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The 1005 Line The news and information publication of ATU Local 1005 Prepared and distributed by the Education Committee For The People Who Know Where They Are Going July / August 2012 What’s Inside... Officer’s Corner page 2 Union Meeting Highlights page 3 Retirements page 7, 8, 26, 32 Help! I'm being beaten up by kids! page 10 Road Construction Blues page 12 Detour page 13 Where's My Bus? page 14 Who's on the Other End...? page 16 Transit Safety Security Committee page 20 Talent Corner page 27 Editorials page 26 "The union is us, not just the people we put in office, and there are things that need to be done." Aaron Brooks, ATU Local 689, Washington, DC Continued on page 34 I'M IN The International Amalgamated Transit Union, in its May/June 2012 issue of In Transit, appeals to the members of the union throughout the United States and Canada to help their local unions protect public transit: “ATU volunteers all seem to share an energetic, cheerful, and optimistic outlook on life that refuses to give in to cynicism about what can be accomplished. They don’t just believe, they know they can make a difference.” Volunteers can: - Attend rallies and demonstrations - Leaflet during rush hour

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Page 1: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

The 1005 LineThe news and information

publication of

ATU Local 1005 Prepared and

distributed by the Education

Committee

For The People Who Know Where They Are Going

July / August 2012

What’s Inside...

Officer’s Corner

page 2

Union Meeting Highlights

page 3

Retirements

page 7, 8, 26, 32

Help! I'm being beaten up by kids!

page 10

Road Construction Blues

page 12

Detour

page 13

Where's My Bus?

page 14

Who's on the Other End...?

page 16

Transit Safety Security

Committee

page 20

Talent Corner

page 27

Editorials

page 26

"The union is us, not just the

people we put in offi ce, and

there are things that need to

be done."

Aaron Brooks, ATU

Local 689, Washington, DC

Continued on page 34

I'M IN The International

Amalgamated Transit Union,

in its May/June 2012 issue of

In Transit, appeals to the

members of the union

throughout the United States

and Canada to help their local

unions protect public transit:

“ATU volunteers all seem

to share an energetic,

cheerful, and optimistic

outlook on life that refuses to

give in to cynicism about

what can be accomplished.

They don’t just believe, they

know they can make a

difference.”

Volunteers can:

- Attend rallies and demonstrations

- Leaflet during rush hour

Page 2: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

OFFICER’S

CORNER

Page 2

Tommy BellfieldFinancial Secretary/Treasurer

LOCAL 1005

OFFICERS

President/Business Agent

Michelle Sommers

Vice-President

Dorothy Maki

Recording Secretary/

Ass’t. Business Agent

Mark Lawson

Financial Secretary/

Treasurer

Tommy Bellfield

ATU Local 1005

Union Office

8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

(Closed 12:00 - 1:00)

312 Central Ave.

Suite 345

Mpls., MN 55414

612-379-2914

email:

[email protected]

website:

www.atu1005.com

Calendar

Education Committee

Meetings - 11:30 a.m.

on the third Tuesday August 21st

September 18th

Membership Meetings

on the fourth Tuesday

August 28th -Mpls.

September 25th - St. Paul

10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Health Care Benefit

Training 2012

I would like to thank the membership

for allowing me the opportunity to attend

the International Foundation’s Health Care Benefit Training Course in

March 2012 that took place in San Diego, California.

One topic of discussion was how the rising costs of health care in the

United States have become an expensive part of employer benefit

packages. This takes away from wage increases for some employees.

Now more companies are starting to look at options to pay less for health

care insurance premiums by:

• Offering plan design changes

• Trying to eliminate any “rich plans” i.e. Open Access Plans

• Steering employees to a higher-deductible plan

When I was hired as a full-time employee with MTC in 1992, I

remember signing up to receive the health care insurance that was offered.

At that time, single-coverage premiums were no cost to employees and

family premium costs were reasonable. So, after consulting with a few

seasoned employees, I didn’t think twice about signing up for the Open

Access family plan.

Now move ahead to the year 2010: Health care costs are out of

control. For 2011, the Metropolitan Council wanted the single-plan

employees to start contributing to the cost of their insurance premiums

and the family-plan employees to pay a substantial amount more for their

premiums. The increases would help take some of the burden of a 14.5%

health care cost increase projected for 2011 and 2012 off of the

Metropolitan Council. The unions and company tried to negotiate a plan

design change that would lower the projected cost increase that

employees would have to pay for their health care insurance premiums.

That offer was declined by the membership because most of them did not

want to see any deductible, prescription or co-payment increases to the

“open access” plan even if it meant paying a much higher premium per

month. I was one that was ready to pay any cost to keep “open access.”

During my six long days of training, the most valuable piece of

information that I learned was that no matter whether you have “open

access” or any other high-deductible plan, you will receive the same

amount of care with whichever plan you choose. The difference between

Continued on page 32

Page 3: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 3

Education

Committee

Advisor

Dorothy Maki

Mark Lawson

Chair

Melanie Benson

South

Stacey Taylor

Heywood Office

Ilona LaDouceur

Rec. Secretary

Sam Adams

Nicollet

Alec Johnson

Ryan Timlin

Ruter

Anastasia Bloodsaw

Jackie Williams

Alemu Foluke

East Metro

Philip Jarosz

Doug Barton

Heywood Garage

Faye Brown

Vice-Chair

Debbi Sievers

LRT

Carl Rice

Lisa Callahan

725 Bldg.

Stephen Babcock

Layout

Scott Lindquist

Editorial Board

Ken Dolney

Gary Bier

Continued on page 4

Union Meeting Highlights

May 2012

Executive Board Recommendations

Five Executive Board Members will be attending the Labor Law and

Labor Arbitration seminar on Friday, September 28, 2012.

Executive Board Members Lisa Benson, Ron Laumeyer, and Cliff

Bolden will be attending the Minnesota Union Leadership Program for

2012-2013.

Education Committee members are eligible to receive the following

payment:

1) Two hours pay per month for attending the Education

Committee meeting.

2) Four hours pay per article printed in The 1005 Line, not

including columns and editorials, maximum of one article

paid per issue.

Requests for Arbitration

A Nicollet operator requested arbitration after receiving a Final Record

of Warning and a five-day suspension for Gross Misconduct. This case

will not go to arbitration.

Customer Relations requested arbitration on a violation of the

contract’s Article 11: Call Recording. This case will go to arbitration.

An MJR operator requested arbitration after receiving a Final Record

of Warning and 20-day Suspension: Electronic Devices Policy Violation.

This case will go to arbitration.

Financial Secretary-Treasurer’s Report

The following member who passed away since last month’s meeting:

• Judy Koch- Retired

Members stood for a moment of silence.

President’s Report

Michelle Sommers reported:

On cell phone cases, arbitrators are taking management’s testimony as

gospel. Be careful, and do everything you can to keep your phone stowed

and turned off.

Regarding Loudermill Hearings: Management is supposed to show all

evidence against you. Some departments do, others don’t. HR says we

are supposed to take the manager’s word for what is on video.

Videos and other types of surveillance: If you are on FMLA or

Worker’s Comp, and on restrictions, know them inside and out. Don’t

violate them anywhere in public view. For instance, if you have a 10-lb.

lifting restriction, don’t pick up the 40-lb. bag of cat litter at the store.

We’re negotiating a Maintenance Internship Program - bus division.

This should be the best internship in the Metropolitan Council. These

positions will not take mechanic positions, but will be invisible for worker

counts.

Wisconsin needs a lot of help. In Wausau, June 2-3, there is a door-

knocking campaign for transit funding. There is also help needed against

Page 4: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Light Rail

Carl Rice #6223

Lisa Callahan #6716

LRT welcomes the following

new operators for the training class

starting July 9, 2012: Patricia

Parker #68256, James Lambus

#68280, Mark Wickham #69047,

Sarah Sundquist #69052, Vincent

Gillespie #69127, Adam Hinnch

#69140 and Bradlee Birt #69175.

We also welcome Christina

House to the Training Department.

We say goodbye to Thomas

Myers #9039, who will be starting

as a LRT supervisor.

We have to say goodbye to

Mary Johnson #3819, who started

training for TCC street supervisor.

The new system pick will be

starting very soon.

LRT had another rail shutdown

the weekend of July 20-22, 2012.

Page 4

June 2012

Requests for Arbitration

An East Metro Operator is asking for arbitration regarding a filed

customer complaint. After an explanation of the case, a secret ballot was

cast. This case will go to arbitration.

Financial Secretary-Treasurer’s Report

The following members passed away since last month’s meeting:

• Jeffrey Miller - Active

• Merle Seils - Retired

• Chou Thao - Active

Members stood for a moment of silence.

President’s Report

Michelle Sommers reported:

On the company proposals. Some are entertaining, some interesting.

We’ll see where things go. There have been some tense discussions and

not a lot of progress so far.

On RCL - now Rochester Public Transit. We met with First Transit,

same negotiator as First Transit here in Minneapolis. They are supposed

to take over the system on July 1st. The RFP says they are supposed to

Scott Walker.

We feel the Met Council will find money somewhere to continue the

SW LRT project. The bonding money was not approved in the legislative

session.

The Federal Transportation Bill ends June 30th, and is currently being

negotiated.

We need to work together in St. Paul, or there will be no money to split

among unions. We need to give Dayton support and move forward. If

you care more about a reality show…Is this what’s keeping you from

getting active?! Get involved to keep your job. Care about your job! It

doesn’t take long to send an e-mail or call.

The First National Meeting on Assaults was a good meeting, but left

me asking what’s next. I came out with just as many questions as going

in. There is still a long way to go.

I also attended the Labor Notes Conference. Some of the speakers

were a little radical, and there were some transit breakout sessions.

Vice President’s Report

Dorothy Maki reported that she is working on a list of numbers of

legislators for everyone to call. She also reminded everyone of the

Hardship Fund Motorcycle Run on June 9th. The Hardship Fund is being

utilized successfully.

New Business

Brother Arnie Ladd commented on a phone call he received that

mentioned that a bus driver was shot to death recently in California.

The Union’s package of contract proposals for Metro Transit

negotiations was read for information only.

Talent Corner by Deborah Sievers

If you or someone you know

has some special talent and

would like to share it with your

co-workers, please contact Deb

Sievers at Heywood Garage or

leave a message at 612-695-

0238. I would love to write

about the talented people at

Metro Transit!

Page 5: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Heywood

Ilona LaDouceur #66048

Faye Brown #6331

Debbi Sievers #64222

Sam Adams #3634

Training

Metro Transit will be hiring

approximately 100 part-timers by

August 1, 2012. Fifty will be full-

time by the end of the year.

Safety

Construction on University is

tight and changing every day, so

watch your mirrors near barrels

and signs, and look for pedestrians

running around confused about

where to stand.

When in the bays pulling-out,

pulling-in, pre-tripping, exiting the

bus and walking through parked

buses, be very careful. Watch out

for one another. Remember that

in the bays you are allowed to pre-

vent damage to your bus by mov-

ing up a bus that’s blocking yours,

as long as you keep it in the same

row.

The fuel room is complete and

the driveway’s back to regular. It

is a lane narrower, so please

observe the 10 mph speed limit.

Maintenance

With the summer heat, things

can go wrong with the buses – air

and other things. Please write

them up so they can be repaired.

General

The summer is moving forward

and soon it will be State Fair time.

Look out for something fun

and exciting this summer at

Heywood Garage from the Black

History Committee. You won’t

want to miss it.

Page 5

incorporate the existing agreement. Amazingly, we are meeting again

tomorrow and maybe Friday. We want to extend the current agreement

until we get a new one.

