ATU Officer Reports - Amalgamated Transit Union -Local 757

NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS &
THE
BULLETIN
Official Publication of
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757
503-232-9144 • 1801 NE Couch St.,Portland,OR 97232-3054
Vol. 106, No. 19 Portland, Oregon October 7,2005
And so you asked…
Fall news roundup
By Al Zullo
President-Business Representative
Well, now, as you know, fall is here, and the
weather is cooling down. You will be receiving
cooled nights, but you should be getting used to
it–you’ve been getting chills from the TriMet manager
from Washington for awhile now. Of course,
he’s convinced our Union supervisors that they
should be out there writing you up instead of talking
to you. Again, this is the gentlemen who came
to us from Washington with recommendations
from the Union officers there. Your Union has been
trying to convince him for a long time now that discipline
in severe stages doesn’t work here at TriMet. Training is what works
here at TriMet, which always has worked and always will. But until the manager
from Washington wakes up and realizes that the Union is right in trying
to convince him to train and retrain instead of discipline, well, as I said
before, the winter chill will be added onto the chills from TriMet.
C-TRAN: Roy Jennings has reported in his article that the initiative has
(Turn to Page 19)
Vice President’s Report
By Jon Hunt
At TriMet
we are currently
doing
battle over chiropractic
care,
which is the
most used medical
service.
Nothing has
changed since I
reported to you
last month. A grievance has been filed,
and we are ready for the last step before
arbitration. If you are forced to pay for
a service that you normally would not
have to pay, please save your receipts
and copy them to the Union office.
One would think that in order to
maintain good order the parties would
meet and discuss issues, but I believe
we are going down a different road. We
all know that the cost of things is going
up, which is why we have a contract,
and we demand that the District keep
their side of the agreement. This is a
time when we all need to stick together
to succeed in the war on members’
What
IS
this
health care rights. We think the District
will come to understand that it’s
better to have a healthy workforce than
a sick one.
Laidlaw Portland: We are currently
in negotiations. As usual, they want to
give us less and to add more language
that would greatly affect our members.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Portland Public Schools: We met
with the District on Saturday, Sept. 10,
in the hope of reaching an agreement.
It looks as though we are far apart. As
we have stated before, we believe our
drivers cannot afford medical insurance
increases the District is trying to implement.
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods:
We have had one bargaining
session this month. We presented your
proposals and are awaiting their response.
Laidlaw Corvallis: Union meetings
resumed this month. We are moving to
arbitration regarding management doing
bargaining unit work. I will be
(Turn to Page 19)
The four outside pages are news from
and about your Union. The inside
pages are produced by the Northwest
Labor Press, and cover the labor
movement as a whole.
ATU Local 757 Officer reports
TriMet Light Rail
Transportation
As reported by
MICHAEL T. OLIVER
After two
months of
wearing the
new style shorts,
we can send kudos
to the uniform
committee.
The shorts
are roomy and
comfortable.
The pockets are
many, and you can carry a wallet or
whatever in the side “cargo” pockets.
These new shorts even take the belt
that’s issued without a struggle. Many
thanks to Rogene Clements, who heads
the committee, and to our own “fashion
plate,” Jean Strickland,who represented
light rail and made sure our
patch survived. The new shirts arrive
this month, and if they fit as well as
they look, we should be in the Christmas
issue of Vogue.
A complaint about roaches in Car
203 brought the cavalry running last
month. Tim Kelleher, light rail maintenance
out of Elmonica, worked with
the folks at Ruby, got two cars quarantined
and hired a professional outfit to
come in and kill those nasty little buggers.
Our thanks to Tim and the rest of
the folks at Ruby.
If you get hurt on the East Side,
don’t go to Providence Hospital. A light
rail operator (LRO) became sick while
on the job, and the AMR folks brought
her to Providence Hospital. There she
endured a nightmare wait and rudeness
from employees. She was sitting in the
waiting room crying, and no one came
to help. A big CSI to Providence.
June of 2006 marks ATU 757’s elections.
All elected positions are up for
contest. Get a start on knowing about
your Union — by attending Union
meetings. Come to the full moon meeting,
Monday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 pm. Educate
yourself to make your own best
decision.
What with budget cuts we have lost
numerous light rail positions, and it
doesn’t look any better for the foreseeable
future. It’s hard on the extra board,
and that tension and stress filters down
to the rest of us. If we get hit with a
“bug” this winter, the screws will
tighten even more. Attendance can help
us with this problem. If you are “on the
fence” thinking of coming to work or
taking a sick day, think of all the money
the folks on the E-Board are making;
think of all the LROs bucking the
hours of service, and come to work.
