Comments on: “A Lot of This is Just Theater” Says Source Close to BART Contract Flap http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/06/30/a-lot-of-this-is-just-theater-says-source-close-to-bart-contract-flap/ Covering San Francisco's livable streets movement Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:38:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Debra Smith http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/06/30/a-lot-of-this-is-just-theater-says-source-close-to-bart-contract-flap/comment-page-1/#comment-10591 Debra Smith Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:48:24 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=3071#comment-10591 Mr. Held is right. Money IS the issue. But not because the workers want a raise. It's because the District has consistently lied about it! If they're not lying about it, they're wasting it. And now the bailout comes down to the employees and the public. Sound familiar? "A lot of this is just theater." That is absurd! Theater implies that this is just an act, a play. I am not playing! This is serious. This is my livelihood. This is what I have worked 31+ years for! "Hypothetically the unions wouldn't want to work under the old contract because they want a pay increase..." That is so far from the truth! ATU 1555 offered a wage freeze and rollover of the existing contract for one year. "Every day the unions are working under the old contract, the costs increase on the deficit." Really now. Get rid of their high-priced, Union-busting attorney, negotiate in good faith, settle this contract, let the negotiating team go back to their everyday jobs, they'll save a lot. "...maximum-chaos opportunity with the Bay Bridge closed for four days. It gives the unions a lot of power." Again, not true. If the 60 day cooling off period is imposed, that would take us beyond Labor Day weekend. We will be working over Labor Day. It is not the Unions' intention to disrupt the Bay Area over Labor Day. Linton Johnson "reiterated management's position that the unions haven't made any serious cost-saving offers." The Unions offered $40 million in concessions over two years. I wish the man would just tell the truth. Johnson said "...these are wonderful employees. The workers here care about BART. Everybody here is here because they want to be serving the public." First words of truth I've heard from him since this all began. Mr. Held is right. Money IS the issue. But not because the workers want a raise. It’s because the District has consistently lied about it! If they’re not lying about it, they’re wasting it. And now the bailout comes down to the employees and the public. Sound familiar?

“A lot of this is just theater.” That is absurd! Theater implies that this is just an act, a play. I am not playing! This is serious. This is my livelihood. This is what I have worked 31+ years for!

“Hypothetically the unions wouldn’t want to work under the old contract because they want a pay increase…” That is so far from the truth! ATU 1555 offered a wage freeze and rollover of the existing contract for one year.

“Every day the unions are working under the old contract, the costs increase on the deficit.” Really now. Get rid of their high-priced, Union-busting attorney, negotiate in good faith, settle this contract, let the negotiating team go back to their everyday jobs, they’ll save a lot.

“…maximum-chaos opportunity with the Bay Bridge closed for four days. It gives the unions a lot of power.” Again, not true. If the 60 day cooling off period is imposed, that would take us beyond Labor Day weekend. We will be working over Labor Day. It is not the Unions’ intention to disrupt the Bay Area over Labor Day.

Linton Johnson “reiterated management’s position that the unions haven’t made any serious cost-saving offers.” The Unions offered $40 million in concessions over two years. I wish the man would just tell the truth.

Johnson said “…these are wonderful employees. The workers here care about BART. Everybody here is here because they want to be serving the public.” First words of truth I’ve heard from him since this all began.

]]> By: john held http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/06/30/a-lot-of-this-is-just-theater-says-source-close-to-bart-contract-flap/comment-page-1/#comment-9851 john held Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:54:54 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=3071#comment-9851 Money is the issue! I want a financial audit of the system by independent auditors; I've worked at BART for over 30 years and the opening of the Colma Shop, in 1985, was the last BART project done under budget and ahead of schedule. Since the early 1990's BART has been getting away from performing the needed maintenance on the trains and the core system. BART grabs the lion's share of transit money in the Bay Area and I for one want to know where it goes. They have little to show for it. They hire consultants repeatedly, even though our people are the one's who the work the system and keep it functioning, and have the knowledge they need to make improvements. Yet, they repeatedly ignore our attempts to keep it a first rate system. I also want to see why they had to raise fares for the discount tickets years ago. These are the handicapped, the senior and the student tickets I demand to be proved wrong in hard facts. The riders, the public, and the employee's all deserve this. If I am wrong I will apologize, but I want to see the facts before all the people! Linton Johnson, with permission from the Board of Directors and management, has lied repeatedly and relentlessly without remorse. It's time to put up or shut up! Money is the issue!

I want a financial audit of the system by independent auditors; I’ve worked at BART for over 30 years and the opening of the Colma Shop, in 1985, was the last BART project done under budget and ahead of schedule.

Since the early 1990′s BART has been getting away from performing the needed maintenance on the trains and the core system.

BART grabs the lion’s share of transit money in the Bay Area and I for one want to know where it goes. They have little to show for it. They hire consultants repeatedly, even though our people are the one’s who the work the system and keep it functioning, and have the knowledge they need to make improvements. Yet, they repeatedly ignore our attempts to keep it a first rate system.

I also want to see why they had to raise fares for the discount tickets years ago. These are the handicapped, the senior and the student tickets

I demand to be proved wrong in hard facts. The riders, the public, and the employee’s all deserve this.

If I am wrong I will apologize, but I want to see the facts before all the people! Linton Johnson, with permission from the Board of Directors and management, has lied repeatedly and relentlessly without remorse. It’s time to put up or shut up!

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