On ABB passes – Pretend this feature for issuing free-ride transfers

does not exist! There has been one discharge, and at least six other

people are on Administrative Leave under investigation for misuse of

these passes. We want to see ABB go away. It’s not necessary (to have

this feature). In 1997, seven employees went through this investigation,

and some were discharged. All but one ended up with a Final ROW and a

10-day suspension. Don’t put your job at risk by handing out these cards!

We’re still waiting for the Feds to finish the transportation bill.

Michelle Sommers, Deb Sievers, and Kari Sachs attended the ATU

Women’s Caucus Conference in Las Vegas. One thing discussed: If

operators speed between check points, then there is nothing the Union can

do to argue that more running time is needed. Consider driving the speed

limit - it’s following the rules. Show them the actual, real-world running

time.

Local 1005 will host the next ATU International Women’s Caucus

Conference in 2013.

Mike Qualy is the Political Coordinator. We need volunteers! We

need to elect worker-friendly candidates. This takes time and effort. We

will be writing the ATU International for help with lost time. Consider

Obama as the best candidate for the worker.

On arbitration decisions: Three arbitrations regarding responsible

accidents were lost, one was won.

Vice-President’s Report

Dorothy recently attended the ATU NW Conference. It’s the 100th

Anniversary of the Alberta Federation of Labor.

On July 24th there will be an important political meeting in Eagan.

Dorothy would like to see 100 ATU members attend.

The Catholic newspaper is restructuring, and the union jobs are being

eliminated. Dorothy encouraged members to call Archbishop John C.

Nienstedt to protest the move.

Assistant Business Agent’s Report

Mark Lawson thanked the members for the opportunity to attend the

ATU NW Conference. He mentioned one thing that he took away from

the conference is that what happens here in USA has effects elsewhere.

Many of the Tea Party politics have now migrated to Canada, and unions

are fighting them there.

Delegate Reports

Ken Dolney thanked the members for the opportunity to attend the

ATU Northwest Conference. He reported that Paul McCarthy spoke, and

he was great.

New Business

The Metro Transit contract proposals to ATU Local 1005 were read for

information only.

Continued on page 6

Page 6: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Commuter Rail

Big Lake

Anna Carlson # 67334 is the

newest addition to the Northstar

staff, joining us on June 25, 2012

as a cleaner. She previously

worked as a driver out of MJR

Garage.

The Vikings start training camp

shortly, so we are looking forward

to seeing if we will be providing

the service to and from the

Vikings games and what kind of

ridership increase we could see

with that.

The locomotives will be under-

going a campaign to replace

O-rings in the water outlets to pre-

vent a problem with water getting

into the oil. The fix will be an

O-ring made of a material called

Aflas. The industry believes that

this will correct this problem. The

main engines on the locomotives

do not get oil changes done like a

bus, but just have oil added to

them on a regular basis. The main

engine oil needs an oil change

only when it is contaminated.

Page 6

Union Meeting Highlights - Rochester

June 2012

Michelle Sommers and Janis Borchardt reported on the status of con-

tract negotiations:• Michelle read through the latest offer and discussed it.• Insurance forms are due back by July 5th for coverage

beginning July 1st.• An informal poll revealed a preference for a possible

contract vote to take place on Sunday July 8th rather than on Sunday July 1st.

Dave Gosha reported:• Locker combinations are in the info packet.• New uniforms are coming Friday.• The special procedure at the end of the day Friday for

fueling and taking buses over to the new garage will be at premium pay. Be sure to fill out an exception report.

• The next First Transit payday is July 6th.• Union dues will be taken from the 2nd check of the

month• First Transit goofed up their job bid. They’re looking

at doing a new bid in approximately a month.

June Membership meeting continued from p.5

Sen. Franken Introduces Legislation to Protect

Pensions, Health Care Benefi ts for Workers after

Employers Declare Bankruptcy

In an effort to make sure that workers are protected when their employ-

ers declare bankruptcy, U.S. Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation last

week to ensure that employees and retirees receive their fair share of earn-

ings and retirement savings when their employer goes into bankruptcy.

“When a company enters bankruptcy, it’s just plain wrong that employ-

ees are left to fi ght for what they are duly owed while executives get to

walk off with huge bonuses.” said Sen. Franken. “We’ve seen workers lose

out too many times when a company reorganizes, especially on the Iron

Range. Preserving jobs, pensions, and retiree health care benefi ts must be

a priority—especially in this challenging economic climate—which is why

I will fi ght to get this bill passed.”

The Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act

will make changes to Chapter 11 bankruptcy law to do the following,

among other things:

• Improve employees' and retirees' ability to recover benefi ts by dou-

bling the maximum wage claim for each worker to $20,000 and allowing a

second claim of up to $20,000 for contributions to employee benefi t plans;

• Reduce employees' and retirees' losses by restricting the situations in

which collective bargaining agreements can be rejected or amended;

• Restrict executive compensation programs by requiring disclosure

and court approval of executive compensation for fi rms in bankruptcy and

restricting bonuses for other top offi cials.

Source: mnafl cio@mnafl cio.org email 07/18/2012

Page 7: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 7

William Negroni

Cintron #6881

William Negroni Cintron

#6881 was hired as a part-time

operator on September 28,

1999. He went full-time on

June 26, 1999 and retired on

June 29, 2012.

Larry Quist # 706

Retires

Larry Quist # 706 was hired

as a part-time driver on December

8th, 1986. He retired on June 4th,

2012.

Above: Mark Lawson

presents William with

a union jacket.

Right: Steve Jaeger,

Manager of Transpor-

tation, and Lynn Beau-

claire, Asst. Manager

of Transportation help

hold the cake.

Steve Jaeger Man-

ager of Transpor-

tation and Board

Member, Ken

Dolney help Larry

celebrate.

East Metro

Philip Jarosz #65015

Doug Barton #68273

There are seven new full-time

drivers being turned in on July

21st. They will stay until the pick

ends in September.

With the continuation of the

renovation of the steps, drivers

please need to be considerate and

only use one parking slot. We can

park within the lines at work in

our own vehicles as well. After

all, this is a Metro Transit standard

we practice daily.

The September pick has a new

terminal for Route #3 at Como and

Snelling, while Route 294 has a

minor change.

The Rosedale Park & Ride will

close on November 21, 2012.

Routes 260 and 272 will have

changes starting November 23rd.

Check the 4-day board for details.

The Hwy. 36 and Rice Street

Park & Ride will be open on

December 8th, along with the

Union Depot in downtown St.

Paul. Route 263 will be new to the

Hwy. 36 and Rice Street Park &

Ride.

Awesome routes 63, 64 and 68

will receive the new hybrid buses

in September.

The union picnic is coming up

in August. Hope to see a lot of

East Metro drivers attend this, as it

is in our back yard. There’s great

fellowship and fun for the entire

family.

State Fair work is coming.

This is a great time to show our

high standard of serving the Twin

Cities.

East Metro Retirements

Page 8: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Nicollet

Melanie Benson #854

Alec Johnson #66034

Ryan Timlin #66279

Well, same old news! There

are new detours with Nicollet

Avenue being torn up for the

summer. Just a friendly remind-

er to check the Detour Board

and make sure you have your

paddle with its list of detours at

you leave the garage. We are in

the middle of summer, so there

will be more to come. Pull-outs

and pull-ins will change as they

keep moving the construction

along Nicollet Avenue.

We have made it through the

busy events of Rock the Garden

and the Basilica Block party.

Then there was the Aquatennial

from July 13 - 21. The Uptown

Art Fair from August 3-5 and

the Loring Park Art Festival

will be busy times. Be on the

lookout for detours at these

events as well.

Again a reminder to all:

Make sure you have your

parking pass visible in your

windshield when parked in

the parking lot.

The Nicollet Garage Sale

has been rescheduled for

Saturday, September 15th.

Please continue to bring items

to donate for the sale.

Congratulations to Timothy

Coglianese, Driver 119, on his

August retirement after 37 years

of service. We wish you the

best, Tim, and we’ll miss you!

Page 8

GPS-Enabled App Helps the Blind Take the Bus

Like the rest of us, the blind can use speaking navigation apps to fi nd

their way around the city. A new Android application developed at Spain’s

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, however, is designed specifi cally to

help blind people get to their destination by bus. Appropriately named On-

TheBus, the app could also be used by the deaf, the cognitively-impaired,

or anyone else.

The app features both visual and auditory cues, and starts by provid-

ing a choice of routes to the desired destination. After the user has chosen

their preferred route, the system guides them from their present location to

the closest appropriate bus stop. Once there, it lets them know how long

they will have to wait before their bus arrives – presumably, once the time

is at hand, they may still require some assistance in verifying that they're

boarding the right bus.

After getting on the bus, the system will then inform them how many

stops are left before theirs, and then alert them when it’s time to ring the

bell. Upon getting off the vehicle, the app will resume giving directions,

guiding the user to their fi nal destination. When they enter that building, if

they still need to fi nd a room within it, they could perhaps switch over to

an indoor navigation system for the blind, such as Navatar.

Along with the obvious GPS functionality, OnTheBus also utilizes

the smartphone’s compass, accelerometer, and 3G or WiFi connectivity.

Blind users can interact with it via voice recognition. It currently “speaks”

Spanish, Catalan, English and Italian, and is presently limited to use in the

cities of Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. Other languages are in the works,

however, as are other cities – fi rst up are Saragossa (in Spain), Valencia

and Helsinki.

There is another similar app. Blind people in São Carlos, a city in the

state of São Paulo in Brazil, have had their lives made easier when they

are out and about their city. The municipality has hooked up with Grupo

Criar, a company specialized in traffi c systems, to design the Busalert app

to make it easier and more effi cient to use the city’s bus network. The

Busalert system is unique in Brazil and covers the entire public bus fl eet

in São Carlos. The passenger sends out a text message and receives a link

to the application, which is then installed on their smartphone. At the bus

stop, or even before leaving home, the passenger keys in the number of the

bus route as well as the stop where they will wait for it from. A recorded

voice provides information on the distance, length of wait and how many

bus stops the vehicle needs to cover. Once on the bus, they enter the num-

ber of the stop where they will alight. The software will feed back infor-

mation on the distance and time left to reach the destination.

Around 200 people with visual disability have registered with the

city’s council for disabled citizen status. The 40 bus stops covered by the

network are now equipped with Braille signs. They were selected based

on how much they are used by this group of citizens and are mostly near

schools, hospitals and shopping centers. There are plans to extend the

network so that any passenger can benefi t from the alert system and reduce

their waiting time at bus stops.

Continued on p. 15

Page 9: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 9

South

Stacey Taylor #70055

July 10, 2012 - Cornelius

Sykes #847 edged one vote

ahead of Arthur Hayne #9414 to

win a run-off election for South

Garage’s Transit Safety and

Security Committee (TSSC)

representative. Sykes is also a

member of Metro Transit Peer

Support. South’s TSSC election

was held on June 20, 2012 and a

run-off was necessary because

no candidate won by 50% plus

one of the overall garage votes.

Hayne and Sykes took the top

votes.

July 14, 2012 - Five South

drivers went to full-time posi-

tions and two stayed at South.

July 21, 2012 - Operator

David Barnhart #64423 accept-

ed a promotion to TCC supervi-

sor.

August 3, 2012 - Wanda

Starr #708 will be retiring after

25 ½ years of service with

Metro Transit.

CRYPTO Each letter stands for another. If you think B=E, for example, it

would equal E throughout the puzzle. Clue: B=E (Answer on page

16 - Notice the extra help in this month's puzzle.)

Submitted by Pat Kelehan, Facilities Tech. #5470

Z B Y A X Y A C W D V Y F C D

M e t r o T r a n s i t

D Y C A Y B T S C A W V D F V N S Z H

K F B K R. Y F B L M W T D C A B W X N

T B O X D V Y B T N V Y F C A C T V D F

C W T C O V K R P B.