Send any e-mail to mtgbo2002@verizon.com.
Thank you.
Portland Public
Schools
As reported by
SMOKEY STOVER
On Saturday,
ATU sat
down with the
District and
talked about
what the drivers
were asking for
in the contract.
The District
said “no” to a lot
of goodies you
wanted, so we talked and got some
questions answered. At two o’clock, the
meeting was over, and now both sides
are e-mailing.
Watch the roads, because the rains
are coming, and the leaves are going to
fall on the streets to make them slick.
TriMet Salaried
Employees
As reported by
SHIRLEY BLOCK
On Sept.
12, we had our
first positive
movement with
managers and
ATU with the
inspector’s department.
E v ery one
vented, if I
must say, and
Amalgamated Transit Union
Division 757
cards were laid on the table about
safety concerns on single inspection.
We all know these are changing times
for everyone. Attitudes and people’s
mindsets have changed drastically. We
discussed several options of how to
speed the process of doing an R-check
(background/identification) so that it
won’t continually put a wedge between
the inspectors and the controller/dispatcher.
I know it’s hard on both the
controller and the dispatcher from
time to time, but we all have to understand
we are in this together. It’s no
picnic when you have someone in
your face giving you attitude, and
someone tells you to stand by, or
maybe you don’t get an answer at all,
or when you call for police assistance
and minutes seem like hours before
you get help, or maybe you won’t get
the help you need. The blame doesn’t
go to either group; it’s that we are just
plainly understaffed and trying to
struggle through to do the best we can
— not busy pointing fingers when we
should be holding on and sticking together
like the loving family we are. I
know times are bad. This is the worst
that I have seen in the past 24 years.
We will be watching closely to make
sure what was promised takes place.
Coming from this department, I know
there is a lot of mistrust, but I want to
look into the future to see this department
rise up above all the fairy talks
and one day become a department that
has doubled in size. Yes, Fred, you
heard me right. I want to see if inspectors
calls in sick they are replaced just
like the rest of field operations. If one
goes on vacation, then they are replaced.
They deserve that kind of respect.
They are in field operations, too.
Why were they left behind
I have some sad news that I want to
address concerning the station agent
department. I am asking that the three
full-time officers really take a good,
long look at what’s going on in this department.
We as the Union are here to
help our brothers and sisters, and
sometimes it might hurt a little but it
(Turn to Page 2)
Representing working men and women in Oregon and Washington at:
TriMet • Lane Transit District • Rogue Valley Transportation District • Portland Public Schools • Obie Media Corporation • Valley
Transit Association • Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. (TriMet Lift, Portland) • American Medical Response Northwest (Multnomah,
Clackamas and Josephine Counties,Oregon,and Clark and Cowlitz Counties,Washington) • Laidlaw Education Services (Portland
Public Schools, Corvallis School District, Corvallis City Transit) • MV Transportation, Inc. • C-TRAN/C-VAN • Salem Area Transit •
WHEELS • Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods,Inc. • Tillamook County Transportation District • ATU Retired Member Chapter

is about doing what’s right to save faith
for all. I will ask this over and over for
everyone involved to please call or visit
your full-time officer and voice your
concerns on what’s going on.
For the dispatchers, hang in there! I
talked with human resources, and they
are getting further through the process
of hiring of new people. At least we
made it through the summer, and with
any luck we should be looking at new
faces soon. Please provide input on the
changing dispatch center.
Next year should bring on a lot of
changes, and with any luck some
Union new faces to help with the new
growth. Now, Fred, Bob and Michael:
We don’t have a problem if you three
want to work a lot of overtime and not
get paid, but when you have the
money to hire non-union employees
and say it’s the budget, that’s when the
problems arise. But I’m not telling you
anything you don’t already know. I
keep hearing we are in the red in the
budget, but new non-Union faces
keep popping up taking Union jobs.
If you need help with the budget, I am
available to help out, and I know of
several others who would be willing to
help. I want everyone to bear in mind
that every move TriMet makes is a political
move — not necessarily the
right move.
TriMet Lift
As reported by
LES GREEN
Well, by
now, all should
be aware of the
new directive
by management
on mapping
time. We
also know that
because all
routes do not
change, we
should know
where we are going and the best route
to get there and back. So, if you will
add up the loss in income, you will see,
even with our current raise, that many
drivers will break even or take a loss in
income. If you come up to an address
that is unknown to you, you must do
what we do with an add-on: Safely
stop the bus and look it up so you will
not waste time. On-time performance
may suffer, but drivers do not work for
free!
I have started the process of getting
back paid mapping time, but it will
take time.
