Vol. XXXIX, No. 4 April 2016

LocaL 1384 Merger

Page 5one Step Forward,

two StepS Back… and we MuSt do a Better JoB…

Page 8carBon Monoxide

poiSoning nightMare

Page 10LetterS to the editor

Pages 12 & 13

The President’s Report

to have or not to have

Due to the number of as-saults in January, Opera-tor security is now a very

hot topic at King County Metro. Ideas are being discussed from more Police presence to more cameras onboard coaches, and even allowing Operators to use their cell phones to call 911.

The idea of more Police pres-ence would probably be the most expensive solution, but the ques-tion still remains; how would they help protect the Operators? Would they employ undercover teams to ride along? Would these Sheriffs be given authority to cite offenders of Metro policies onboard coaches? Would they just be working in the downtown corridor? Or, are they just going to be more window dressing in the tunnel? If they increase patrol, how will the offenders be prosecuted? If this creates a back log, will some cases become less important? These are some of the concerns we have if Metro increases the number of Sheriffs to help with the problem of Op-erator assaults.

Local 587 strongly suggested that improvements on mal-functioning cameras needs to be a priority and should receive immediate attention. We know

By Kenny McCormick

news reviewATU Local 587

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

many cameras have not been working properly; Metro is dis-cussing expediting repairs on equipment and returning them back to service.

Some properties have monitors as you enter the coach just above the Operator’s compartment. They have been an effective deter-rent to offenders when they see themselves boarding the coaches.

Through the use of Public Service Announcements, we can educate our riders and the public on how we can work together to make transit safe for everyone. Our goal should be to entice more people to use public transporta-tion and cut down on the number of cars on the road. Transit needs to be a safe and reliable form of transportation to be an alternative to single occupancy vehicles.

To have or not to have Op-erator Shields on coaches is the question we will have to decide in the very near future. This question has been discussed and there are opinions on both sides. Some believe that the shields are a disconnection from the public and are opposed to shields.

In the past, when we didn’t have air conditioned coaches, the thought of being in an enclosed section with the lack of air cir-

culation in the summer months was not even an option. We can all agree that being barricaded in a coach on a hot day without air conditioning would be intoler-able. However, if you have been assaulted, you may have a different opinion. To be able to do your job, without fear of being assaulted, and just drive your coach and provide customer service should be the norm. To go home to your family safe because your coach is equipped with a barrier to protect you as you wait for help to arrive sounds very comforting. We live in a different society today; females are attacked without any provocation while passengers, unwilling to help, sit on the bus and do nothing. Operators are easy targets sitting, driving a bus when cowards decide to assault them. Sometimes while the coach is moving, not caring that they are putting themselves and the public at risk. If you defend yourself, you chance being disciplined because someone else’s opinion may be that you used too much force. In the society we live in, what is too much force? It will be up to a “Monday Morning Quarterback” to second guess the force you used just to try to get home to your family.

We are only human. We make mistakes. The incorrect logo was printed both on the cover and the inside of the contract. The oversight is on each of us who worked on proofreading the contract. In trying to get the contract to the printer as our focus, the cover was over-looked. This oversight wasn’t intentional, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. logo wasn’t omitted to send a mes-sage to the members or the public, and is embarrassing to the entire Executive Board. We have each been elected to represent our entire member-ship. Individually and as a whole, we apologize sincerely.

ATU Local 587 Executive Board Members

a Message from the e Board

2 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

Weingarten rights statementI request to have a union representative present on my

behalf during this meeting because I believe it may lead to disciplinary action taken against me. If I am denied my right to have a union representative present, I will refuse to answer ac-

cusational questions and any I believe may lead to discipline.

Business of the Membership Membership Meetings

At the March cycle of meetings, the following business was addressed:

MOTION: By Jaci Rooney to change the time of the CTS meeting to 6:30 pm. Motion carried 6-0.

Tentative Agenda

CHARTER MEETINGThursday, April 7, 20168:00 p.m.The Labor Temple, Hall #12800 1st Ave., Seattle, WA

SATuRdAy MEETINGSaturday, April 9, 2016NoonThe Labor Temple, Hall #12800 1st Ave., Seattle, WA

JEFFERSON TRANSITMonday, April 11, 20167:00 p.m.Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler Street, Port Townsend, WA

CLALLAM TRANSITTuesday, April 12, 20166:30 p.m.Vern Burton Memorial Bldg Port Angeles, WA

AFTERNOON MEETINGWednesday, April 13, 20163:30 p.m.The Labor Temple, Hall #82800 1st Ave., Seattle, WA

Among Topics to be Discussed: Election Committee; Vice President/Assistant Business Representative nominations

Unfinished Business: None

“There is no death. Only a change of worlds.” ~ Chief Sealth

Please notify the union office of any member’s passing so that this information may be shared with the rest of our union family.

in Lasting Memory…

Willie Hayward Gregory Jr., Seattle Personal Transit operator since 2013, passed away unexpectedly on March 3, 2016 and was laid to rest March 14, 2016. Brother Gregory leaves behind 5 chil-dren, 14 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.

Billy Mitchell, retired Transit Operator, passed on February

23, 2016. Brother Mitchell worked at Metro for 25 years.

Retired South Base Opera-tor Eugene (Richard) Smith passed away early Saturday morning March 6, 2016 at the age of 71. Brother Smith retired in 2014 after 23 years of service. He leaves behind 9 children, 21 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

executive Board report

March 29, 2016

All members of the Executive Committee were present except Kenny McCormick, Ed Stanard, Kevin Banks, and Patrick Murray.