Dorothy Maki

presents ATU 1005’s

check to Mike Dalbec

for the American

Diabetes Associa-

tion’s Tour de Cure

2012. This bike run

was a fundraiser for

the American Diabe-

tes Association and

raised $32,000.

Anyone is wel-

come to join the ATU

1005/Metro Transit

bike team.

These Executive Board members and offi cers attended Calgary’s 100th

Anniversary Celebration of Labor Unions at the ATU Northwest Confer-

ence held in Calgary, Canada from May 30 - June 3: (Left to right) Local

1005 Recording Secretary Mark Lawson, East Metro Transportation E-Bd.

Member Ken Dolney, Local 1005 Vice-President Dorothy Maki and East

Metro Maintenance E-Bd. Member Chuck Feucht. Conference topics

included Union Coalition Building and Reducing Back Pain in High-

Mileage Drivers

Page 10: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 10

725 Bldg.

Scott Lindquist #6401

Stephen Babcock #3128

For the Electronic Dept.,

please see Cookouts on page 29.

Farebox

Two Ticket Vending Machines

(TVM’s) will be added to the

Northstar Ramsey Station. Eight

more Rail Smart Validators

(RSV’s) will be added to the

Hiawatha Line.

Training

There has been an increase in

the number of new full-time and

part-time operators that have been

hired and are now going through

training. There are new classes

every week.

The Transit Ambassador

Program is currently on hold.

Training continues at the garag-

es on the Five Safety Keys.

The September pick has trig-

gered a lot of route training at the

garages.

The 1005 Line

Remember, you can always

access past and present issues

online at www.atu1005.com on

the Education page.

You can also see the results

of arbitration votes and other

meeting results.

Help! I’m being beaten up by kids!Doug Barton #68273

I was assaulted last February by a thirteen-year-old kid. I suspect that

this was a gang initiation stunt, and it didn’t go so well for the young

man.

The story starts out with our young man getting on my bus (I was

doing the 62-line in St. Paul) in downtown St. Paul. He immediately

went going into this song and dance about how he’s only eleven and he’s

out past curfew. “I only have seventy-five cents,” he said. I shook my

head and thought to myself, “You don’t think I’ve heard this before?”

“Okay, pay the seventy-five and let’s go.” He sat down and I made my

way out of downtown St. Paul.

A little while later I heard the bell go off and our young man and his

buddies came strolling down the aisle on their way out the front door. I

saw them coming and didn’t really think too much about it when he

pulled up short, took a deep breath and let me have it with a backwards

hit right in the face! I turned and barked “What’s this?” He was now out

of the bus and I was thinking: (You probably could guess what I was

thinking and you’d be wrong!) “I’ll just let it go. I have two more trips to

do and I can go home.”

My little buddy had other plans, though. He picked up a good-size ice

ball and was preparing to let loose on me with it. I smiled at him and

closed the door (I don’t like air doors they take too long to close.) as he

let go, so only half of it got inside and fell harmlessly to the floor. Then

he and his buddies started with the four-letter words and I put the call in

to the TCC…

This young man in his attempted act of bravado created more

problems than he could have imagined. Even though I wasn’t hurt in this

altercation (I was very lucky and am very grateful), by the mere fact that

his hand made contact with my body above shoulder level set in motion a

number of things:

Ø When you call the TCC, be prepared to answer a lot

questions. Some of these questions will be: Were you hurt or

are any of your passengers hurt? (Do you need EMT or an

ambulance?) Can you identifying your assailant? (Height,

weight, what’s he/she wearing etc.) How many assailants

were involved? What was their direction of flight after the

incident? These are only a few of the questions that might be

asked. Be patient with TCC as they need to ask these things

in order to inform police who to find and what to expect

when they arrive at the scene.

Ø Police and supervisor (s) will be dispatched to the scene.

Depending on the time of day, the supervisor will probably

beat the Metro Transit Police (MTP) to the scene. However,

local police will more than likely be there within minutes to

Page 11: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 11

start looking for the assailant(s). The supervisor and the MTP

will have questions of their own. Both will come on the bus

and make sure that neither you nor anyone else is hurt, or if

so, what kind of attention will be required. The tapes will be

pulled from the bus, and any questions you or passengers

have will be addressed. Police will assign a case number and

might ask you sign a medical release form.

Ø After placing the call to the TCC to inform them that you

have received a blow above shoulder level, the TCC will tell

you shut the bus down and hold. They will dispatch a relief

bus to your location so you can transfer your passengers to

that bus to continue on your run. You will (if you can)have to

keep your passengers informed about what’s going on and

how long it might be before the relief bus gets there. Be

prepared for some animosity amongst some of your

passengers. Remember this process will interfere with what

these people have planned and some people have a hard time

seeing beyond their own concerns.

The shop will also be dispatched to the scene to look over the

bus and take it back to the garage.

Ø After everything is completed at the scene, a supervisor will

give you a lift back to the garage. On the way back you and

the supervisor will decide whether or not you might need

medical attention (if it wasn’t readily apparent earlier), and

more likely than not will suggest talking with Peer Support.

These people are your fellow co-workers and they are there to

help. The things you disclose to them are confidential and

won’t be used against you in any way. These people have

signed up to do this because they care, and in this situation

talking to someone can go a long way toward helping you

heal.

In closing this first part, I would like to tell you what happens when

the story gets out among your fellow operators. In my case I had a lot of

sympathetic snickering at East Metro. My fellow compatriots couldn’t

understand how a kid like this (who wasn’t any taller than my knee caps)

could get the drop on me. I had to keep reminding them that I was sitting

down at the time and a little closer to his height, and as a result he was

lucky. They still couldn’t see it my way - and as the story got retold the

kid got younger. I think at this point he is about two with one arm and

one tooth and he was only lashing out because he was teething! I think I

feel more sorry for him than I do for myself. WAIT A MINUTE! I’m the

VICTIM!!

I thank all the people at East Metro who put in their two cents worth.

In the end, humor is the best medicine.

In the next issue we’ll look more closely at the legal procedures

resulting from an assault.

MJR

Jackie Williams #66180

Anastasia Bloodsaw #2297

Alemu Foluke # 63113

A New M. J. Ruter on the Way

We have so much to be

happy about at Ruter Garage

because of the many changes

we’ve seen this year. Most of

the construction is done. We

have a new conference room and

exercise room, and the building

was painted. The dispatch area

is being remodeled, and they

really deserve it. (Ruter dispatch-

ers are the greatest.) The clean-

ers do a beautiful job keeping the

lobby clean.

There have truly been chang-

es made at Ruter in the last num-

ber of years. Thanks to Manager

Doyne Parsons and others for the

upgrade.

Congratulations to Tanya

#67081, Andrew #67462 and

Terry #66168. They’re all route

trainers, on their way becoming

instructors, and will do an excel-

lent job.

Congrats also go out to

Dereje Tafesse #64154 for get-

ting the Assistant Manager posi-

tion. He will be a great manager

at his new location.

It’s not just the construction

on the building - we also have a

kind of reconstruction in the

employees at Ruter as well. It’s

a good feeling when you can get

along with everyone, the manag-

er is doing a good job and we all

work as a team. The managers

are doing a good job

Page 12: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 12

Rochester

Rochester Membership

Approves New Contract

On July 8, 2012, The ATU

1005 members who work at

First Transit in Rochester voted

to approve a six-month con-

tract, extending from July 1st

through December 31st, 2012.

The tally of those voting was

97% in favor, and 3% against.

The short term deal keeps wag-

es, health care costs, and work

rules in line with what they

were at Rochester City Lines,

the former contractor operating

the city’s bus system.

The new contract will allow

time for the parties to sit down

together this fall, and work out

a longer term deal after the dust

has settled from the transition

from RCL to First Transit.

Road Construction BluesFaye Brown #6331

There are four seasons in Minnesota that we’ve come to love: Winter,

Spring, Summer and CONSTRUCTION - which seems to get worse

every year. (Oh, my goodness, I didn’t think there were that many streets

to work on.)

This year, including the LRT project between Minneapolis and St. Paul,

it seems every (well, almost every) major street is being worked on in

some way: painting lines, drilling a hole, main drain replacement and

‘Oh, I lost my ring last year, let’s dig to see.’ It’s so confusing to drive to

your destination with all the circling back because it seems like all the

roads are closed. So now riders have to leave extremely early so they can

get as close as they can to where they are going on the bus and still walk

a mile to get there.

Drivers on bus routes like the 3, 16, 50, 7 and the 2 have no idea from

minute to minute which way they will be traveling, because a detour can

change on a moment’s notice. Your conversation with a passenger can go

like this: Passenger: “I thought you said you go that way.” Driver: “I

did, it was open when I came through earlier.” Passenger: “Where do I

catch the bus?” TIC: “Your guess is as good as mine. Just look for the

number you want and run.”

Driving is very frustrating. You have to look out for passengers in

different and odd places and also changes in the way you travel.

(SCREAM) It’s like the construction workers don’t communicate with

each other, so two different directions will be closed at once and you have

to maneuver a bus around like it’s a toy. (Hopefully you’re not driving an

arctic.) Because of all the detours and lane closures, rush hour seems to

be all day. (RUSH HOUR??? Who in the world came up with that

name?)

And who’s the brainy person who scheduled all this work at one time?

How many construction workers does it take to make a mess? Apparently

all of them because the city is a mess. Ha Ha Ha Ha. Sounds like a joke,

but it’s not funny.

MN DOT in all of this

has a new meaning to its

letters: Me? Never!

Didn’t Order That. As in,

“Streetwork closures are

not our mistake.”

Eastern view from

Cedar Avenue bridge

toward U of M in earlier

phase of construction

Page 13: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

It was a Saturday morning just like any other at Nicollet Garage. Drivers

were parking their cars in the parking lot, sipping their coffee as they walked

through the front door to go scan in for their work. Oh, there are new

messages that affect this work, would you like to print your paddle? “Not

really, but I guess I have no choice.” For the unlucky souls who were

working the 2 line (Franklin Ave.) this particular day, a quick glance through

the Hastus messages made it pretty clear that this would be no ordinary

day…

Hmm, Riverside is closed, yeah I knew that. So we take I-94 between

25th Ave and Cedar both directions, right? Wait, EB I-94 closed? Oh damn,

so that detour won’t work. Okay, WB buses take Cedar to Franklin back to

26th to Riverside to 27th back to Franklin and back to Cedar. Serve bus

stops in both directions on Franklin? Well, that will be a headache, but I can

tough through it. Let’s see what else we’ve got. Bus stop closures, no biggie.

Nicollet pullout detours, got it. Wait, what’s this? Washington Ave bridge

closed? Use 10th Ave bridge, looping down University to 16th Ave to 4th St.

for WB and EB trips? Serve all bus stops in both directions? Umm…anybody got any Advil?

For several drivers, this turned out to be a day from hell. Not only was it just generally a busy Saturday, but

the two major detours involved going down streets that normally only served the opposite direction for that

route, and then backtracking in the right direction. To add to it, the congestion on Franklin due to the I-94

closure was a double whammy due to the fact that westbound 2 buses took Cedar (which was also down to one

lane because of weekday construction – they couldn’t open it during the weekend?) to Franklin and then went

east on Franklin to 26th Ave, then turned around via Riverside to 27th Ave to Franklin, then finally went regular

westbound on Franklin again.

When drivers get confused and turned around by detours, it’s just a given that passengers will be even more

confused. Can you blame them? It’s not often that passengers have to worry about the bus they are catching

being the bus that is actually going in the opposite direction. The drivers on the 2 line on this particular day had

to pull over at all these stops to explain to people, “Don’t take my bus, I’m

actually going in the opposite direction. Your bus will be along shortly.”

