[Transit-allegheny] SOT meeting Aug 6 - A PAT strike looms in Septembee
JMcNeil at PortAuthority.org
JMcNeil at PortAuthority.org
Fri Jul 25 15:27:18 EDT 2008
Dear Jonathan and S.O.T. members:
Please allow me the opportunity to respond to some of the
misunderstandings in the information below, which I hope will help you
at your August 6th meeting. I have also attached a few documents which
may help you in your decision making process.
In order for Port Authority to sustain public transit service in
Allegheny County, the Collective Bargaining Agreements negotiated this
year must take major steps toward reining in healthcare and
post-retirement benefits costs. Represented employees have been asked
to accept a fair contract (see attached profiles) with wage and benefits
concessions comparable to those in place for non-union, management and
Police Association employees. The fact of the matter is that transit
riders and taxpayers can no longer be asked to pay for Port Authority's
lucrative benefits when they don't even receive those benefits
themselves.
After all, taxpayers, transit riders, and Port Authority management and
non-represented employees have all done their part to preserve
affordable, accessible public transit in Allegheny County. Taxpayers are
paying drink and car rental taxes. Riders are paying higher fares for
less service. Port Authority management and non-represented employees
have already accepted wage and benefit concessions, including the
elimination of lifetime health benefits and reduction in pension
benefits. But those employees only make up 9% of Port Authority's
workforce. It's time for the union employees to do their part.
You may be interested to know that if we do not receive these
concessions from the union, our benefits costs will exceed our farebox
revenues. In fact, our benefits costs will exceed our PAYROLL.
The bottom line is that without significant savings in healthcare,
pension and labor costs, Port Authority will have no other choice but to
cut service, raise fares and lay off hundreds of employees. We don't
believe the transit riders deserve to endure or should have to endure
another round of fare increases and service cuts to pay for benefits
they themselves don't enjoy. Keep in mind that wages and benefits
currently make up nearly 82% of the cost of your transit ride.
A few more points to consider are:
* The $20 million we need in concessions in order to balance our
budget assumes that we have already received the drink tax funding from
the county.
* The average worker in the U.S. pays 27 percent of the premium
cost for their family health coverage. Port Authority union workers
currently pay three percent of the premium cost.
* For Fiscal Year 2008, Port Authority's unfunded post-retirement
benefits obligation totals $37 million and increases exponentially every
year.
* The average worker in the U.S. pays 27 percent of the premium
cost for their family health coverage. Port Authority union workers
currently pay three percent of the premium cost.
* Our proposal, which we believe is reasonable and affordable,
maintains the current base pay at $22.85 per hour. This means that Port
Authority drivers and other represented employees will earn a minimum
salary of $48,653 per year--and still have excellent benefits and
pensions.
We are hopeful that we can amicably agree on a new collective bargaining
agreement with Local 85. Port Authority is committed to working with
the union leadership to craft a contract that is fair to transit workers
but also to taxpayers and transit riders.
I hope this helps to clarify the issue for you. Thanks for your
continued support of public transit!
Judi
-----Original Message-----
From: jon at jonrobison.org [mailto:jon at jonrobison.org]
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 3:18 PM
To: bsimpson at tmail.com; amanda zeiders; Alan Mandel;
audswaldock at yahoo.com; kproblem2003 at yahoo.com;
aboule at pittsburghparking.com; wpbpitbb at comcast.net; Bland, Stephen G.;
McAllister, James J.; laraineh at verizon.net; drumstickmick at yahoo.com;
legrande at hillhouse.org; cheriemez at comcast.net; cpartanen at comcast.net;
dolinger at federatedinv.com; carolu at spcregion.org; Nathan Hart; Jim Lally;
jburn at county.allegheny.pa.us; nbchampine at aol.com;
pittsburghbusjunkie at yahoo.com; bus at anukul.com; emkhs at concentric.net;
jwsmith1984 at verizon.net; bobsullivan at comcast.net; msypolt at gmail.com;
dhendereson at PortAuthority.org; pittsburghcricket at hotmail.com;
pennsylvaniatrailuser at yahoo.com; Margaret Krumm;
spieklik at williamscoulson.com; Suella Pipal; chefjmarie at aol.com;
pghtransitoutrage at gmail.com; transit-allegheny at venus2.pghfree.net
Cc: jon at jonrobison.org
Subject: SOT meeting Aug 6 - A PAT strike looms in Septembee
Dear Friend,
This is a Third Draft statement on the danger of a strike
shutting down our buses, trolleys, and LRV's. It will be acted on at the
next meeting of Save Our Transit, chaired by Linda Warman, Wednesday,
Aug. 6, 6:30, at United Cerebral Palsy, 4638 Centre Ave. at Neville St.,
in Oakland.
You may think this draft is too one-sided. Please bring
your concerns on Aug.6, or contact us in advance, or both. This
emergency draft is based on our best understanding of the situation.
Please especially contact us with factual correction before we final
consideration Aug. 6 at the S.O.T. meeting Aug. 6. Our research is
limited - we are just a group of transit riders and have no staff.
Contact Save Our Transit at 412-683-0237, 412-708-7262,
<mailto:jon at jonrobison.org> jon at jonrobison.org, or 154 N. Bellefield Av.
#66, Pgh 15213. (Not an attachment because some users can't/won't open
attachments. Apologies for any multiple postings.)
Please forward this.
THIRD DRAFT - 7/24/08
A PAT strike looms - maybe as early as Sept. 15.
State fact-finding is underway, and it is not clear whether
serious negotiations are underway.
The biggest issue, we hear, is that retirees receive
healthcare for life paid for by PAT. Of course, everybody should have
quality health care. But PAT says that no company's retirees get that
as a contract benefit, not any more. Anyway, says PAT, we can't afford
it. But is PAT reneging on a promise to long-time employees? And if
PAT got ALL the money from the drink tax, as originally stated, wouldn't
that cover the $20 million in savings from a new contract assumed in
PAT's just-approved 08-09 budget? Whatever the fact-finder decides,
unless both PAT and the union members can accept the result, a strike is
likely.
Even assuming PAT is right on both its arguements,
management must look for possible actions to help the workers,
especially actions which don't add significantly to the transit system's
financial burdens. PAT should not just sit back and expect the workers
to accept that substantial concessions are inevitable. (Note that under
PAT's contract, the retired union members can vote on any new contract.)
For example, the retirees could be allowed to elect one member of the
PAT board. That would be a gesture, but it would cost PAT nothing and
provide an added source of free expertise and experience. For another
example, County Executive Dan Onorato could support strongly the ABC
Health Care bill that passed the Pa House, and even support a second
bill to do more to ameliorate the retirees' loss of health care
benefits.
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato is responsible. The
Port Authority (PAT) Board of Directors serve at his pleasure. He must
stop holding up the county's share of the additional funds we got from
Act 44 until he gets contract that he likes. Holding PAT funding
hostage while a contract is supposedly being negotiated is ridiculous,
since he controls PAT.
We hope that the County establishment does more than just
wait for a strike, then go to Common Pleas Court and ask for an
injunction. to prevent "irreparable harm." That's what happened in
1992, in the last transit strike. Yes, a strike would cause
"irreparable harm" -- to people who rely on transit to get to work or to
their doctor, to employers, and to the transit system. The
'discretionary riders,' those who have a choice, will go elsewhere.
Let's demand that both sides negotiate seriously, and try
to find a solution. Will anything we do make a difference? We should
try.
Love and Peace,
Jonathan Robison, Linda Warman
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