POT dRAW WINNERS: Tzur Wilfand, Charter meeting; Tore Ly-dersen, Saturday meeting; david Mcdonald, Wednesday meeting; Karen Kautzman, JTA; Grace Johnson, CTS. The CTS rolling pot was lost by John Hamrick; next month’s rolling pot will be $475.

pLeaSe note :Friday meeting has been eliminatedSaturday meeting time has changed

Sadly, Carol passed away on March 28, 2016

3April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

Published monthly in Seattle.

Official publication of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, AFL-CIO, representing employees of Metro/King County, Clallam Transit, Jefferson Transit and Seattle Personal Transit.

2815 Second Avenue, Suite 230Seattle, Washington 98121Telephone: 206-448-8588.

Affiliations: Washington State Labor Council, King County Labor Council, Northwest Joint Conference Board, ATU Legislative Council,

Olympic Labor Council.

Articles/Letters to the editor

Letters/contributions must include printed names, signatures, work ID numbers, ad-dresses and phone numbers that can be verified during working hours. Letters that cannot be validated will not be published. All articles/letters are subject to editing and should be limited to 1000 words or less. Not all letters can be published due to space limitations. Cut off is 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of each month, if the 15th falls on the weekend/holiday, cut off is close of business on the following business day. Any submission from a member of Local 587 to the News Review deemed unprint-able by the Recording Secretary shall be forwarded to the Executive Board for final decision to publish.

Send letters and articles as original Word documents to Cheryl Rowe at: crowe.recsec@atu587.org

Kenny McCoRMiCK Pres/Business Agent email – kmccormick.president@atu587.org

MiKe WhiteheAd 2nd Vice President/ Assistant Business Agent, Maintenanceemail – mwhitehead.vp2@atu587.org

PAtRiCK BRAdy Financial Secretaryemail – pbrady.finsec@atu587.org

CheRyL RoWe Recording Secretary/ Editor News Review/Correspondent to ln Transitemail – crowe.recsec@atu587.org

oFFiCeRS oF the AMALGAMAted tRAnSit Union, LoCAL 587:

Web site: http://www.atu587.org

Minority Affairs Officer ESTHER HANKERSONVehicle Maintenance Position #1 CORy RIGTRUP Vehicle Maintenance Position #2 MIKE ROCHON Vehicle Maintenance Position #3 PATRICK MURRAyFacilities Maintenance LISA CARTERSupervisors KEVIN BANKSSpecial Classifications ERIC BUTLERKing County Units Outside KCM NINUS HOPKINSTransit Operator Position #1 MIKE BURR Transit Operator Position #2 TzUR WILFANDTransit Operator Position #3 TyLER zIMMERMANTransit Operator Position #4 LOREN COOKTransit Operator Position #5 KEN PRICETransit Operator Position #6 RANDy LEWIS Transit Operator Position #7 MARy J. NEWTONTransit Operator Position #8 LORRI KURTHClallam / Jefferson County ED STANARDRail Representative SHANNON SHAy

news reviewATU Local 587

arbitration update

1. Andrew Price: Grieved a picked report beings split on a Saturday in violation of contract: heard November 11, 2015; briefs filed February 16, 2016, decision pending.

2. Mark Kelly: Grieved union work being performed by a subcontractor (bus wraps). Postponed pending Bus Wrap ULP filed by Metro, discussions under way.

3. John Marx: Grieved creation of swing shifts for Millwrights. Arbitration resolved in MOA #410U0316 posted on the ATU web site.

4. Elaine Monzon: Grieved termination for alleged falsification of a Metro document; Arbitration held January 13, 2016, decision pending.

5. Gary Archer: Grieved improper assignment of overtime; The Union did not prevail on the Arbitrators decision as a whole, of the 100 plus grievances that did apply to the decision 6 to move forward for clarification.

6. Michael Maw: Grieved historical practice and contract language regarding assign-ments of Millwright shifts and assignment of overtime; Arbitration resolved in MOA #410U0316 posted on the ATU web site.

7. Carey Watson: Grieved a suspension for al-leged Serious Misconduct; schedule pending.

8. Ray Moore: Grieved non-revenue work be-ing subcontracted out; scheduled May 2016.

9. Kimberly O’Neal: Grieved 5 day suspen-sion for a serious infraction; scheduling is currently in process should have a date next month.

Critical Incident Stress Management(CISM)

Call the CISM Hotline: 206-263-3761 to speak to a member of The Team about work related issues

Can’t eat? Can’t sleep? Have you had an upsetting incident at work? To schedule a

confidential debriefing, Call the CISM Team Hotline

For Critical Incident Stress Management

CISM Team Hotline206-263-3761

Major religious and Secular holidaysapril 2016

8 Hindi New Year - Hindu

14 Baisakhi – Sikh

15 Income Tax is Due Day

18 World Heritage Day

21 First Day of Ridvan – Baha’i

22 Hanuman Jayanti – Hindu

Earth Day

22–23 Theravadin New Year – Buddhist

23–30 Passover – Jewish

24 Palm Sunday – Christian, Catholic

27 Administrative Professionals Day

28 World Day for Safety and Health at Work Day

29 Ninth Day of Ridvan – Baha’i

Good Friday – Christian, Catholic

Arbor Day

30 Mahavir Jayanti – Jain

Holy Saturday – Christian, Catholic

*This list was compiled from information found online. Any errors are unintentional. If there are dates you would like included in upcoming months, please send an email to: crowe.recsec@atu587.org

4 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

attention retireeSAl Ramey, President; ATU Local 587 Retiree Chapter

There were a few years that the Re-tiree Breakfasts ceased altogether and many voiced the fact that they

really missed seeing their old cronies each month, and without an occasional get to-gether, they felt almost totally estranged from those that they spent so many often memorable years working with.