Also, we have started to receive our
back pay. After a 42 percent tax rate, I
appear to have enough to get a Starbucks
coffee. Management says this
money was back pay, not bonus, so
why the increase in withholding Well,
management, you only have a 26-
month contract, so you might be concerned
with next time around.
I will write more next month as I
meet with management and see what’s
next in the takeaway game.
C-TRAN/C-VAN
As reported by
ROY JENNINGS
Outstanding
job, everyone!
As I sit down to
write this
month’s article
I’m remembering
all the hard
work that went
into our initiative.
For starters
we began working
on these initiatives almost two
years ago, and we all need to thank
each and every person who stepped up
to the plate and contributed in any
way, shape or form. Without your help
it wouldn’t have passed by 67.39 percent!
Just a reminder to all operators at
C-TRAN. As I reported over six
months ago, the Union has an agreement
with C-TRAN that no discipline
will be awarded due to the Init
System (global positioning system,
GPS). Let me say this again: If the
GPS on the buses shows that you are
running early or off route, no discipline
can be awarded. Now, if they
send a supervisor out and the supervisor
sees you running early or off route,
discipline can be awarded.
On another matter, the other day a
couple of members came to me and
told me that I should not represent a
member who is in trouble. On this let
me just say for the record that as your
Executive Board officer I don’t have
the luxury of picking and choosing
who I can or cannot defend. I will always
work for each and every member
here within the ATU. We all pay
Union dues; all of us are members in
the Union. As your Executive Board
officer, my personal feelings will never
be a factor as to how I represent C-
TRAN members. Each member not
only accepted their Union rights but
deserves them. Our Union brothers
and sisters who went before us fought
too long and hard for all of our Union
rights. I for one will not just give them
away. I will represent everyone to the
utmost of my ability, because not only
do all of you deserve it but you would
also demand it. Please don’t come to
me and tell me not to represent any
Union member. I regret if this article
offends anyone – that is not my wish.
Because even though I will listen to
what you have to say, I will always represent
all of our members to the best of
ability. You deserve no less.
Remember that before any grievance
can go to arbitration, you, the
membership will vote on it! When you
vote, please remember to always vote
on the facts of the case and not your
heart!
In closing, I want to thank everyone
for allowing me the opportunity
ATU LOCAL 757
ATU Local 757 Officer Reports
(From Page 1)
to continue to work here at C-TRAN.
We all need a pat on the back for the
outstanding job we did on our initiative!
I for one will always remember it.
Thank you.
Salem Area Transit
As reported by
GARY SPORE
No report
given.
AMR Northwest
As reported by
JAMIE WILLIAMS
As a point of
clarification regarding
last
month’s article,
there seems to
be a growing
consensus that
an important
issue for people
at the next bargaining
negotiations
is overtime after eight hours for
emergency medical technicians
(EMTs). The atuems.com Web site is
experiencing a high number of users,
and we are getting a great response on
contract submissions. We will be sending
out contract surveys as well in the
next few weeks. If you choose to submit
your suggestions in writing, you
can fill out a survey and mail it back
in the self-addressed stamped envelope.
The bargaining team will start to
meet in November to review the submissions
and surveys.
Lastly, thank you to those who have
expressed their support, but I must decline
to respond to recent attacks by
two bargaining unit members. My
personal ethics and the Union’s rules
dictate that I may not disclose the particulars
of any member’s grievance if
those particulars would embarrass or
expose that member to ridicule —
even if the truth would disprove the
member’s allegation. I will say in general
that the facts the two members are
reciting about the outcome of their
grievances are not true, are incomplete
or, in one instance, the person is failing
to reveal one extremely important fact
that determined the outcome. I am
truly proud to be ATU.
Laidlaw Corvallis
As reported by
CHRIS GROOMS/
BOB McGUIRE
No report given.
TriMet Light Rail
Maintenance
As reported by
MICHAEL CONNER
Hello to all.
I hope your
summer was
great. With the
end of summer
come cooler
weather, school
starting and at
TriMet rail
maintenance,
sign-up. With
the latest round of budget cuts, we will
hope the brunt of them is not on the
bargaining unit’s shoulders. The Union
officers and the timekeeping staff are
kept quite busy assembling the varied
sign-ups. Until I became Union officer,
I did not appreciate the time and involvement
of all the folks who put
them together. With the maintenanceof-way,
mechanics, helper, fare and facilities
sign-ups that affect the rail
group that involve hundreds of jobs, it
is tough to keep up on the changes and
try to get the best deal for the members
we can get out of the managers. It
makes me lose sleep at night in hopes
we don’t miss something important.
Let’s all hope for added day shifts and
high seniority retirements.
