrians on the side of the road, walking, standing, or on a bike or
next to your bus. Be alert and use your mirrors!
What’s a Pedestrian? - Where are they? - What are they doing?
What’s a Pedestrian? Webster's: pe-des-tri-an, going on foot, a: going or performed
on foot, b: of, relating to, or designed for walking. A person on foot, one moving on foot, a WALKER.
Where are they? Pedestrians are everywhere, in places that are expected and unexpected.
That's why as a Transit Operator you need to be alert and be continuously scanning your mirrors and the road ahead of you.
There is no telling where a pedestrian may show up at any time.
What are they doing? You got me... I don't think anyone could truthfully say they
know what a pedestrian in a crowded downtown street is really going to do. Will they jump out in front of a passing
car/bus or cross against a red light or just J-walk across the street as if there was nobody else around? A few things
are known about a pedestrian, some don't look before they walk, and they are fragile in comparison to a motor vehicle and
will do the unexpected. So it is our job, the professional driver to be alert and to make sure that the pedestrians are
clear of our coaches before moving out of a zone, through an intersection, or reading the road in anticipation of someone
running out in front of your coach in the middle of the street. In closing be safe! Be professional! Be alert!
Tyrone Ross, Executive Board Officer, Operator Position II
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