When I was elected President of the Retiree Chapter of A.T.U. Local 587 in 2001, one of the first moves I made for the south end retirees was to start up the breakfasts again. The north end brothers and sisters were meeting once a month for breakfast at various location. Brother Dave Carter coordinated those breakfasts

and he still does.One very real problem with trying to

hold the breakfasts is finding a place will-ing to set aside an area of their business location. The north end can certainly vouch for that as places to meet for one reason or another (not negative) have disappeared, and they have had to search for another venue. We in the south end have been blessed with having the breakfasts each month at the Burien Elks Lodge, where we hold the annual Christmas Dinner which everyone seems to have a great time at ac-cording to the reports we receive from our retired members.

Now put the shoe on the other foot. you

are the restaurant owner, the Lodge Grand whatever and you set aside space for our north or south end retirees. We tell the venues that we are hoping for about twenty-five people each month. That is a small goal, especially if the spouses attend too. At any given time we have approximately five hundred retirees and a great amount of significant others.

In our south end situation, they stopped catering to small groups and only left ours intact because we were having about twen-ty-five members each month. They bring in a cook and volunteer waitperson, and if we only have ten or twelve people, they don’t profit hardly at all, if any. Likewise for the restaurants or other venues. What would you tell our groups if you were the operators of the venues?

Please help us continue with the best therapy on earth, seeing old friends.

If you haven’t attended a breakfast with your old friends, then you are missing out. If you are content with watching paint dry and grass grow, then that is your right and keep going. But if you enjoy listening to the re-runs of the thousands of prior trips, with each telling varying slightly (tiny memory loss), then you should attend the breakfasts. As we grow older, we realize how important real friends are, especially during the bad times. How many times after it is too late do we say, gee, “I sure wish that I had kept in touch with him or her, as we were such good friends.” So, brothers and sisters and guests, please help us maintain our breakfasts.

Lastly, please contact either Dave in the north end or myself Al in the south end and tell us your preference. At our last breakfast it was brought up that upon retirement a lot of the retirees quit getting up at the crack of dawn and we should hold the breakfasts later in the morning, say 9:30 or 10:00am. or keep the status quo. We need to hear from you at once as we want to work out whatever pleases the most. We can never please everyone, as you know. North end retirees please contact Dave Carter at (206)-910-8311 and south end retirees please contact Al Ramey at (206)-271-2441 after 8:45am. (still driving) or truebrit99@comcast.net .

5April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

Local 587’s active membership will vote on merging with Local 1384 (Bremerton) in the June general

election. Please submit your perspectives and opinions (200 words or less) on this important issue to the

News Review by April 15.

Local 1384 Merger

When I was a little girl I’d wake up ev-ery morning to the

sound of my Dad lacing up his steel toed boots, the smell of coffee brewing and the morning news on the television. Think-ing back I can’t remember a day my dad didn’t get up and go to work. When he finished his 8–10 hour shift at the glass factory he’d head down to the Longshoreman Hall, hoping to get some extra work shoveling brown sugar and bulk cargo such as urea and grain from the bulkhead or ribs into the center hold in the ship. Other times he would discharge or unload steel beams and steel coils. He would come home exhausted but he did this every day because he had a family to support and kids to keep in private school. Not only was he a great Dad, was a great role model.

More times that I can count, he’d say “listen kid, there are three things that will help you in life: a strong work ethic, com-mon sense, and social skills.” He stressed the importance of working hard, having integrity and taking responsibility for my actions.

Here we are 30–35 years later and so much has changed yet so much is the same. Corporations are more than ever all about their own self-interest, profit margins, and political agendas, but what happened to the integrity and appreciation for the people that work hard every day to keep the wheels turning?

People are running around like crazy just to pay the bills and it seems they can barely afford groceries, let alone take their family on an annual vacation. At every turn we’re getting hit with another tax. The cost of every-thing, except wages, is going up,

but the city of Seattle still voted to pass Prop 1 with the promise that people wouldn’t lose the bus service in their neighborhoods. Prop 1 gives Metro 48 Million dollars annually for 6 years, which give or take a million, adds up to 288 Million dollars. Please tell me where this 288 Mil-lion is being invested because it seems as though people are still losing service or having to walk 6 extra blocks to catch their bus or their being told to “take the train.” I don’t understand how you can ask for money and then take away what you promised. How do you do that to people with a clear conscience while upper management is making six figures? Where’s the integrity in that? As tax payers we have a right to know how our 288 Million dollars is being spent. Can you say “public disclosure”?!

Do you know that 30% of the Prop 1 money will go to buy new buses? Think about that, 30% of 288 Million is 84 Million, and I’m not sure how much more is being saved with all the weekend service cuts.

When looking at package A and B in the new service revi-sions you see the words, “live looped”… As a driver, what does that mean to you?? More time in the seat? Less bathroom opportunities? Let’s hope I’m wrong but time will tell. We all feel a responsibility to serve our passengers to the best of our ability but with schedules that beat us down, cause us to run late, and inconvenience our passengers, it just doesn’t seem like the world class service the tax payers deserve.