Rogue Valley
Transportation District
As reported by
TOM HENNEY
Our September
meeting was
very well attended;
keep up
the good work.
The door prize
went to Mike
Sariee.
We had a lot
of productive
conversation
and thoughts expressed by everyone in
attendance. Tom Wallace and I got a lot
of input as to what you all would like to
see in the next contract.
It is very important you attend these
meetings so we can hear your input on
all areas of our contract, as it will affect
us all. If attendance is good, we will serve
refreshments at upcoming meetings.
TriMet Center
Maintenance
As reported by
CHAD MATHER
I hope every
one had a great
time at the
maintenance
picnic. I was
not able to attend
due to a
family reunion
followed by my
twins’ birthday
party.
I have finally completed my required
credit hours to receive my U-
Lead certificate from the Labor Education
& Research Center (LERC). I
am now one of 100 people to have
completed these courses. This knowledge
will greatly help me to represent
our members.
We have sent two grievances to arbitration.
Both relate to contracting
out. We have filed two new grievances
— one relating to the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 (HIPA) and civil rights violations,
and the other one for not following
the disciplinary process.
Enjoy the sunny weather — it will
be gone soon.
TriMet Center
Transportation
As reported by
ALAN EISENBERG
Okay, here
we go! If you
are having
trouble with
your schedule,
make out a yellow
card, make
a copy of it and
get it to your E-
Board officer.
New buses
have been ordered, and hopefully you
folks who have to drive that old Gillig
garbage have relief on the way. These
buses have been purchased with debt
— a bond issued by TriMet to cover
the cost of the new flyers.
I’m not happy with the break and
lunch agreement either. It is being
grieved along with the bus operators
guide (BOG). In the meantime, take
a break! You’ve got to get out of the
seat and stretch and take care of your
personal needs. It is just plain unhealthy
to stay in your seat and beat
yourself to a stressed-out pulp. If
you’re late, you’re late. Don’t push just
because the bus dispatch system
(BDS) says you’re late. We are paid by
the minute.
Remember, think safety first, and
that means all of us — drivers, mechanics,
cleaners, supervisors, rail operators
— all of us, at all properties.
Our lives and the lives of the public
are our responsibility. So, don’t push;
our lives belong to us first and foremost.
We will not be used up and spat
out to satisfy some moronic view of
how fast things can be done.
So, whether you’re turning a wheel
or a wrench or spraying a paint job,
remember, the ones that love you
want to see you live and be healthy.
Got bad seats Write ‘em up, give a
copy to your E-Board officer, and
keep one for yourself. Sloppy steering
Ditto! If it isn’t safe or working right,
write the thing up. Bad things happen,
so do what you can to avoid
them. We are the frontline troops, and
if the generals don’t get out here with
(Turn to Page 19)
PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS OCTOBER 7, 2005

ATU Officer Reports
(From Page 2)
us (like General George S. Patton),
they’ll never, ever have an inkling of
what the battles are all about.
Okay, enough! Stay calm, stay
alert, stay sharp and stay healthy!
TriMet Merlo
Maintenance
As reported by
KEVIN KINOSHITA
It’s that time
of the year
again — the fall
sign-up. A lot
of rumors are
flying. Are they
all true Some
yes, some no,
some well,
maybe, if donkeys
fly. A lot of
scenarios play
out, such as “if so-and-so takes this job
and so-and-so takes the other job, well,
maybe I have a shot at keeping my
same job.” With all of that aside and
on a serious note, if you are not going
to be at the sign-up, leave a lot of
choices on your bid card. With all the
retirements going on, keep your options
open, because you never know
what’s going to happen. This fall, signup
has been pushed back a month.
We filed two new grievances this
past month – the first for facilities
maintenance for not following procedures,
and another for a mechanic on
a seniority issue and unfair treatment.
A big “thank you” goes out to dispatch
and the road supervisors in assisting
Stan Birch and J. We needed to
push a bus back to the shop from
Murray and Walker, and we got the assistance
of three road supervisors to
block traffic for us. Without the cooperation
from all who were involved our
jobs would have been made more frustrating
and dangerous. If you’re out on
a road call and you need help to block
off traffic, for your safety call dispatch
and request for a road supervisor to
help out. Remember, a bus can get repaired,
but to your family your well
being is much more important.
Finally, I saved the best for last. We
recently had two mechanics retire out
of Merlo Garage. Congratulations to
Terry Thaden and Lonny Fults. Jose
Borquez did a final farewell to Terry by
shooting a video of all his co-workers.
Also, Terry received a parting gift of
some body shop tools in a wooden
and glass box. Terry, be sure have a
cold one down in Mexico.