Huh? Passengers didn’t know what to think. Some didn’t believe the

driver, only to be rudely awakened when the bus did suddenly turn around

and go the other way. Some passengers, as always, had limited English,

had headphones on, had a few too many drinks, were from out of town,

etc. The poor bus driver was stuck in the ridiculous position of trying to

deal with the confusion of the passengers, the detours, the traffic and

everything else that is involved in operating the bus safely and smoothly.

Page 13

Page 14: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Stories from this day include passengers accusing the driver of being

stupid and not knowing where he was going, passengers giving up on

the bus altogether and just getting out to walk, passengers accusing the

driver of lying, etc. One driver mentioned it was the first time that he

considered just calling TCC and saying, “I’m done. I can’t do this

anymore. Send someone else to drive this route.” But all our drivers

were able to tough it out for the day - not a small task.

This is just one example. One day on one route. According to Brian

Funk, (Assistant Director of Field Operations), Metro Transit averaged

well over one hundred active detours per day in the month of June. It

has been a challenging summer, to say the least. From Central Corridor

construction to freeway closures and Nicollet Avenue reconstruction

(among others) there’s just no avoiding the disruption. And it won’t be

getting any easier.

by Alec Johnson #66034

Page 14

Where’s My Bus?

Sam Adams #3634

Since May of 2012, transit information representatives have

been able to tell customers the actual location of their buses.

Automatic vehicle location (AVL) is part of the most recent

upgrade of ATIS, the trip-planning software used in the transit

information center. GPS data from all Metro Transit buses and

those of all private providers (with the glaring exception of

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority) is now uploaded to ATIS

servers approximately once a minute, and is available to reps at

any workstation in TIC.

Here is how this affects us and our customers: TIC often gets

calls from customers wondering where their bus is. For many years, we have advised customers to arrive at their

stops a few minutes before their bus or train is due to arrive. We make it clear to customers that when planning

their own trips, they need to allow at least five minutes between the first vehicle’s arrival and the second one’s

departure. We are always upfront about the fact that there is going to be some variation in arrival and departure

times, usually due to events beyond our control. This has never been good enough. Customers want their ride to

be there on time, and if it’s not there, they want to know where it is.

We may not always find this reasonable - for example, when the same caller, for the third day in a row, wants

to know why the 16 is two minutes late. However, this is the world we live in as transit workers. We may not

always be able to meet the customer’s demands, but what we can do is be honest at all times about what we do

and how we’re doing it.

Before AVL capability was added to ATIS, transit information reps would have to transfer callers to Customer

Relations. On evenings and weekends when Customer Relations is closed, reps would have to ask a supervisor

for help - if one was available. The supervisor could look up the vehicle’s run number on Transitmaster and

pinpoint its location that way. In this situation, reps would often be verbally abused by customers, some of whom

expect all TIC reps to know where every vehicle in the system is at all times. (Operators, of course, often get the

same question and have even fewer tools with which to answer it.) It does no good to explain that in a large

complex system like ours, we simply won’t know that immediately, so TIC reps get very smooth at saying, “Let

Page 15: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 15

me find that out for you.”

The AVL screen in ATIS is sortable by route number, on-time status and a few other headings, as shown.

ATIS will tell us the last time point the vehicle has passed, how many minutes late or early the vehicle is

running, and how long ago the latest GPS data was uploaded - usually within a minute of the current time, but

sometimes longer. (This is important to remember for reasons of accuracy.) ATIS will also highlight in red the

arrival times of buses that are running late as of the most recent upload. If a rep clicks on the arrival time, a

popup window will display the run number of the bus, how late the bus is running, when the data was uploaded

(again, important!), and – crucially, but much less reliably - whether ATIS thinks the bus has already passed.

This last piece of information is decided by ATIS on the basis of the last uploaded data, and it’s not always

correct. If the bus is due right now but was running a minute late at the time of the last upload, and the last

upload was three minutes ago, then we can’t say for sure whether the bus has passed by the customer’s stop. This

is important to consider when answering the common question, “Has my bus come already?” since we can’t

always truthfully answer one way or another.

Most of our customers understand that buses must travel on roads with other vehicles, and that a bus may be

more or less on time depending on traffic conditions. Within those limits, the question “Where’s my bus?” is a

reasonable one. Fortunately, it’s one that transit information reps are now better prepared than ever to answer. If

you are an operator and you get questions like this, tell the customer to call TIC. If the bus is late but on its way,

we’ll usually know.

What we don’t know, and what we avoid getting into with the customer, is why. If the customer must know

what the problem was, or has really called us to make a complaint rather than ask for information, we will

generally transfer them to Customer Relations, find a supervisor if appropriate or help them complete a customer

contact form online. Transit information reps are not here to get our fellow workers in trouble. We listen to the

customers, tell them the truth and let them know what their options are.

Understanding each other’s work helps us to support each other on the job. As union members, we all have a

role to play in keeping our transit system running. Knowing that is part of how we build the solidarity we need

to win.

According to Criar, the software was designed by request of the local administration back in April when Brazil

passed a bill to improve access to public transport, especially for the disabled. The company expects to create a

new market for its product and has started tests in other Brazilian cities including Ribeirão Preto, Santos and Curi-

tiba. Busalert is based on Java and runs on Android and Windows ME.

Down the road, the developers would like to see it be usable for other forms of public transit such as taxis,

along with being able to guide users to the closest pharmacy or assistance center. They would also like to incorpo-

rate augmented reality technology, so that the user’s phone camera could be used to visually identify items such as

stop signs or bus stops. OnTheBus is available now, at Google Play.

Source: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,

www.Gizmag.com By Ben Coxworth, 15:48 June 21, 2012

Source: Prefeitura de São Carlos

www.Gizmag.com

GPS App for Blind continued from p. 8

Page 16: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 16

Who’s On the Other End of that Handset?

A Profile of the Transit Control CenterMelanie Benson #854

I offer many thanks to Christine Kuennen, Manager of

the Transit Control Center (TCC) for providing the

following thorough and concise answers to the questions

for this article.

1. How many TCC supervisors are there?

TCC currently has 20 supervisors (budgeted for 22).

Three of these are recent hires and are currently in their

probationary period. I am currently short two supervisors,

and there was a posting to fill the open positions. That

posting closed on June 1st.

2. What fields of work did they come from?

Of the 20 currently on staff: Bus Operator - 5, Bus

Maintenance - 1, Transit Information Center - 6,

MTPD Law Enforcement - 2, MT Customer Relations - 2, MT Finance (Special Event Ops/Go-TO Project) - 1,

Airline Operations - 2, Heavy Rail - 1

3. What are the lengths of service of these supervisors (most senior and least senior)?

The most senior (by TCC seniority) has been in TCC since 1996. The most senior (by agency seniority) has

been at the agency since 1984. As far as least senior, I pretty much have a three-way tie. I hired three supervisors

in December 2011.

4. How much turnover is there?

This question is hard to answer in general terms. I have lost four positions within the last year, but that is

atypically high.

5. How long is training and what does it consist of?

TCC Supervisor training typically lasts 14-18 weeks and is presented in phases. During the first phase (8-10

weeks), new Supervisors are trained on our Transitmaster CAD/AVL and 800 mhz radio systems, radio

communications, mechanical troubleshooting, general call handling, and incident response and reporting

procedures. They are also trained on monitoring on-time performance, assisting operators with service delays,

overloads etc. The training is mostly hands-on at a TCC console with a coach/mentor listening in. Significant

time is spent at console in both a.m. and p.m. rush hour settings, as well as in the weekend/evening hours in

order to provide maximum exposure to the various types of calls that can be typical for TCC.

In later weeks, the training is supplemented by various sit-ins with departments we work closely with

(dispatch, shop, TIC, CRD) and field ride-alongs with Transit Supervisors, Bus Operators, MTPD, LRT and

Northstar. Supervisors are also certified as Public Safety Tele-communicators through APCO (Association of

Public Safety Communications Officials).

Once a Supervisor is ready to work a shift independently, they begin training on the second phase, which is

at the TCC Police Dispatch Desk. This training consists of an additional 6-8 weeks. Again, the training is hands

on with a coach sitting in on all calls. Additional training for these shifts include the Police CAD and records

system, running warrants and license checks through the CJIS (Criminal justice Information System), and

learning police dispatch procedures. Supervisors are certified in Advance Law Enforcement Dispatch through

industry standard coursework.

6. What kinds of shifts do the supervisors work? Do they choose them by seniority?

Supervisors work eight-hours shifts covering 24 hours a day, and they are picked by seniority.

TCC supervisor views fi ve screens and two monitors

from his console.

Page 17: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 17

7. What are the various staffing levels on different days and times of the day?

Two to six supervisors staff the Control Center depending on the time of day and day of the week.

8. How does the police dispatcher position vary from the others?

This is a little hard to describe in writing, but I will do my best. I will also offer that if anyone is interested in

more information about the positions, or is interested in a behind-the-scenes look, that they can feel free to

contact me. I can give a tour, arrange a sit-in, or be happy to speak on this further.

In general terms, there are two separate shift positions in the TCC that work side by side….really hand in

hand: the “call taker” and the “police dispatcher.” On every incident call, they must rely on each other, and the

department as a result is very team oriented. Each has different daily duties, and performs different core

functions within the department, but are working towards the same goals.

The TCC generally functions similarly to any typical two-stage communications center. The “first stage” is

intake. In this stage, the TCC “call taking” supervisor receives a radio or telephone call reporting an incident.

That supervisor is responsible to speak with the caller, gather and document all the incident information,

determine the appropriate response (MTP and local police, medical, supervisor, shop, etc.) and resolve any

service disruptions (service cuts, trip fills, etc.) that result. They also make an SSR report on the incident and

make all notifications. Supervisors that staff these shifts are responsible to resolve a wide variety of calls every

day, from the very routine to the emergency, with each call typically resulting in multiple tasks required to

manage a single event.

The call-taking supervisor of course is also required to monitor route on-time performance as part of their daily

duties, as well as to monitor and support the Northstar Commuter Rail system.

The “second stage” is police dispatch. Whenever police response is deemed appropriate by the “call taker”,

the police dispatcher is notified and provided all incident information as it comes in, and as it changes or

updates. TCC Police Dispatchers do not handle incoming radio or telephone calls, except when it is directed to

their specific console. There is usually just one (but on busy nights two) police dispatchers on duty in the TCC,

so their attention must be focused on radio traffic on the MTPD Police Main channel. Their primary duty is to

dispatch MTP to calls for service, and provide assistance to the Transit Police Officers in their daily patrol and in

their response to calls.

The TCC police dispatcher is responsible to determine the response priority for any given call based on

incident information provided by the “call-taking supervisor.” In turn, the “call-taking supervisor” is reliant on

information provided by the police dispatcher in order to make timely decisions and update bus operators on the

response. In this way, the two positions rely heavily on each other for quick transfer of accurate, updated

information. They also must work together to coordinate transit police response with local police or medical

response.

By nature, police go to calls that can get heated, dangerous, and tense. Dispatchers must have presence of

mind, and be attentive at all times to officer and public safety. Police dispatch must often handle many pieces of

information on multiple simultaneous events, typically juggling several events at a time. Police dispatchers must

also check and verify warrants, license status and trespass records, and monitor alerts on the criminal justice

information system. While police dispatchers are Supervisors, they do not directly supervise MTP Officers,

however are in regular communication with MTP supervisors.