I find it ironic that Metro pays a company to improve our health with the “Healthy Incentives” program in order to “save money.” If Metro really

integrity!!! we’ll See!!Lorri Kurth, Executive Board Transit Rep

wanted to save money and keep us healthy they would give us time to eat, stretch, decompress and go to the restroom without having to run back to the bus while still zipping up our pants.

Why not take the money you’re sinking into a corpora-tion and instead invest it in your employees? Aren’t we worth it? Is there no appreciation for our hard work and the stressful en-vironment we encounter daily? Stress is poisonous to our body, so doesn’t this defeat the pur-pose of the “Healthy Incentives” program??

I read an article the other day, (http://www.kingcounty.gov/e lec ted/execut ive/con-stantine/News/release/2016/February/25-bus-camera s .aspx) Executive Constantine was talking about “building on the progress Metro Transit has made to decrease the number of driver assaults.” The Executive proposed installing cameras in all Metro buses and will request the funding through a supple-mental budget. In this article the Executive says, “It is intolerable that anyone would harm one of our dedicated, professional driv-

ers who work hard each day to safely and reliably get passengers to their destinations… I’m proud of the work we’ve done in recent years, in partnership with our Union, to significantly reduce the number of drivers who are assaulted.”

In another article regard-ing cameras our previous GM speaks about what “fine drivers we are.”

I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I agree with the Executive and our previous GM. yes, we are fine drivers and yes, it is intolerable that anyone would assault us. yes, we are dedicated professionals who work hard each day to safely and reliably get our passengers to their destinations. I’m glad to see our Executive has made it clear how highly he regards his Metro employees; it feels good to be appreciated. Now let’s see if he feels the same when it comes time for negotiations. Will he compensate us for our dedicated, professional work ethic that safely and reliably transports our passengers, his constituents, each and every day? …..

We’ll see!!

6 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

Letter to the department of Labor

7April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

Letter to the department of Labor, continued from p. 6

8 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

one Step Forward, two Steps BackBy Raymond E. Mason, #20997

I was disappointed to see the recent contract with the old logo on it. Particularly, after

the prior two contracts had the new logo on it. It made me wonder; what’s going on here, are we reverting back to the old ways or moving forward in a more subtle way of racism? It makes no sense and there can be no excuse for this to happen except for personal preference. So, here is a reminder of the motion made that took 19 years to become officially recognized by the State:

Motion no. 6461

A MOTION setting forth the historical basis for “re-naming” King County after the Reverend dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., instead of William Rufus deVane King for whom King County is cur-rently named.

WHEREAS, the County of King in the State of Washing-ton was named after William Rufus Devane King by the Oregon Territorial legislature in 1852, and

WHEREAS, William Rufus DeVane King was a slave owner and a ‘gentle slave monger’ according to John Quincy Adams, and

WHEREAS, the citizens of King County believe that the ownership of another human being is an injustice against humanity, and

WHEREAS, William Rufus DeVane King earned income and maintained his lifestyle by oppressing and exploiting other human beings, and

WHEREAS, the citizens of King County cherish and up-hold the constitutional tenant of the ‘unmitigated pursuit’ of life, liberty, and happiness for which many citizens of this county have given their lives as a supreme sacrifice to defend these foundations of freedom, and

WHEREAS, the citizens of King County through their various fa iths uphold the principle that all mankind was created equal, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. be-lieved that liberty, justice and freedom were the ‘inalienable rights’ of all men, women and children, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a spiritual man who believed all people were created equal in the sight of God, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in the dignity and self-worth of every individual, and subse-quently, gave his life defending his beliefs, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a recipi-ent of the Nobel Prize became a national hero whose birthday has been declared a national holiday by his nation’s govern-

we Must do a Better Job in honoring our employees

and countyBy Ray Campbell #01750

continued on page 9 continued on page 9

February 24, 2016 was the 30-year anniversary of Motion No. 6461, a

motion passed by the King County Council setting forth the renaming of our County. In 2005, County Councilmember Larry Gossett, lobbied the legis-lature to make the name change official and sponsored the logo measure. On April 19, 2005, Governor Christine Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5332 into law.

February 26, 2016 was the third-year anniversary of the motion directing Local 587 to send “An Open Letter to King County” (published April 2013 in the News Review), evaluating Metro’s sincere commitment to repair a broken workplace. It demanded an inclusive, fair and equitable workplace for everyone.

The motions are significant in their own right. Both made during the month—Febru-ary—highlighting influential contributions to our great na-tion by citizens who happen to be black and of African descent. One motion initiated a commit-ment for change, the other, a reminder of that commitment.

There was one leader for whom King County would forever be named: the Hon-orable Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He exemplified American principles and shared a magnificent dream that if we are to be a great nation, then we must work with one another and not against each other. This would make it a reality.

Motion No. 6461, however, was much more than just a declaration for a name change;

rather it was an amending for inappropriately labeling this county originally for an Alabama slave-owner and politician, who never distin-guished himself as the 13th Vice President of the United States, and ranks among the most nondescript to hold that position. Nevertheless, for some contemptuous reason, some employees at Metro continue to celebrate William Rufus Devane King, by exhibiting the old logo. However, if asked, they couldn’t name a single positive or significant contribution by him aligned with the American constitution.

I was extremely disappointed this past February (Black History Month) with my em-ployer and Union’s hypocrisy of commitment to workplace improvement after the distribu-tion of our 2013–16 collective-bargaining agreement con-tract. It wasn’t so much that it took practically three years to complete, but rather the cover indicated regression instead of progression. Man…I thought, “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.” The message I took from viewing the old logo on the con-tract was; change is ephemeral and antipathy has debilitated the authenticity of the PACE charter.