After 30-plus years, Lonny Fults
has called it a day. Lonny has been instrumental
in getting unit rebuild at
Merlo and all the alternators, getting
air comp and farebox kept in-house, as
well as putting out a better quality
product than the outside vendors. I
don’t think TriMet knows what kind
of loss it will be taking when Merlo
closes its door in the air electric department
for one final time. Good luck,
Terry and Lonny!
WHEELS
As reported by
JOHN HARVEY
No report given.
Laidlaw Portland
Public Schools
As reported by
KATHY MITCHELL
Welcome
back to a new
school year. We
are starting off
short of drivers.
Many of you
have come to
me with concerns
about the
charter work.
There is nothing
for you to worry about. I feel sure
that these concerns will be resolved during
negotiations. So, please be patient. I
understand your needs and know you
depend upon the extra work to survive.
My prayers are with my friends and
family in New Orleans. I was on vacation
enjoying myself with them in celebration
of my husband’s birthday. The
warning came that Saturday, Aug. 27,
for everyone to leave. We left and went
back to Little Rock, Arkansas, where we
had rented a car at the airport when we
landed. My mind was still focusing on
my friends since they assured me that
they would leave in time, which they
did. The storm hit Monday morning.
Although I have lived in Oregon for 39
years, the South that I love so well will
always be my home.
TriMet Merlo
Transportation
As reported by
GREG MCGREW
Recently, a
selected few of
our fellow bus
drivers received
a survey from
Michael Ford
assessing their
overall job satisfaction.
You
know, how do
you feel about
your job, your work environment and
support from managers and supervisors.
The cover letter explained that:
“For meaningful changes to happen, we
need to understand your concerns. After
all, nobody knows your job better
than you do!”
Whoa! Now, there is a real mouthful
of truth spoken by the number three
man in TriMet’s management hierarchy!
Let’s review that statement a little:
“We need to understand your concerns
… nobody knows your job …” This is
real meaningful stuff. Management admits
to a lack of understanding and an
ignorance about our work.
ATU LOCAL 757
Well, it seems to me that “understanding”
can be overcome by listening.
Actively listening to the operator concerns
brought to you daily by the
Union management team from shop
stewards to the president should lead to
some understanding of the problems
that are out there. “Ignorance” can be
overcome with proper education by immersing
yourself in the tasks performed
by your workforce. In other words, get
out of your office and ride along with a
driver every day. Just for a little bit each
day. Your ignorance of the problems
faced by your drivers will rapidly fade
away.
However, listening and riding along
take time and effort. How much easier
it is to do a survey of operators who fit
some sort of profile. I know that no
Union officers received this survey....nor
were they informed that it was being
conducted. I am concerned then about
the statistical validity of a survey that
was not sent to all 1,175 (or so) bus operators.
What about our 145 (more or less)
rail operators Don’t they share the
same issues Just to finish this thought,
let’s assume that the statistical universe
of this survey was about 500 operators
and that 350 took their precious time
to respond. This is walking on the edge
of having a valid survey. Usually, not
everyone answers every question, so the
level of meaningful data decreases even
further. Then, there are the questions
themselves. Question #4 states: “I am
given the right level of decision-making
authority when I am operating my
bus.” On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being
that you strongly disagree and 5 being
that you strongly agree, how would you
answer this question I would have to
circle number 1. The last operator I
know of who exercised any decisionmaking
authority is still looking for
work.
To those of you who answered this
survey, be advised that it is not an innocent
document. TriMet is looking for
answers to policy and procedure questions,
and this survey is designed to ferret
out the answers they want.
In my previous life, I spent a lot of
time and money on surveys. A wise old
man told me that figures lie and liars
figure. If you ever hear anything about
this survey again; be careful what you
believe about what you are told.
TriMet Powell
As reported by
SAM SCHWARZ
The manager
of scheduling
just doesn’t
get it. When the
sign-up is complete,
he cannot
make changes:
Any changes to
schedules after
the sign-up is
complete could
(Turn to Page 20)
Zullo
(From Page 1)
passed. This means nobody goes out
the door at this time. Your Union
worked very hard to help get the initiative
passed. Roy Jennings, in particular,
took his own time to help pass it. The
Union invested money into the Committee
to Save C-TRAN. Now, hopefully,
C-TRAN will remember our
help. I know we were helping pass it for
our members to not only save their jobs
but also to save C-TRAN. Hopefully,
they’ll back off a little bit and begin
working closer with the Union.
On Sunday, Sept. 25, we had the C-
TRAN regular meeting and it was a
great one. Everybody showed up to say
“thank you,” especially to the Committee
to Save C-TRAN. Thank you again,
you did wonderful work. The committee
showed us that Republicans and
Democrats can work together.