9. Who decides which supervisors answer which calls?

TCC handles hundreds of incoming calls by radio and phone every day. If the call is from a bus operator, the

call is displayed in a call queue in our Transitmaster system with Bus, Route, Operator, Duty, and location

typically known. All Priority and Routine calls that come in this way are assigned to TCC supervisors through a

“work assignment,” which is basically a grouping of routes assigned within the Transitmaster system. When a

supervisor begins a shift, they log into a work assignment - there is one work assignment for each person

working on the shift. For example, if there are five people on a shift taking calls, supervisors log into work

assignments 5A,5B,5C,5D or 5E. All calls and adherence messages that come in from these routes go to the

supervisor who is logged in to the associated work assignment. Calls are answered by that supervisor in the order

Page 18: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 18they are received and by priority (i.e. PRTT calls handled first). Work assignment route designations are looked

at every pick to make sure they are balanced as equally as possible. There is typically a lot of teamwork and

juggling of work flow, even within work assignments. If someone gets busy on a significant call, someone else

will jump in to assist with any waiting calls within their assignment.

Silent Alarms, Emergency Request to Talk calls, phone calls and calls on other radio talk groups, (such as

from Transit Supervisors) are not assigned by work assignment. They go to all TCC consoles and are handled by

the first available supervisor.

10. What is the 75-second statistic? Does it have to do with the AVL system?

The standard polling rate for buses when connecting to the satellite for GPS location information is set at 75

seconds. This means the position of the vehicle is updated on TCC maps only every 75 seconds. When a bus is in

emergency status (a Silent Alarm or Emergency Request To Talk) the location updates every 20 seconds. TCC

staff can “ping” a vehicle at any time, however, to update the GPS location. This is my best answer to the

Frequently Asked Question of “If my bus has GPS, why does TCC ask to confirm my location?” The answer is

because a bus can move a considerable distance in 75 seconds and the TCC maps show only last “polled”

location. The TCC always wants to confirm exact location for any incident call.

11. How are the calls recorded or reported? Are statistics kept on the types of calls coming in (detours, trouble

on the bus, traffic, etc.)?

Beyond basic call statistics (# of calls received by radio, phone etc.) TCC documents incidents as “Incident

Reports”. We have five basic types of Incident Reports. Each report type has multiple category types. The reports

are entered in our Transitmaster systems, so statistics are kept and easily retrieved. Detours are stored in Hastus.

TCC does not write a report for each call that results in a detour.

Incident Report Type Description YTD total (1/1-

5/30)Trouble Report Maintenance related 6,957

Service Performance Report Service delays or interruptions 5,262

SSR(Special Situation Report) Accidents, Security Incidents, or

other special situations

7,592

Northstar SSR All incident related to Northstar

Rail

138

Regional SSR All incidents related to other

Regional Transit Providers

90

12. How many calls (on average) come in per day on fare evaders?

It’s a little tough to say. YTD, there have been just 217 SSRs written with Fare Evader as the report category.

I believe most fare evasions go unreported, and typically TCC will only get a call in those chronic abuse cases

where an operator feels police response is needed.

Keep in mind that, if there is something more significant going on with a call, the SSR report would be titled

differently. For example, if the fare evader was also acting disorderly, the report would be titled as Disorderly

Conduct as the primary offense. Those would not be counted in the above statistic.

Christy Bailly has been spearheading a fare evasion study, where operators have been asked to record fare

evaders on the MDT with a button press. These are not messages that are answered by the TCC, but the study is

intended to gain a more accurate picture of how often, and where, and when, fare evasion happens. You may

wish to follow up with her for more information on that program.

Page 19: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 19

Jody Theisen

MJR Maintenance

I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, one of

seven kids. My mom and dad divorced

when I was quite young, and I ended up

living with my dad. We often went fishing

and traveling. I learned to cook as a

youngster, and this would help later in life,

as I still love to cook. When I was 15 I

moved to Minnesota with my mom, living

in a few different places. I was so impressed

with how big the Twin Cities area was that I

knew there was no going back.

When I got my license, I drove downtown up the Nicollet Mall until a policeman yelled to get off! Being a

country boy, I had never before seen a street you couldn’t drive on.

I started with the MTC in 1980 working as a vault puller for a year and a half, and then became a janitor. I

worked mostly nights and enjoyed talking with the drivers. I felt like a bartender, as people would see me and

tell me about their day. I got to make many friends and have seen a lot of people come and go.

In 2006 I was involved in a motorcycle accident and fractured my neck. I guess the adrenaline kicked in as I

stood my bike up and was trying to start it, until a man ran out of his house. I had no idea how badly I was hurt.

I had also broken my thumb, and my ear was almost torn off. When I was in the hospital they put a halo on me

which I had to wear for three months. .I had pneumonia twice that year and was almost out of sick leave. I was

humbled by the people who donated their sick leave. It was enough to help me until I could return to work. I will

never forget the kindness of my friends and strangers who did this very kind thing.

I like to travel and cook. From time to time I bring friends and co-workers smoked meats, bean soup with

smoked ham and the like. Last year I won the MJR chili cookoff, taking 1st place. I also love my two sons and

three grandkids. They are a huge part of my life.

I ran for union steward because I figured with 32 years with the company I had more than enough experience

with management. When my two opponents heard I was running, they backed out. I hope to be as helpful as

possible and answer any questions. Working with the union has really opened my eyes to all the grief they face

on a daily basis. I thank Michelle Sommers for her hard work and dedication to our union.

Gordon Raveling

MJR Transportation

I started my career with Metro Transit in 1994 as a part-time driver from M.J. Ruter. I went full-time after 2 ½

years. Once I became full-time, I worked a number of years as a driver at Ruter and Heywood Garages. In 1996, I

started as a relief dispatcher at Heywood. In 2006 a full-time dispatcher position opened up and I was fortunate to

begin as a new dispatcher at Ruter Garage.

I have been involved in transportation most of my adult life either in the public or military sectors. I hope to

use these experiences to help me in my current elected position as an executive-board member for Ruter Garage.

The main reason I decided to run for the executive board is that I enjoy mediation. I saw this position as an

opportunity to try to help people. Ruter Garage has a wide variety of people, with differing work and life experi-

ences. I am looking forward to continuing to

improve my ability to help the employees of

Metro Transit.

Gordon Raveling, MJR Transportation, Michelle Sommers,

President of Local ATU 1005, and Jody Theisen, MJR Mainte-

nance at the Tour de Cure

Profi les of ATU 1005 Executive Board Members

Page 20: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

TRANSIT SAFETY/SECURITY

COMMITTEE (TSSC)

MEETING MINUTES

Disclaimer:

Due to format changes, these columns are not exact replicas of TSSC minutes. We

cannot assure the accuracy of all data. The exact minutes are posted after each meet-

ing at the operating garages.

Page 20

April 1, 2012

Members of the Committee Present:

Dereje Tafesse, MJR, Committee Chair

Monica Kruger, Management Advisor

Rolland Green, LRT

Leatha Falls, Heywood

James Minelli, East Metro

Art Hayne, Lisa Benson, South

Ryan Timlin, Nicollet

Others in attendance:

Mike LaVine, Police

Chuck Wurzinger, Maintenance

Lowanda Aaron, Customer Relations

Derrick Cain, LRT

Christine Kuennen, TCC

Brian Funk, Bus Operations

Russ Dixon, Union

Dorothy Maki, Union

CALL TO ORDER

Dereje Tafesse called the meeting to order.

REVIEW OF MINUTES

March minutes were approved.

ONGOING INTERDEPARTMENTAL TOPICS

Route 19 – Brian Funk

• Police have been saturating different areas on the

route 19, 22, and 5. This saturation will be ongoing.

• Life Behind the Wheel training - Steve McLaird is

working with TCC and Police § First group is going to

be operators that picked work on Routes 19, 22, and 5.

Eventually it will be made available to all operators for

training.

• Capt. LaVine - Saturations are during the week and on

the weekends.

- More police on buses, BCTC and 7th at Nicollet

Two driver assaults: Rt. 10 and Rt. 5

Made arrests on three of the four spit cases.

Will continue details including Safe Zone in DT 4pm

-11pm • Downtown to BCTC and back

• Offi cers at 7th and Nic

• Two offi cers on LRT as well

- Gearing up for Twins • More police detail

- James Minelli would like to keep the lines of

communication open between departments to discuss

what to do when offi cers put large groups of kids on the

buses. • Call TCC if you need police help.

• If a large group gets on, but they pay their fare and

are not unruly, then just let them ride.

• There are events that are expected to be disruptive and

in those cases we are proactive with more buses and

police presence.

• Police handle each case individually. Each case is

different and needs to be handled differently.

• Police are working with operators and Marketing to

identify events where they can be involved.

SOUTH OPERATOR REPORT

Lisa Benson and Art Hayne in attendance:

• Art will be the new South representative.

• ADA compliant Bulletin – Number 20, dated 3/19/12

- Operators don’t want to have to call out all the streets

because they are worried that people will want to get

off at streets that aren’t stops.

- Action Item: Brian will look at ADA compliant

Bulletin – Number 20, dated 3/19/12

LRT OPERATOR REPORT

Rolland Green in attendance:

• Nothing to report.

NICOLLET OPERATOR REPORT

Ryan Timlin in attendance:

• Detour for LRT construction: Rts. 50, 16, 2 get

stuck at 4th and 15th at the light on U of M campus.

Concerned about accidents.

Action Item: Brian Funk will work with City of Mpls.

and St. Ops to see if there is more that can be done

Page 21: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

about the light at 4th and 15th on U of M campus.

FTH OPERATOR REPORT

Leatha Falls in attendance:

• The stoplight at Pillsbury is covered by tree branches.

• Action Item: Christine will talk to Street

Maintenance and Brian will talk to Street Operations to

see about getting the branches trimmed.

EAST OPERATOR REPORT

James Minelli in attendance:

• Would like a police detail on Rts. 64 and 63 - Capt.

Lavine – We are trying to address that. There are

two offi cers assigned to DT St. Paul bus stops in the

evening hours.

MJR OPERATOR REPORT

Dereje Tafesse in attendance:

• No Report

SAFETY REPORT

Not in attendance.

POLICE REPORT

Mike LaVine in attendance:

• Maintenance: Can we keep the lenses on the cameras

clean? It’s very helpful to have clear images. Chuck:

Yes

• Last month’s assaults were discussed.

• YTD: Ten driver assaults

STREET OPERATIONS REPORT

Not in attendance.

TCC REPORT

Christine Kuennen in attendance:

• Response Report - Monthly measurement of how

quickly police arrive to a priority 1 call.

- Correction: 26 total: 5 silent alarms, 2 dispatched

police, 21 false alarms

• Canned message: Operators would like to have a

button to push that will announce a canned message on

the bus. - Only available on new buses equipped with

on-board annunciator system

- Almost half the buses have the system.

- Will look into making it easier to fi nd the messages.

- Do we want to move forward with canned messages?

Need approval from reps, customer service, and Christy

What messages do you want? Please talk to the ops at

your garage about what messages they would like to

have?

What order?

Different departments can request messages as well.

• Can SSR’s be sent to the committee? It is being

discussed.

James would like to have info on DOC’s, etc. to be

able to present this information to display a need for

police detail.

• Can we put out photos and texts of suspects? - We

send out texts to specifi c buses that might be in the area

of the suspect.

- It’s at the discretion of the TCC and Police.

• You can practice getting good descriptions of suspects

in the garage and get better at giving descriptions. Not

just clothes. Look for hair, eyes, scars, etc. - What

sticks out? Limp, very tall, very short, what?

LRT REPORT

Derrick Cain in Attendance:

• Twins starting this week. - We don’t have the tail

tracks anymore so it’s going to be diffi cult.

- There will be a lot of congestion between Target Field

and Warehouse Station.

- Police will be at 5th St Station to help with buses.

• Traffi c signals on Nicollet are programmed to give

LRT more time to turn around.

ATU: Rolland Green feels that he is not able to bring

issues to the committee.