Perhaps an egregious er-ror was made, perhaps a huge oversight where neither Metro nor Local 587 is at fault, but instead the print company on its own decided to publish and distribute this version of the contract, logo and all. On the

9April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

other hand, it’s still the writers’ responsibility to give approval for the final draft of aforesaid contract. Besides, what would a business gain from such an act?

There’s a message being sent here, friends. Whether it’s in-advertent or not, it’s a message. How could so many people omit such an important part of our momentous context? The final draft had to meet the approval of both Metro and the Union.

We are a microcosm, a reflec-tion of what is imitated across our county, state, and country. These thinly-veiled remnants of racial discontent should be recognized, exposed, and ad-dressed according to what they really are. Unfortunately, the message seems to come from high-level management and Union representation. These are individuals who serve in high positions managing our day-to-day operations and Union affairs. It seems more like the

fox is guarding the hen house. I most certainly am offended

by this message, and see it for nothing more than what it is. It’s disrespectful and flies in the face of the council mem-bers and others who labored so hard to execute such a major accomplishment, only to have it squandered and disregarded as a meaningless effort. We should be amplifying these praisewor-thy and essential acts of justice and honor, by acknowledging and respecting the people that make King County a great place to work and live.

The apparent denial that comes with systemic and in-stitutionalized racism is fear instigated, but our real enemy isn’t the cultural change we seek. The real problem is if we fail to change the culture and continue allowing these methods of intolerance to go unchecked.

ment to be a day of peace, love and understanding, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through his persistent and unfailing ef-forts prompted passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both of which have benefited all citizens of this nation, and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in-spired people and nations world-wide to strive in a non-violent manner for the human rights, civil liberties, and eco-nomic guarantees rightfully due people of all races;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County: The King County Council, hereby, sets forth the historical basis for the “renam-ing” of King County in honor of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose contri-butions are well-documented

and celebrated by millions throughout this nation and the world, and embody the at-tributes for which the citizens of King County can be proud, and claim as their own.

BE IT FuRTHER MOVEd,

King County shall be named after the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

PASSED this 24th day of Febru-ary, 1986.

KING COUNTy COUNCILKING COUNTy, WASHINGTON

(Signed by) Audrey GrugerChair

ATTEST:

(Signed by) Dorothy M. Owens Clerk of the Council

continued on page 10

we Must do a Better Job, continued from p. 8

one Step Forward, continued from p. 8

Three of my union broth-ers wrote fantastic ar-ticles in February’s News

Review. I’d like to speak to those and add my two cents if I may. Dave Drew wrote of LEAN and Healthy Incentives. I can’t think of anything in parts that hasn’t been tried from bar coding parts and work orders that never really went live to parts $2.00 and less were free (not worth the effort).  And don’t forget several attempts to “reduce stale inventory” by sending parts to the semi-annual King County surplus auction only to turn around and attempt to buy those very parts back.

Hea lthy Incent ives was

pitched as, IF we participated there would be NO additional costs to the employee. We knew that wouldn’t last forever but never thought the millions of dollars they claim to have saved would go towards recruiting a six figure plus Healthy Incen-tives manager, but that requires a degree…or does it?  Not only have our deductibles and maxi-mum out of pocket skyrock-eted, gold status participation dropped from 90% to 85%.  If you Google Healthy Incentives pros and cons, studies show employers aren’t saving money as reported and those that are typically achieve it on the least healthy employees.

Bill Ritter was on the mark

it’s the cost of doing Business!By Dan Boetcher, SB mechanic, # 44320

requesting 1st Line Supervi-sors not work out of job class. They’re trying to help but clearly there has been a change of tide with the added complex systems. More Mechanics and service trucks are constantly needed on the road; they have parts, tools, and lap tops (check engine — check sys-tem — check H.E.V.)  and the knowledge to make the call... continue to run  OR  wait for the wrecker. They also can push the coach to a safe location as needed. The recycle / reset has become commonplace on the road but all too often proves to be a temporary fix. Having a coach continue on route from

what was previously in a safe lo-cation may come back to bite us one day when the coach makes it half way across the tracks or becomes disabled along the freeway, putting customers and all involved at risk.

Cory Rigtrup mentioned the shortage of tradespeople; this is a nationwide shortage. Specifically King County is currently short of mechan-ics.  What they  have come to require of  those mechanics may help explain why. On an average day, mechanics drive new coaches they’ve just laid eyes on, have to figure out subtle and complete changes, how

10 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

This story happened to an ATU 587 Full Time Tran-sit Operator at North

Base.  In early November, 2015 while working in the AM a member was doing a tunnel Route 41 northbound.    While in the holding lanes area south of IDS, our member could smell diesel fumes in the coach, one of the 6800’s.  These coaches don’t have the passenger windows that can tilt in for fresh air.  Our member got the attention of the First Line Supervisor on duty there.  When he stepped onto the coach, he too could smell the diesel fumes. The Supervisor told our member that a coach change was not possible in that location, told our member to go ahead and  perform the Route 41 northbound to the north terminal at Fred Meyer in Lake City. That is scheduled to take 37 minutes. Our member at-tempted to follow those instruc-tions. (Note: At this point, our member should have demanded that, due to a safety hazard, this bus should be taken “out-of-service.”) 