Rogue Valley Transportation District:
It looks like we’ve got some work
to do there. I’m sending a letter today. I
Vice President’s Report
(From Page 1)
Retirees’ Corner
don’t think the District is paying your
medical reimbursements correctly. We’ll
find out as we go along.
Lane Transit District: It seems like
every time we make some progress in
the healing process somebody up there
in management steps on it. Oh, well, if
they want to return to the bargaining
table with the same attitude they had
this last bargaining session, we’ll be
there.
Laidlaw Corvallis: We’ll be working
on the lack of lights in the yard,
your restroom facilities and many more
problems that you have there from
moving to your new property. Hopefully,
Laidlaw will address these problems
promptly.
Back to TriMet: As recently announced,
effective immediately the
District says no more smoking around
TriMet facilities, even on the outside.
For those of our operators who smoke
the Union will be working to find you
places to do that.
meeting with management to try to
settle the issue before scheduling the arbitration.
We have had the retrofit for
the mirror problem that you have been
experiencing. There will be a six-bus
trial. Please make sure to provide input
to your liaison officers.
For the city bus drivers it appears
there is a difference of opinion on how
the contract is interpreted concerning
your health care coverage. It appears
that Laidlaw is taking us on. As always,
we told them to bring it on.
Lane Transit District: Our officers
in Eugene have been experiencing
some trouble with management. Imagine
that. We will continue to fight if
that is the only option we have. If the
District wants to ignore the Union’s
wanting to discuss their ideas with our
members, then they haven’t gotten the
message yet. It appears the road will be
rocky for some time to come.
On a lighter note, I met with management
recently in regard to one
member with excessive discipline heading
for arbitration and another who
was terminated. We’ll have to wait and
see the outcome.
AMR: Many of us were proud to
note that the national AFL-CIO focused
on an ATU EMS member when
it sent out an article about union volunteers
responding to Katrina. We
were especially pleased to see Marty
Robedeau’s picture accompanying the
article, which circulated nationwide to
millions of union members and to
60,000 union households here in Oregon
and Washington. People are being
very responsive to the new ATU EMS
Web site, and we've been getting quite
a few contract suggestions. Soon, we’ll
be mailing out suggestion forms and
are looking forward to the biggest response
to date. In the meantime, we
need to use these months before bargaining
to build unity and reach consensus
on what issues are the most crucial
to address once the grueling
bargaining process begins. Take care
out there!
The following retirees will celebrate birthdays in October: Jobie J. Adams,
Keith T. Boos, Boni Boyd-Cook, Jack M. Callahan, Kenneth A. Chase,
Garnet W. Christian Sr., Curley Clark, Joseph J. Coleman Jr., Virginia M.
Eskola, Byron L. Estes, Benjamin E. Fain Jr., Jerome D. Gerard, Merle D.
Hanson, William Keinath, Raymond C. Kersey, Joseph J. LeBarron, James
D. Nelson, Robert H. Payment, George R. Paynter, Wayne M. Reynolds,
Sybil M. Rickett, Bettye L. Smith, Theodore P. Sofranko, Jo-Ann
Sweeney, Harold A. Taylor, James H. Unruh, Douglas Watson,
Chrisk E. Yost and Margie L. Youngblood.
No 50-year retirees have birthdays this month.
Next month’s regularly scheduled ATU 757 Retired Member
Chapter meeting is Wednesday, November 2, 2005, at 9:30
a.m. at Westmoreland’s Union Manor, 6404 SE 23rd
Ave. Coffee and doughnuts will be served at 9 a.m.
OCTOBER 7, 2005 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 19

October
Meetings
Charter
Charter members meet 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 17, in the Machinists
Building, 3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland.
Charter day members meet 10
a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Schoppert
Hall, 1801 NE Couch, Portland.
Salem
Transit/WHEELS
Salem members meet 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Red Lion
Hotel, 3301 Market St. NE, Salem.
Lane Transit
Eugene members meet 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 19, and Eugene
day members meet 10 a.m. Thursday,
Oct. 20, at the Woodworkers
Local Lodge, 1116 South A St.,
Springfield.
Corvallis Laidlaw
City Transit/Schools
Corvallis members meet 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 20, in the McKenzie
Conference Center, Salbasgeon
Suites, 1730 NW 9th St, Corvallis.
Rogue Valley Transportation
Medford members meet 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Hampton
Inn, 1122 Morrow Rd., Medford.
Portland and Laidlaw
School Bus Drivers
Portland school bus members meet
at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 at
Rigler School, 5401 NE Prescott,
Portland.