• Dorothy Maki brought up that the Rolland Green feels

that he is not able to bring issues to the committee.

• Russ Dixon talked about the need for Reps to be able

to speak freely, Rolland not feeling he can and that it’s

important for operators from other garages to hear LRT

issues. Dixon said Rolland is thinking of resigning.

• ATU President Michelle Sommers joined the meeting.

She wants Reps to be able to bring any issues they

want. They can work with management to get issues

resolved, but they should be able to discuss anything

they want to in this meeting. She wants Reps to be able

to get things on the record. Reps should be able to bring

up issues at the meeting whether they are resolved or

not. She has previously spoken to Sheri, but she will

also talk to Brian Lamb.

• Rolland Green said he has to run everything by

management before bringing it to the meeting, has

received negative comments about bringing issues and

Page 21

Page 22: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 22

is tired of it. He said he does have good communication

with Derrick.

• Derrick Cain said Rolland can bring up issues at the

meeting, but if there is anything LRT can handle in

house then they would rather do that. Sheri meant that

if there are issues he can bring them to management

and they will handle them. Derrick talked about LRT

doing a good job of addressing issues including a bar

signal that was changed.

• Monica Kruger said she supports things being solved

at the simplest level possible but also supports people

being able to speak freely about whatever they want to

bring to this meeting. She will contact Sheri Gingrich

and will be happy to speak with anyone else.

• Sommers asked ATU members if they wanted to

continue the TSSC meeting. They indicated they did.

Sommers left the meeting to try to talk to Brian Lamb.

MAINTENANCE REPORT

Chuck Wurzinger in attendance:

• Cup holders have been installed on about half of the

buses.

• Silent Alarms - Still working with Gillig, Bus

Operations, and Safety to research the false alarm

situation and possible solutions.

• Tire contract is up for bid. They are looking into

different tread options and cost.

- Must be in place by the end of this year

- Current contract 8 million for fi ve yrs.

• Operator Outreach

- Don Davis, Roger Haas and the Maintenance manager

were available at each garage 4:30-5am through pull-

out and back again in the afternoon.

- Got a lot of great questions and comments. § They are

going to get as many questions or concerns answered as

possible.

- Will have another one by the end of the year.

- Provided information as well.

• 50 new 40ft buses beginning of June - New

transmissions from Germany. § Should be quieter

• New Operator Defect Report (ODR)

• South: Can the bus compartment locks all use the

same key? - Yes, please write up anything that you

don’t like about your bus and we’ll try to address it.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPORT

Lowanda Aaron in attendance:

• No report

BUS OPERATIONS

Brian Funk in attendance:

• Facilities Department is working on getting a separate

entrance for the operators at BCTC. We are also

looking at changing the locations of the gates to get ops

closer to the entrance.

• Lights bulletin: Let us know if you get any feedback

regarding it. - Maintenance will have all the bus lights

time out at 10 minutes

• Annual safety fair 4/17-4/20 - Internal and external

reps will provide information.

• Severe weather week is coming up. Bulletin will be

published soon.

Christine will provide training through the National

Weather Service for supervisors and management to

give better information to the operators

OTHER ITEMS

ATU: An Operator contacted ATU/Management/

Attorney General’s Offi ce about Radio Frequency

health hazards to the Operators. The Operator was

concerned that the Operators were receiving too many

RF’s.

• Radio frequency on the buses from the radio

equipment from above their heads.

- The Radio Shop provided a packet of information

dated 1999.

- 12 volts, possible, 24 volts in the antenna, on top, of

the bus, but the roof shields operator from a lot of that.

- Operators are okay and safe.

- Radio shop hasn’t had a rise in cancer.

- Have any other operators had the same experience?

- Radio shop also said a person receives much more RF

from cell phone usage.

ACTION ITEMS

• Action Item: Brian will look at ADA compliant

Bulletin – Number 20, dated 3/19/12

• Action Item: Brian Funk will work with City of

Mpls. and St. Ops to see if there is more that can be

done about the light at 4th and 15th on U of M campus.

• Action Item: Christine will talk to Street

Maintenance and Brian will talk to Street Operations to

see about getting the branches trimmed.

Page 23: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 23

May 1, 2012 Members of the Committee Present:

Dereje Tafesse, MJR, Committee Chair

Monica Kruger, Management Advisor

Rolland Green, LRT

Leatha Falls, Heywood

James Minelli, East Metro

Lisa Benson, South

Cliff Bolden, Nicollet

Others in attendance:

Mike LaVine, Police

Steve Kaari, Maintenance

Pam Steffen, Customer Relations

Amina Wolf, LRT

Christine Kuennen, TCC

Christy Bailly, Bus Operations

Russ Dixon, Union

Dorothy Maki, Union

CALL TO ORDER

Dereje Tafesse called the meeting to order.

REVIEW OF MINUTES

April minutes were approved.

ONGOING INTERDEPARTMENTAL TOPICS

Route 19

Capt. LaVine

• Increased Rt. 19 details include plainclothes. Safe

zone offi cers will be riding downtown to BCTC on the

Rt. 5 or 19.

• New BCTC program started May 1st. - Five days a

week offi cers will be present from 3pm-11pm.

- Brooklyn Center police they will also be on location

for one day so for a total of six days a week there will

be police presence. Sunday is the only day not covered.

- This program will be in place for about a year.

- There will be a combination of plain clothes and

uniformed offi cers.

- Brooklyn Center doesn’t have an open-bottle

ordinance like Mpls. and St. Paul, so we can’t enforce

no drinking at BCTC, but we can trespass the offenders

for it, but not arrest them.

- Pam has had three complaints about religious groups

soliciting at BCTC.

- Christy Bailly: We don’t want that happening at our

locations if they are bothering our customers.

• Christy Bailly - There will be a Street Operations

detail at BCTC as well when they are fully staffed §

MADDADS increased detail.

Fare Evasion Committee

Christy Bailly

• Stickers were approved, but we decided against them.

We wanted to put them on the fare box, but some

operators didn’t like the wording and there was some

misunderstanding about what the sticker meant.

• July 2013 there will be simplifi ed changes to our fare

structure in place.

• Russ Dixon – Concerned about when the fare box

isn’t working and we have to let people on without

paying and then the people with Go-To cards have to

pay.

• Pam Steffen – If someone gets mad, have them call

Customer Service and we will take care of them.

EAST OPERATOR REPORT

James Minelli in attendance:

• Safety and Security Forum May 22nd.

• Would like to have more security on the St. Paul

buses. Mike – We are focusing on the stops where the

problem riders congregate.

- James – There have been a lot of spits and assaults out

of East Metro this year.

- Christy Bailly – The fare committee will focus on the

63 for the July pick.

SOUTH OPERATOR REPORT

Lisa Benson in attendance:

• Maintenance

- 3350’s Operators can’t hear the stop request bell. Can

it be louder?

- 1100 & 1200 windshield wiper fl uid is over fi lled and

leaking in to the bus.

• Street Operations - There is a problem with the time

it takes to go down 6th street between Marquette and

2nd.

Action Item: Can Street Operations look into the time

it takes to go down 6th street between Marquette and

2nd?

LRT OPERATOR REPORT

Rolland Green in attendance:

• Safety forum July 12.

• The issues from last meeting have been resolved

• Signal 8 restricted and divergent signal in the AM

when the sun comes up is hard to see. - Operators

should call if they can’t see it to get verbal approval.

- Restricted – Someone is in the block in front of you

- Diverging – Flashes to let you know you’re crossing

tracks and there is a train in front of you.

Page 24: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

NICOLLET OPERATOR REPORT

Cliff Bolden in attendance:

• Thank you to whoever made the changes at the 38th St

and 46th St Stations. We are able to get out much more

easily.

• There have been people riding to the end of the line

and they are not going anywhere. They are riding just

to ride. Some operators are uncomfortable with that.

The 21, 4, and the 17W have isolated areas at the end

of the line. - Dorothy - It’s my understanding that the

operators can kick them off before the terminal. Ask

them to get off at the last stop, and then pick them back

up after the layover.

- John Cook – We need to issue another bulletin.

- There are mixed messages and understandings about

the policy. Operators need clarifi cation.

• 7100 Hybrid buses curbside mirrors stick out different

lengths. It’s hard to pull up 6 inches to the curb

because we could hit someone

- Steve Kaari – 3300 17inches, low fl oor articulated

Gilligs are all the same length.

- Maintenance and Safety are working together to look

at the lengths and heights of the mirrors on the different

buses and what we should order in the future.

Action Item: Christy will send data about mirror arm

lengths to Brenda.

- Mark Kitzerow has a display that will help educate

about the different buses and the mirror positions.

FTH OPERATOR REPORT

Leatha Falls in attendance:

• Seats in the 900 series don’t go back. Operators are

uncomfortable. John Cook – We are working with

Maintenance on the issue.

- Bike Box at 15th and University needs to be repainted.

Action Item: Deb Downing will follow up with the U

of M and see what the plan is for repainting Bike Box

at 15th and University.

MJR OPERATOR REPORT

Dereje Tafesse in attendance:

• There are safety issues on the 724.

• Saturday night riders were smoking pot on the bus.

Run 3030 leaves BCTC at 10:30pm. The operator

would like police detail.

- Christy Bailly – Operator can request a police detail

by talking to Manager or TCC

- Mike LaVine – will get info from DJ

SAFETY REPORT

Brenda Himrich in attendance:

• Severe weather training is going on right now. Xcel

was at the Health and safety fair to discuss downed

power lines.

- Severe weather bulletin will be issued soon.

• There is a bus wrapped with the message “Be Safe,

Don’t Chase Bus” This bus is there to spread the word

not to chase our vehicles. Messages and wraps on buses

and trains.

• Rail National Database

• Top 10 location

• Accidents per 100k miles

• Operators should not be fi lling antifreeze/coolant.

- Lisa Benson – if I’m trying to pull out and there are

only two maintenance guys I will check it and fi ll it

myself to save time. If we’re not allowed to fi ll them

then there might be more late pull outs if we have to

wait for bay service.

Action Item: Chuck will work on bulletin for Christy

to issue about coolant and antifreeze issue.

- Operators are required to look at the sight glass, but

are not allowed to fi ll it.

- Russ Dixon would like to see the communication start

with Instruction Center

POLICE REPORT

Mike LaVine in attendance:

• No felony assaults last month. Two spits and one

operator had stuff thrown at them.

STREET OPERATIONS REPORT

Deb Downing in attendance:

• We are currently hiring for supervisor positions.

• Lots of construction – sometimes we get short notice

- Make sure you print your paddles.

TCC REPORT

Christine Kuennen in attendance:

• Response Report

• Christine demonstrated the Monthly MTPD Priority

1 Incident Response time report to the Committee.

This is a monthly report that is prepared by TCC and

presented to the Transportation Committee each month.

The report measures the time is takes for police (MTP

or Local) to arrive on scene after being dispatched to all

Priority 1 police incidents. The agency goal is for 95%

of all Priority 1 calls to be arrived within 8 minutes

• Canned messages - Provided list of current canned

messages.

Page 24

Page 25: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 25- Christy Bailly – We’re looking at messages that will

be played every so often. Ex: Watch your phones.

- The concern is that one customer will know that the

operator is singling them out.

- Some TSSC reps support this idea, some don’t.

- Can we put messages on the scrolling area?

• TCC SSRs available to the Committee. Options:

Christine - Giving TSSC access to all reports would be

too wide ranging and does not seem to suit the purpose.

Is determining if the committee could see a certain SSR

by having TCC staff check a box on the report

Would like the Garage Manager to provide relevant

SSR information to the reps.

Can TSSC be added to the assault notifi cation list that

Bus Ops sends out?

Christy will talk to the managers at the all manager’s

meeting about it.