After getting on the I-5 Ex-press Lanes to Northgate Transit Center, our member started to get sick, feeling dizzy and woozy, symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.  By the time our member reached the N.E. 80th Street overpass, s/he had slowed the coach down to 30 mph on the freeway and sent a PRTT.  Our member got a response as s/he was on 1st Avenue N.E. by the Northgate Transit Center.  A Su-pervisor was already “on-duty” there. He took one look at our member and sent our member to wait in the Supervisor’s van.  911 was called, EMT’s showed up, did some tests, our member

had high blood pressure among other things.  They determined carbon monoxide poisoning was the problem. An ambulance was dispatched to pick up and transport our member to Vir-ginia Mason Hospital.  There our member was treated for two hours in a hyperbaric chamber.

Due to the change in air pres-sure in the hyperbaric chamber, there was an issue with our member’s ears not initially “pop-ping,” that same sensation you can get when flying a plane. In this instance, it was much more intense. After this treatment, our member was experiencing a loud buzzing/ringing in the head. Shortly thereafter, s/he was released to go home from the hospital that same day. This continued until s/he went back to work in January 2016. 

Our member was off work due to this “On-The-Job-Injury” for about 10 days before return-ing to work.  S/he worked for about two weeks without any apparent after effects, except for the buzzing/ringing in the head,  until Sunday November 29, 2015. While doing a Route 32 our member experienced a dizzy spell while behind the wheel, as well as the ringing/buzzing sensation in the head.  After maybe five minutes, the dizziness subsided, but the ring-ing/buzzing sensation would continue for almost another five weeks. Our member was able to finish the shift without further dizzy spells. On Monday s/he reported to work and had an-other dizzy spell while behind the wheel.  Called in, and a Road Relief was performed and our member went home.

Our member returned to their doctor, had more tests

carbon Monoxide poisoning nightmare: You could Be next.

Douglas Frechin, Shop Steward, North Base, 13467

done.  It was surmised that something happened in the hy-perbaric chamber that messed up the inner ear, which can affect a person’s balance. Our member was off work for all of December 2015 and 10 days of January 2016 before returning to work. Dur-ing that five-week period, our member experienced the dizzy spells about five more times. S/he has now been back to work for over two months.

We have heard that there may have been as many as 10 ATU 587 members, both Transit Opera-tors and Vehicle Maintenance workers who have had varying degrees of poisoning from car-

bon monoxide over the last few months. They have determined that these diesel fumes are get-ting inside the bus in a few in-stances due to a defective sensor in the exhaust system. Another and more deadly way  is the warp-age of the exhaust mani-fold at about 30,000 miles on the newer Cummins engine which is standard equipment on most of our recently purchased buses.

If you or a co-worker you know may have experienced car-bon monoxide poisoning, please call and report this to the ATU 587 office at 206-448-8588. Thank you.

the cost of doing Business, continued from p. 9

those systems  work and pass that knowledge on. They find design flaws, fixes, and cost sav-ing repairs. They troubleshoot, condemn, repair or  replace components that cost tens of thousands of dollars.  They’re responsible for making enough safe, reliable coaches for daily sign out, work on steering and brakes, often on the roof, tethered to fall protection with high voltage (lineman) or on air conditioning (HVAC tech), maybe work under a rear seat or in the turntable in filth and unmentionables. At a moment’s notice they might be dispatched out and be negotiating through t ight downtown  traf f ic in the  wrecker with a 60' coach in tow or on I-5 helping pas-sengers safely transfer then clean up a spill or change a tire while people race past at 60 MPH without giving an inch. All shifts work mandatory

snow schedules, laying in the wet slush and digging broken chains out of dual tires. By and large mechanics love what they do and enjoy the challenges. The changes that have come with King County’s commitment to go strictly hybrid and electric are staggering and it seems safe to say the additional costs and maintenance required has surprised them, too. 

King County will continue to choose their course but the reality is if they want to lead the way, attract top talent and stay competitive, they need to beef up the apprenticeship, offer real shift differentials and weekend premiums. The most important thing they  could do is match what they are already paying the King County West Point Wastewater (local 925)

Mechanics. As said, it ’s all part of the cost of doing business.

11April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

If you truly wanted to run a company or agency into the ground, demoralizing

your professional workforce, how would it differ at all from what is currently being done? you would install a man at the top all smiles and handshakes who would provide only hin-drances and obstacles to his workers. you would make it harder for professional tech-nicians to get anything done by forcing them to sit at their computers doing clerk’s work and reading an endless stream of useless e-mails. you would blindly engage in a “Lean” pro-cess which would take away the vital bus parts they require. you would push to allow untrained employees to do technician’s work. you would buy the most complex million-dollar buses but fail to provide the training to fix them. And you would claim all was well, even though the number of broken coaches under your watch had doubled.

As well you would promote people lacking technical abil-ity, people skills, or common sense. These would largely be employees whose peers have absolutely no respect for. you would tell them “Lean” is about empowering the employees. But it would be a cruel lie. With no fanfare you would hand dedicated workers a chunk of colored plastic after thirty years of service. you’d make sure that your managers rarely showed any appreciation nor personally handed out paychecks with a simple thank you. Even though your agency was charged with reducing congestion you would deny 4/10 shifts, saving them as “A bargaining chip.” Any technician aware enough to catch broken items missed by others you would accuse of

“intentional sabotage.” And you would make sure that you had successfully created a work environment where people had few true leaders to motivate or inspire them.