C-TRAN/C-VAN
Vancouver members meet 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Laborers
Hall, 2212 NE Andresen, Vancouver,
Wash.
AMR Northwest
Washington County members meet
6 to 9 a.m.. Monday, Oct. 10, at
18000 NW Evergreen Parkway,
Beaverton; Clark County members
meet 6 to 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24,
at Starbucks, 7720 NE Hwy 99E,
Hazel Dell; and Multnomah/
Clackamas members meet 6 to 9
p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at Izzy’s,
1307 NE 102nd, Gateway District.
Tillamook County
Transportation District
Tillamook members meet 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Odd Fellows
Hall, next door to the Bay City Fire
Hall in Bay City.
Valley Transit
See your liaison officer.
PLEASE NOTE: ATU members are
invited to attend any of the abovelisted
meetings.
(From Page 19)
trigger a new sign-up.
The contract is clear that all extra
work goes to the extra board. In the fall
sign- up Coffell decided he had a mistake
in a paddle and wanted to rewrite
the paddle and take away the break.
When the operator complains they are
not getting a break, he tells them there
is nothing that he can do until the next
sign-up. Now that we have a break and
lunch break policy and the operator
brings to his attention a scheduling
problem that makes it impossible to get
the break, will he just ignore the complaint
or fix it
The break policy has already been
grieved and your voices have been
heard! I am taking a very personal interest
in our breaks and our health. The
bus and rail operators deserve fair treatment
when it comes to breaks. If the
District’s intent is to tie our hands with
this or any other policy, they’re in for a
real battle!
Several grievances have been filed,
too, on the pass-up rule. The pass-up
rule has not changed. If you have less
than nine hours between the time you
end and the time you start your next
day, you can pass up. Work assignments
cannot be given out in the wrong order!
To do so violates the extra board rules
and your seniority.
I have heard several rumors about
the three-day mini-run workweek. The
Union and the District are scheduled to
meet to discuss the three-day workweek,
and as soon as I hear something I
will pass it on.
Many operators have received supervisor
observation report (SOR) writeups
for not calling stops externally.
These have been addressed in the BOG
grievance, and the supervisors are only
following orders from their boss.
Congratulations to the most recent
group of retirees.
MV Transportation
As reported by
TODD WATSON
As we prepare
for a new
general manager
(the average
tenure on
this property is
three years), our
route starts for
the fall and
winter should
be underway as
this article is going to print. The quality
of the routes and the hours and
days off were one of the worst I have
seen here in a long time. The total
number of routes to be bid on totaled
125, but we had 70 shaded routes,
which means that those route hours
are not guaranteed for that certain day
or days. I would like to see, in our next
sign-up in February of next year, some
kind of operator feedback or input so
these routes are driver friendly with no
worry hanging over our heads when
ATU LOCAL 757
ATU Officer Reports
we bid on them. I will recommend
that we insert an addendum in our labor
agreement to make this all possible
so it doesn’t happen again. I would like
to hear from any operator who has
other ideas, so drop me a line in my
mailbox.
TriMet Powell
Maintenance
As reported by
DAVE KAY
Brothers and
sisters, a sad
state of events
has transpired
within the District.
It seems
management
personnel cannot
manage
their paperwork
properly, and it
seems to disappear. The end result is
that members are being disciplined due
to the District’s “misplacing” the documents
supplied by our members.
I would like to recommend to our
brothers and sisters that they require a
signed receipt for any and all documents
required of them, be this a
signed note of “yes, they did submit
this on this date,” stamped and signed
by a station agent or supervisor, or request
a receipt for hand-delivered documents
or certified mail with return receipt
requested, and so on. Also, be
sure to make and keep copies for yourself
of everything supplied to the District.
Cover your backside! Remember,
the District is not your friend and cannot
be trusted.
We have filed no new grievances
here at Powell. A grievance covering absence
codes has been settled with an
agreement to correct absence codes
when a disputed workers’ comp claim
is accepted after the fact or to code protected
leave, i.e., ADA leave as “AA.”
Work continues as other issues, including
the commercial driver license
(CDL) policy and Family and Medical
Leave Act (FMLA) questions.
We are about to go back into a construction
mode again. It was determined
that our fluid tanks here at Powell
are no longer of an acceptable type
(not double-walled) and must be replaced.
I am told this will take about
six weeks and will be getting underway
shortly.