LRT REPORT

Amina Wolf in attendance:

• Daniel Suggs is working on the 4th St. signal

MAINTENANCE REPORT

Steve Kaari in attendance:

• Cup holders have been installed on about all of the

buses.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPORT

Pam Steffen in attendance:

• No report

BUS OPERATIONS

Christy Bailly in attendance:

• The Calling Streets Bulletin was discussed but it

should remain as written. This is for orientation, not

stop locations.

• A Route Info was created for the intersection of

15th/4th asking operators to stay back from the

crosswalk. Also, the city recently painted a stop line

back from the crosswalk to assist with turns from 4th

onto SB 15th.

• Branches were trimmed at Pleasant/Pillsbury from the

stop lights.

• No fi rm date for the BCTC door construction, but it is

expected to be completed this summer.

OTHER ITEMS

• VA Shelters moved back? Brian F. has info.

ACTION ITEMS

• Action Item: Christy will send data about mirror arm

lengths to Brenda.

• Action Item: Chuck will work on bulletin for Christy

to issue about coolant and antifreeze issue.

• Action Item: Deb Downing will follow up with the U

of M and see what the plan is for repainting.

• Action Item: Can Street Operations look into

the time it takes to go down 6th Street between

Marquette and 2nd?

Election Results of the Runoff Election for Delegates

International Convention Position # 5 - Russell Dixon, Sr.

Alternate International Convention Position # 1 - Marlin J. Jensen

State Convention Position #5 - Marlin J. Jensen

State Convention Position #6 - Teresa D. Qualy

State Convention Position #7 - Lisa Callahan

St. Paul Regional Labor Federation Position #4 - Chuck Gudknecht

Thanks to everyone who took an active part in the voting/election process.

Crypto Answer

METRO TRANSIT HAS STARTED GARNISHING MY CHECK.

THE FUNDS ARE NOW DEPOSITED WITH A RADISH AND A

PICKLE.

Page 26: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 26

Retired Members’ Clubs

Northside Breakfast Club

Meets 8:30 a.m. the 2nd Tuesday of each month at Bar-

nacle Bill’s, Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Blvd,

Brooklyn Center.

Southside Breakfast Club

Meets 8:00 a.m. the 1st Wednesday and the 4th Thurs-

day of each month at the VFW Post, 67th Street and

Lyndale Ave. in Richfi eld.

Metro Transit Mechanic Teammate

Meets at 12:00 p.m. the 3rd Tuesday of the month at

Old Country Buffet (by Petco), 2000 South Robert St.,

West St. Paul

Retired Members’ Clubs

St. Paul Retiree Lunch ClubMeets 12:00 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Mattie’s (formerly Wells Lanes ) So. Con-

cord St., South St. Paul 55075

If you want to join the St. Paul Retiree Club, con-

tact one of the following:

President Howard Osterkamp (651) 731-2428

Vice-President Jay Kerkvliet (651) 489-8281

Treasurer Paul Huber (651) 698-6551

Secretary Mary Huber (651) 698-5771

Retirements

Congratulations to May Retirees05/01/12 John Hielsberg, So. Mech. 447

05/04/12 Jerome Kaczmarek, Train Op. 1408

05/10/12 Michael Jawish, So. Op. 433

05/11/12 Ross Findorff, So. Op. 390

05/16/12 Daniel Underbakke, Ruter Maint.Helper I

292

05/19/12 Timothy McArdle, Hey. Op. 66093

Congratulations to June Retirees6/5/2012 Lawrence Quist, E.M., Op. 706

6/30/2012 William Negroni Cintron, E.M., Op. 6881

6/29/2012 Gary Newman, Hey. Op.7705

6/2/2012 Keith Kinning, OHB Mech. Tech. 5208

6/30/2012 David Pechler, Ruter Janitor 2767

If you have pictures or announcements of

retirements, please contact your Education

Committee member or the union office.

UNION DUES AFTER

RETIREMENT

When you retire, make sure you maintain your membership dues. Those who retire today pay

$49.80/yr. The “Death Benefi t” is $1,000 from the International, and $100 from the local ($1,100 total).

You will also be able to vote on election of offi cers and stay connected by attending monthly membership

meetings.

If you have been a member for 50 years, you no longer have to pay dues, and are a Lifetime Member.

State Fair Bus Bargain

Tickets Went on Sale Monday,

July 23, 2012

State Fairgoers can save big with Metro Tran-

sit Bus Bargain Tickets which go on sale Mon-

day, July 23 at metrotransit.org. Roundtrip fares

from express sites are $4 (instead of $5) when

purchased online before August 22.

A group ticket will also be available offering

four round-trip rides for the price of three – just

$15. Learn more about bus service to the 2012

State Fair – including new express sites at the

National Sports Center in Blaine and Parade

Stadium in Minneapolis – at metrotransit.org/

statefair

Correction to May/June issue: Rochester City

Lines employees voted in 2008 to become mem-

bers of ATU Local 1005.

Page 27: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 27

TALENT CORNER Deborah Sievers #64222

Capital Sons

I had the great fortune to hear a great local band

- and one of its members is one of our own. They do

local shows in the Twin Cities, having played at such

places as Wyld Times and the Amsterdam in St. Paul,

and the Uptown Art Fair and Mayslak’s in ‘Nordeast’

Minneapolis.

Here is my interview with Karl Obermeyer,

Heywood operator and lead singer/songwriter of his

band Capital Sons.

My name is Karl Obermeyer, and my operator

number is 69185. I turned 36 years old in May and I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I bought a

house in Nordeast Minneapolis about eight years ago and plan on staying there for the time being. I love the

area and I love my city.

Q: When and where did Capital Sons evolve? What are the names of your band members, what do they play and

how long have they been with you?

A: Capital Sons evolved in Nordeast Minneapolis in the summer of 2004, and we’ve been going ever since. In

the time since our inception we’ve played well over 100 live shows, released two albums of original music and

are currently planning on returning to the studio soon to start work on our third album. Our bass player is Keefe

Russell, the only founding member (aside from myself) left in the group. Our lead guitarist/keyboardist is Cy

Dodson, who joined us almost four years ago now. Our drummer, Mark Marrinan, is the newest addition to

Capital Sons. He joined the group about five months ago.

Q: Did you grow up playing and writing your songs?

A: I had good pitch and tone and was soon enrolled in both church and school choirs. In junior high and high

school I was involved in countless musicals and choral concerts. I also took an interest in creative writing and

started writing poetry, which would eventually turn into song lyrics. About that same time I also discovered Rock

and Roll. I started writing songs with a childhood friend and eventually that

led to the formation of my first band. Writing my own lyrics and vocal

melodies was fun, but I also had songs and chord structures in my head that

I wanted to get out. It was at that point I started teaching myself how to play

guitar. Eventually I became more skilled at guitar and was able to write

complete songs on my own. From that point on the songs just kept coming.

Q: What is something that no one knows about you?

A: Not many people know that I once went on a paranormal investigation at

the Calhoun Beach Club. That was an interesting experience. A good friend

of mine who went with me actually caught an E.V.P. (Electronic Voice

Phenomenon) on tape that night. Pretty crazy.

Q: What genre of music have you been compared to?

A: Capital Sons has been compared to many, many bands over the years,

but I would say that the two genres of music we are most consistently

compared to are Classic Rock and Americana. In regards to specific band

comparisons, people have said that we have elements of Pearl Jam, The

Page 28: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 28

Replacements and Counting Crows in our sound and I’m good with that. Each member of Capital Sons has

various musical influences that have an effect on our collective sound, but at the end of that day we write honest,

heart on our sleeve Rock and Roll.

Q: How long have you been at Metro Transit?

A: I’ve been with Metro Transit almost three years now. The job has it challenges, just as any job does, but

ultimately I really enjoy the autonomy I have as a bus operator. As long as you are dependable and professional

the company basically stays out of your way and lets you do your job. I started out at Nicollet Garage as a part-

time operator and came to Heywood Garage when I went full-time. I hope to be here for many years to come,

unless my music career takes off, of course.

Q: If people want to listen to your music, where can they do this?

A: People can listen to samples of our music at www.capitalsons.com and also at www.facebook.com/

capitalsons

Q: Is there one thing that you would love to be remembered for, or any advice for those that have talent but do

not know where to start?

A: My advice to anyone that wants to get involved in music or any other art form is to do so because you love

to do it and not because you want to become a rich and famous rock star, actor or artist. Music, acting and the

arts in general are an extremely tough and unstable way to make a living for most involved. If you go into it for

the wrong reasons you will quickly be humbled and grounded. On the other hand, if you do it because you enjoy

it and have no grand expectations, then you are only going to reap the rewards and it will absolutely enrich your

life.

Hardship Fund Motorcycle RideFaye Brown #6331

The Hardship Motorcycle Ride was on Saturday June 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. We left from East Metro Garage

going to the Hinckley Casino by way of Highway 61, with a detour to Highway 95. We partook in a very nice

picnic and raffl e provided by the union. After fi lling our stomachs and having good conversation, it was time to

ride on to the casino. There were about 40 bikes, and it was a beautiful sight.

There was a video made of the ride. If you are interested in purchasing one, you can contact John Hansen at

612-227-1832 to see the fun you had - or missed. Please come join us on the next ride.

The Hardship Fund is funded by ATU 1005 union members for ATU 1005 union members. This Fund can be

a small help when there is: a death in the immediate family, injury that prohibits all work, termination voted to

arbitration, catastrophic incident (tornado, fi re, earthquake, fl ood). The donations are tax deductible. Look for

the next sign-up PAMPHLET this fall marked: GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY (write in WORK-

ING PARTNERSHIPS).

Page 29: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 29

On May 15, 2012, the radio technicians were served to

a barbecue lunch by the management - Scott McDonald,

supervisor, Chad LeVasseur, manager and Tom Humphrey,

Assistant Director of Bus Maintenance Administration.

They thanked the crew for their hard work on obtaining/

fi nishing many tasks from the previous year. (Bus installs,

cable building, wy-fi , etc.) And next year will be busier.

One June 20th, breakfast was served up by Chad

LeVasseur, manager and Scott McDonald, supervi-

sor. Waffl es, custom omelets, sausage and juice

were the menu. The cook, Chad, show his expertise

by breaking eggs with one hand and cooking the

omelets to perfection. The waffl es, watched over

by Scott, were also perfect.

Every cookout has been unique in what is served.

We cannot wait to see next month's menu.

A new tech started in June, Tom Kaisler #72205. Tom

comes from Mesaba Airlines. There are plans to hire

another tech. Here he is being shown safety fi rst by Greg

Springer #69027 while working to install an antenna on top

of one of the new bus installs. The harness that he is wear-

ing is tethered to a safety line.

Electronic Department Cookouts

Government study: Driving a bus is hazardous to your health

Recent innovative research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shows that

bus drivers and other "passenger transit workers" suffer greater rates of illness than workers in many other occu-

pations.

The scariest fi nding: 41.5% of the transit workers had high blood pressure, compared to 27.6% for all the

214,413 workers studied. High blood pressure leads to many other health problems, including heart attacks and

strokes.

For a range of chronic diseases such as low back pain, asthma, depression, and diabetes, the drivers' rates also

were 120% higher than all people in the 55 sectors studied. Source: NIOSH

Page 30: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 30

WELCOME TO THE SIGNAL DEPARTMENT From the Microscope to the Jackhammer

From Fiber-Optics to Turkey Basters

Mike Miller # 3707

Tired of jobs where you always do the same thing over and over? Tired of jobs where you do anything often

enough that you feel you are good at it? Tired of jobs where they always plan everything for you? Tired of jobs

where anything ever goes according to plan?

Then step right up and take a job in the Signal and Communications Department!