To borrow some medi-cal terminology, for the last five years this place has been hemorrhaging. There are some correlations we can make to doctors. As Metro mechanics we keep the buses alive. We’ve gone to school and put in the years of experience to be proud (and anywhere but here) valued professionals. Doctors, saddled with doing clerk’s paperwork and forced to read brain-dead e-mails would rebel. Medical professionals being denied training they require or tools they need wouldn’t stand for this. Those same professionals, being disrespected by mind-less supervisors and being told “any monkey can do your job!” would go apoplectic. But the medical community has wise respectful overseers. At Metro we long for managerial professionals smart enough to realize we’re great at what we do. It’s in our DNA as profes-sional technicians to fix things. The only way to slow us down is having managers that routinely upset us. These time-wasting programs and endless meetings are such ridiculous obstacles to production!

The KC council and the County Executive are clearly not paying attention to this downward spiral. The hemor-rhaging clearly shows itself in so many ways. Our normal amount of broken North Base coaches used to be a reason-able twenty. Now it averages forty-five to fifty-five with an occasional sixty-five plus. Driv-ers wait in the hostler shack

getting Most everything wrong!Dave Drew NB Mechanic #46023

for coaches to come out of the shop. Runs are cancelled. The result is customers give up for good on Metro as they are left waiting for a coach that never shows. Now chiefs are asking mechanics to look the other way on broken bus items. We have been instructed to NOT look for other items needing attention when coaches are in the shop. (Being told to ignore that pool of liquid under the bus.) This goes against EVERyTHING professional mechanics have ever been taught. With the panic of not enough good coaches, known broken coaches are being sent out on the street. When three dayshift mechan-ics find a problem with a bus, managers just find a swing shift mechanic to NTF it (no trouble found). Professional mechanics realize that other mechanics can and do miss broken items. Too many chiefs sit in the office thinking 7,000 mile inspections will catch every problem. That is just not true.

“Lean” has been such an amazing failure here at Metro with hundreds of thousands of dollars flushed down the toilet. Our parts system re-mains a mess and with nearly 10 “crew” meetings a month we remain hamstrung. (To hide the costs of this boondoggle we've now been ordered to no longer code “Lean” meetings as such.) A glaring example of how “Lean” has further nega-tively impacted the shop is my chief ’s “Lean Project” involving front tire wear. Hundreds of hours were spent composing it with Susan the “Lean” guru. Susan wondered why our group that was forced to participate seemed so upset. We knew that this chief was going to make a mess of this, and he did. He

limited our input, ignored the group’s suggestions, and cre-ated his own conclusions and solutions. His premise of what causes tire wear is incorrect. His wrongheaded solution of indiscriminately crossing worn tires was senseless. His decision to not let mechanics replace or cross front tires in the shop, even when they were already off the bus for other repairs, is just loopy. Though there is no writ-ten policy to back it up, he has ordered us to quit doing what is both monetarily prudent and helpful to our tire shop.

For too many years now the hapless team at the top of VM has pushed most of us to a state of mind called “I just don’t care anymore.” The finest veteran mechanics are finding a way out the door. Of those choos-ing to stay many have become “resignedly employed.” They remain fully paid but produce the bare minimum. Now Metro is complaining about having a heck of a time enticing mechan-ics to work here. Decades ago, when Metro was the #1 transit agency in the country, word on the street was that it was a great place to turn wrenches. With management largely unwilling to favor vinegar over sugar, veteran mechanics steer young wrenches elsewhere. They only have themselves to blame. With half of the Randy/John team gone and Kevin leaving before the approaching train wreck, it’s time for a change. The veterans within our union have so many answers to offer up. But so far no one seems to care enough to even ask us. I think they’re really afraid of the answers.

12 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

Letters to the editor:

Dear Editor,

This letter is in response to Metro’s recent Safety Culture Survey. The survey is advertised as being anonymous and con-fidential. I assume that is because Metro thinks its employees might otherwise be afraid to write anything that someone might consider negative. What I write here are my personal beliefs, based on my personal experience as a Metro bus driver. I fear no discipline or retaliation. In fact, I have sent a copy of this letter to Metro Transit’s General Manager, Ted Harris.

I was hired by Metro in August of 2001, spent two years part-time, twelve years full-time, and returned to part-time last August.

I have been seeing a therapist since last November because of an assault. I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disor-der and was off work until early February. It was not because I had completely recovered that I returned to work. I came back to work because King County canceled all of my King Care Healthy Incentives Gold benefits - medical, dental, vision, pre-scription – all gone. The reason? Not enough hours worked due to being assaulted in the course of my normal duties.

My therapist, who has treated many Metro drivers and actively campaigns, to Metro’s deaf ears, on our behalf, was dis-gusted to find out, months ago, that driver security is still being disregarded as Metro writes specifications for new buses.

The safety of Metro bus drivers is the lowest priority for all of King County government, from the top down.

Examples:

Metro-operated light rail cars and streetcars have enclosed and locked spaces for operators, yet even the newest buses in Metro’s fleet, trolleys that I’ve been told cost about $980,000 (4300s) to $1,200,000 (4500s) each, have no protection whatso-ever for operators.

When bus drivers have an emergency and radio for help, we may first be subjected to a third degree (“Say, what is this any-way, another fare dispute??”) after which help may or may not be sent, at the direction of the coordinator, whose responses are dictated by Metro policy. If this has never happened to you, you are fortunate.