Lane Transit District
As reported by
CAROL ALLRED
Fall bid has
begun. There
seem to be
some problems
with a lot of us
getting our negotiated,
uninterrupted,
20-
minute meal
breaks. Bus operators,
please
ATU Local 757 Officers
AL ZULLO...................................................................President-Business Representative
JON HUNT .........................................Vice President-Assistant Business Representative
TOM WALLACE....... .........................Financial Secretary-Treasurer/Recording Secretary
Executive Board Officers
TriMet Center Maintenance............................................. ............CHAD MATHER
TriMet Center Transportation................................. .................ALAN EISENBERG
TriMet Powell Maintenance ...................................................................DAVID KAY
TriMet Powell Transportation .......................................................SAM SCHWARZ
TriMet Merlo Maintenance.......................... .........................KEVIN KINOSHITA
TriMet Merlo Transportation .......................................................GREG McGREW
TriMet LRT Maintenance ............................. ...............................MIKE CONNER
TriMet LRT Transportation............................... ..................MICHAEL T. OLIVER
TriMet Monthly Rated Employees..............................................SHIRLEY BLOCK
Lane Transit District (LTD)......................................... .................CAROL ALLRED
Portland Public Schools ...................... ..................................SMOKEY STOVER
Laidlaw Education Services ....................................................KATHY MITCHELL
C-TRAN...........................................................................................ROY JENNINGS
Salem Area Mass Transit District........................................................GARY SPORE
AMR Northwest...........................................................................JAMIE WILLIAMS
Liaison Officers
TriMet Merlo Extra Board ..............................................................STEVE ECKLES
TriMet Center Extra Board ....................................................TERRY McMURRY
TriMet Powell Extra Board.........................................................BRUCE DUNCAN
TriMet Ruby Junction ......................... ......................................OPEN POSITION
TriMet Elmonica ......................................................................JASON CHOI
TriMet Elmonica Maintenance......................................... SHAYNE JENKERSON
SAT Maintenance.................... .........................................................DON ELZNIC
LTD Chairman.............................................................................WALT BOYNTON
LTD Secretary ...................................................................CARLA AGUILAR
LTD Maintenance......................................................................................LEE LASSE
LTD Extra Board .......................................................................DEB BITTERLICH
Rogue Valley Transportation District ....................................THOMAS HENNEY
Valley Transit....................................................................................NICK NOTARAS
AMR Southern Oregon-Josephine County (Acting) .................. SEAN GARTLAN
Laidlaw Educ. Services (Portland School Bus) .......................................RAYMOND GIBSON
Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. (TriMet Lift) ............ ............................LES GREEN
Laidlaw Transit, Inc. (Corvallis City Transit) ................................BOB McGUIRE
Laidlaw Transit, Inc. (Corvallis Schools) ................ ..................CHRIS GROOMS
MV Transportation, Inc................................................................TODD WATSON
C-TRAN.............................................................................................JOHN SANNES
AMR Northwest-Clackamas County.....................................BRIAN HENRICHS
AMR Northwest-Clark County...................................................JASON KRAVITZ
AMR Northwest-Cowlitz County ......................................DEREK KYNASTON
AMR Northwest-Multnomah County...................... ............LANNIE HASZARD
AMR Northwest -Washington County...................... ...........LANNIE HASZARD
AMR Northwest-Communications Division......... ........................CHRIS LUCAS
AMR Northwest-Special Services Division ...... ....................BRIAN HENRICHS
C-VAN......................................................................LARRY “BUD” WOLTER
WHEELS..............................................................................JOHN HARVEY
Tillamook County Transportation District..........................PAT OSTRANDER
document each day whether or not you
get your break. Identify the date and
run number. If you did not get the full
20 minutes, please indicate what time
you actually got out of the seat.
Please check your run pay. If you
have doubts on whether or not your
pay is correct, please put a copy of your
run in the Union box in operations
and I will check your pay for you.
If your bus is not clean, please write
it up and provide me a copy of the defect
slip. I know that is an extra step,
but there have been many complaints
about the inside of buses being dirty. If
your windshield has not been cleaned,
it is a safety hazard.
The inside cleaners have been
stretched to the limit with what they
can accomplish during their shifts because
they have had some extra duties
added, at least temporarily. We are in
the process of investigating exactly why
the detailing is not getting done on the
buses. The buses are the most visible
part of LTD to the public. We hope
the District wants to put their best image
out there and will get some help for
the inside cleaners.
At the October Union meetings we
will be accepting nominations for one
position on the accident review committee.
If you are interested in running
for this position, you must either attend
one of the meetings or provide a
letter indicating your interest in the position.
The District has been passing out a
new FMLA policy. The policy as it
stands has many changes and will hurt
many employees. We will be having
discussions with the District concerning
these changes and hopefully will
have some remedy before you read this.
PAGE 20 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS OCTOBER 7, 2005