Whether old-timers, or the most recent recruits, every member of the department soon recognizes the same

thing: No matter what their experience, how old, or what their previous employers were, nothing they have

ever seen involves such an enormous scope of responsibilities, all requiring accurate, instant response and

simultaneously demanding months or years of careful, painstaking, and often clandestine research, study, reverse-

engineering, experimentation, and testing.

Comments from interviewees as new hires always follow the same pattern: 1) “You guys are way underpaid!”,

and 2) “I always thought, ‘They’re just running trains. How hard could that be?’ Boy, was I wrong!”

So, what does the Signal Department do?

It is responsible for:

• Lineside signals governing the movement of trains

• Power switch-machines that operate crossovers and allow trains to enter

and leave the yard

• Crossing gates

• Assorted train detection systems including track circuits (both 60 cycle

and Audio Frequency)

• Ultrasonic and Microwave-based detectors

• Inductive-loop detectors and proximity-sensor-actuated wheel counters

• Single and redundant-processor train-control computers which monitor

the position of trains and permit- -or prohibit - switches and signals from

changing

• Train to wayside communications systems which report the trains route

and run number, as well as automatically route trains into the yard

• Display system in RCC (Rail Control Center)

• T.V. cameras and monitors

• Phones on the platforms

• Message boards at the platforms

• Monitors Traction Power substation

• Monitors sump pumps in the tunnel

On occasion, all of these systems work smoothly: the motoring public is well-behaved at grade crossings,

the weather is benign, and manufacturers’ efforts are so good that no support is required under their generous

warranty policies. These occasions will usually occur on your days off.

The rest of the time, when things go wrong, they can go very wrong. It is surprisingly easy to have every

train on the railroad delayed when signals don’t work, switch machines won’t throw, or SCADA equipment quits.

When this happens, all radios and phones start going off at once. All in all, it can be an intense experience not

available elsewhere outside of a battlefi eld.

Of course not all Signal activities involve hand-wringing. Some may simply involve wringing out your shirt

or your pants. When the Contractors were installing coil-spring devices at the crossings, a noble signalman

Page 31: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 31was nominated to be the ‘Designated Lookout’ at each crossing, keeping cars, trains and pedestrians separated

while the gates were being modifi ed. Such an assignment would have been routine……until it began to cloud-

up…..sprinkle……and rain. Soon the rain was like the inside of a dishwasher, with visibility of three feet. The

Contractors retreated to the haven of their truck, but since the gate was removed, the crossing had to be protected,

regardless of the weather.

On the other hand, we must not forget our record-keeping system. Each activity is carefully noted in the

logbook in the signal bungalow and in checklists kept on site. Then it is mentioned in the offi ce logbook; entered

into inspection-summary “scorecard” books; typed into an excel spreadsheet; and fi nally copied and pasted into

Txbase---a system certainly worthy of preservation of the Museum of Computing Machinery at Anaheim. Reports

fi led in triplicate have nothing on our system; yet it would amaze the layman how often you fi nd yourself saying,

“Yeah, I’m sure we had trouble with that before…..but how come there’s nothing in the book? Hmmm, maybe

it’s fi led under the switch-machine number; or maybe they put it under ‘general’? Maybe it was a warranty thing.

Somebody said it hasn’t worked in a long time!”

The uninitiated might think Light Rail is a turn-key system—the Consulting Engineers design it; the

Contractors install it; and the Signal and Communications Department maintains it. However, when a contractor

tells you, “This hasn’t been working. It isn’t working now, and it’s never going to work,” even those of limited

savvy can grasp that ‘turnkey’ might not be quite the right word; perhaps something more along the lines of, ‘Big

Jigsaw puzzle with many pieces

missing.’

Those who gravitate towards

investigating and solving

interesting problems can fi nd such

a situation appealing----an exercise

machine which offers no resistance

is hardly worth the trouble. Signal

Department personnel take a

distinct pride in keeping the trains

moving, despite bad weather, bad

design, bad installation, bad parts,

bad software, bad planning, bad

orders, bad budgets, and bad luck.

We enjoy the camaraderie of our Union brothers and sisters; and often laugh at some of the goofy situations we

witness in the fi eld.

Other situations are more somber, such as when somebody wakes you at home, and reports that lightning

caused damage resulting in gates being down too long; a motorist driving around the gates and fatally injured

when hit by the train, and the wreckage tore out more of your equipment; so could you come in for 10 hours

because there are a dozen track circuits out of service and $100,000 worth of damage?

Therefore it is hardly surprising to have people say to you, “This job is too diffi cult. You have to know too

much to do it, and there isn’t any training. I am not good enough. If I make even one mistake, people could die.

I don’t want that responsibility. I am going to take another job.”

Rightly or Wrongly, they all see the same thing; Nobody could possibly pay you enough for that much

responsibility, so nobody even tries. Trying would be appreciated.

So the next time your train is slightly delayed by some miscue in complicated testing or adjustment that we are

doing in between trains; or you are driving your bus over a crossing and wondering about those little green men

with their posteriors in the air and their heads stuck in some water-fi lled box between the rails - take pity on us -

because, as Chevy Chase might say, “We’re the Signal Department, and you’re not!”

Page 32: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 32

Switch machine installations were done the

last week-end in April between Nicollet and

Warehouse stations. This work is just some of

the important technical work SCADA/Signal

Communication members do. This machine

makes the switch points move from track to

track so the trains can cross from one track to

another. There are 16 SCADA/Signal Com-

munication members in the department.

the plans is that you could pay more for your monthly premiums in exchange for lower office visits, prescriptions

and co-pay costs or lower premium costs with higher office visits, prescriptions and co-payment costs. To figure

out which plan would be more affordable for you, just do this simple comparison:• Take the previous years’ office visits, prescriptions, and emergency room visits of you and all family

members, if applicable.

• Total the cost of all of your out-of-pocket costs according to your plan.

• Add that total to your out-of-pocket premium cost for the year.

• Do the same using each of the other plans’ costs.

After you figure out what your total out-of-pocket expense for the year for each plan is, you will see which

plan would be more of a cost savings for you and then during the next open enrollment you can make a more

conscious decision on your choice of plan. I know I will!

More health care information to come in the future, keep your eyes open.

“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your

ability.” Ben Chavis, Executive Director, NAACP

Offi cer's Column continued from p. 2

FTH Driver Gloria Westphall #6486

Retires

Gloria was hired as a part-time driver on

October 10, 1994 and went full-time on February

22, 1997. She retired July 7, 2012.

Gloria looks forward to spending more time

outdoors and loves to ride her Harley.

Many of Gloria’s grandchildren came to help celebrate

her retirement.

Page 33: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 33

2012 ATU Women’s Caucus ConferenceDeborah Sievers

This year’s ATU International Women’s

Caucus Conference was held in Las Vegas,

Nevada. ATU women from around the U.S.

and Canada came together to discuss the issues

that transit union women face every day.

Because this year there’s a presidential

election hanging in the balance, some of the

talk was about needing volunteers to go phone

bank, door knock and act as political

advocates. We are hearing more and more about

“If I help, what is in it for me?” What is in it

for you, is the ability to have a job, wages and

benefits that we have and the protection to

ensure that we have these jobs. A paycheck,

that is what is in it for you.

President Hanley’s Remarks

ATU President Larry Hanley spoke about the Transportation Bill that is being discussed on the federal level.

He also spoke about Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery,

Alabama in 1955 helped spark the civil rights movement. She was educated and trained on how to be an

advocate, to stand for what she believes and to fight for her civil rights. She got on that bus and took her stand,

for which she was arrested. We all need to follow her example of courage. In the new In Transit magazine, there

is more information on Rosa Parks and a challenge for all union members to stand up and volunteer. There is a

page with the statement “I’M IN!” Please cut the page out, take your picture with it and send it to the ATU

International Union at International Headquarters, 5025 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016.

President Hanley spoke about bathroom breaks, assaults against transit workers and the work that is being

done on these very important topics.

He then spoke about Weston, Wisconsin where the city shut down their transit service. Even in the wake of

the recall election in Wisconsin, the small village voted overwhelmingly to provide transit service for at least five

days a week beginning January 5, 2013. The vote overturned the decision by the village board that had ended

funding for the Metro Ride services, driven by fellow ATU Local 1168 members.

Federal Transit Act, Section 13(c)

International Vice-Presidents Janice Borchardt and Yvette Salazar spoke about Section 13(c) which protects

transit workers.

Under Section 13(c) of the Federal Transit Act, an employer who receives federal mass transit funds must

protect all covered mass transit employees affected by the use of the federal money. The U.S. Department of

Labor (DOL) must approve the arrangements made to protect these employees. For covered employees, these

arrangements include:

Preserving their rights and benefits

Continuing their collective bargaining rights

Protecting them against a worsening of their employment conditions

Assuring jobs for employees of acquired mass transit systems

Providing priority of reemployment if the employee is laid off or his job is eliminated; and

Providing paid training.

For more information on this, here is the website: http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-masstransit.htm

I had the privilege of being at this conference with Michelle Sommers and Kari Sachs.

ATU Local 1005 will be hosting the 2013 ATU Women’s Caucus!

Page 34: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

Page 34

- Keep the picket line moving during a strike

- Door-knock and phone-bank during an election campaign

- Participate at union meetings

- Establish relationships with community-based organizations, politicians, clergy and other allies that will help get a fair and equitable contract

- Make a number of other contributions of planning, time and energy

Please contact the union office to volunteer, or

contact your board member.

The ATU 1005 Union Picnic will be taking place on

Sunday, August 12. This will be a good chance to get to

know one another and have pictures taken holding the

sign, “I’M IN.”

The text of this article is taken primarily from the

previously-mentioned issue of In Transit.

I’M IN continued from p. 1

Page 35: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

In Memoriam

Page 35

Jeff Miller "Big Red," age 53, of Brooklyn Center, died in a motorcycle crash on I-94 on

June 9, 2012. Jeff, MJR Driver #2556, was hired part-time November 26, 1984 and went

full-time on December 9, 1985. Coworkers remember him for his friendliness and his

devotion to his sons.

Meryl Seils, 87, retired. No further information was available.

Kenneth E. Alston, age 74, passed away June 21, 2012. Kenny was hired by the MTC

on May 2, 1975 and retired January 26, 2002, after 26 years. A longtime resident of

North Minneapolis, Kenny spent most, if not all, of his career at Northside/Heywood

Garages. Kenny was a member of the "Just Us" M.C.

Paul Kubic #137 of South Garage Retires

Paul rode up to the garage for his retirement party on his beau-

tiful motorcycle, so we were not surprised when he announced

that he will be doing more traveling on his bike out west. Paul

Kubic #137 started January16, 1984 and retired July 15, 2012

from South Maintenance.

Left: Tim Dixon, Executive Board Member (Maintenance)

from South, presented Paul with the union apparel of his

choosing.

Ming Lu died in a motorcycle accident July 10, 2012. He is survived by his wife

Doree, children Christopher and Justin, and Daisy, his beloved dog. As a part-time

driver, Ming Lu, FTH Driver #2414 had worked weekends and holidays for almost

11 years after being hired October 27, 2001.

Above: Keith Stein, Manager of South

Maintenance, helps Paul show the cake.

Page 36: ATU Local 1005 Newsletter

ATU PicnicSunday, August 12

11:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.Prizes will be drawn 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Magic show, clowns, face painting,

games, infl atable jumper, prizes

Water Park next door (additional cost)

Bring the whole family!!!!

Hot dogs, hamburgers and chips

will be supplied. Please bring a

salad or dessert to share. Bring

Your Own Beverage.

Volunteers for one-hour increments wel-

comed. Call Mark Lawson at 612-379-2914,

or email at [email protected]

Battle

Creek

Park is

located

just south

of I-94 and

McKnight

Road.

Play Area