If Metro Transit Police (King County Sheriff) are dispatched, it is not uncommon for a response to take more than twenty minutes, and I have called for help on two occasions when no help at all was sent, not even a Metro Supervisor. One of these was a violent physical altercation between a shoplifter and a security guard on my bus at Third Avenue and Marion St. A few days later, I was sent a form from Metro Police asking me

Safety culture Surveyhow satisfied I was with their response and whether there was anything they could have done better. My response was, “yes, next time, at least show up.” I received no reply. The second was a disruptive passenger inbound at 5th Avenue N. and Broad Street. I was able to get the passenger off the bus after about twenty minutes. When I notified the coordinator that I had cleared the scene, I was told that two deputies were responding from down-town on bicycles.

I have been assaulted four times, three times by mentally unstable passengers and once by an arrogant drunk passenger. One of the three mentally unstable, who assaulted five people on my bus, was known by Metro Police to be “always drunk and high on vodka and marijuana”. yet he had been removed from another bus across the street (Rainier Ave. & I-90) only twenty minutes earlier, simply been told to behave himself and then dismissed. This time, he was arrested, jailed overnight, sentenced to time served the next morning and released.

I have been told by Sheriff’s Office personnel that the King County Prosecutor’s Office has nearly no interest in prosecuting assaults on Metro Operators.

Incidents, accidents, assaults and injuries, and lessons learned from them, are never communicated to operators. All is kept secret.

After an assault or other on-the-job injury, the operator is given a packet to take to the hospital or doctor, told to fill out an incident report or a security incident report, and the discussion is ended.

After a bus accident, a determination of either preventability or non-preventability is mailed to the operator by the safety of-ficer. No other communication occurs.

If deconstruction of any critical incident does take place, it is certainly without the input of the central figure, the operator.

These are my personal experiences.

SincerelyDick Ellingson

#11373, Atlantic Base

13April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

Longing for the good old daysDear Editor,

Sometimes while driving the bus, I get to longing for the good old days. yes it was nice to be able to get to the end of the line, have time to go to the bathroom, maybe get a quick bite to eat and another cup of coffee and time to just get out of the seat and decompress. Those were the days.

But that is not what I am really longing for. I miss the days when your fellow operators were your co-workers and not another jerk that you had to deal with during your work days. I long for the day when we waved at each other out on the road. I long for the day that when you got to your terminal, your leader was not blocking the whole lay-over area because they are too sorry to pull the bus (especially an artic) to the head of the zone. I long for the day that when I made a road relief, the driver’s area was not as dirty and nasty as the rest of the coach. (I really don’t want to smell your leftover banana peel for the next 10 hours). I long for the days when I could walk from the coach back into the base without having to worry about being run over. I long for the day when we worked TOGETHER, not against each other.

I guess a lot of my ranting is a sign of my age, and the fact that I remember when this use to be a fun job. yes, I admit and understand that a lot of the angst now days is because of mismanagement deci-sions, societal break downs, former union leadership that pitted us against one another, nutcases and junkies we have to deal with day in and day out, and I could go on and on but I won’t.

I guess the whole point of my letter is to remind ALL of us, don’t make this job any harder for your co-worker than it has to be. Remember we are in this together.

W.W.ReidSouth Base Operations # 20342

Letters to the editor:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Big News! Pot is finally legal! Imagine mowing the lawn one hot summer day, coming inside and opening a tall cool one. Hungry, you grab a handful of popcorn someone thoughtfully left on the counter. Next week you win the lottery and get pulled for a drug test. Then the unwelcome call, you have tested positive.

you get a Saturday off! Now you can attend that wedding of a family friend you have known since they attended grade school with your kids. you are not at work and having a great time. Next week you get pulled in for a random and test positive. No way! you are Driver of the Month material.

Now you are facing some unwanted time off and a whole bunch hoops to jump thru. Beware, it has happened.

Peter Scott 3543BB

Legal pot

Solid groundDear Editor,

Want to make available to those interested information about Solid Ground (SG), the social service non-profit formerly known as Fremont Public Association which contracts with Metro for part of the Access paratransit services and employs over a hundred van drivers who are ATU587 members.

At the start of the year, SG did away with Medicare Supplement Reimbursement, representing a hit to my wallet of over $340/month and similar hits to an unknown number of colleagues. As a part-timer, I now work roughly one week each month to pay for my own Medicare Supplement insurances which had previously been reimbursed to me by SG. This is in line with the consistent policy of SG-HR; namely the mining of employees for their resources.

Part of the Mission Statement of SG is “to help alleviate poverty in the community,” EXCEPT AMONG THEIR OWN EMPLOyEES.

Fortunately, ATU587 is in contract negotiations with SG over a new contract, the old one coincidentally having expired on the same day as the expiration of Medicare Supplement Reimbursement, 1st Jan 2016. So there is a chance to address some of the litany of what I consider to be inhumane working conditions, improvements in which could help to make up for the above mentioned reduction in benefits. An example of an indignity we face is the two-hour window for picked start times, effectively turning an eight-hour shift into a ten-hour one, no pay beyond the eight hours and good luck with child care, etc etc.

My concern is that ATU587 may be overly Big-Metro-centric, understandably given the huge discrepancy in relative member num-

bers. The relevant point is that Big-Metro operators receive about twice the remuneration compared to SG Access operators. If we got double pay, we might be more tolerating of feudal work conditions.

My understanding of Union principles is that take-aways should be compensated with something given back. If I for one don’t see improvements in a new contract proposal, I will be hard pressed to support its approval.

Sincerely,John Ross, #5037

Shop Steward, Solid Ground Transportation

14 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

First Vice President/As-sistant Business Agent/International Delegate

#2 Nate Chappelle has resigned effective February 1, 2016. The ATU International Constitu-tion and General Laws require a Special Election to fill this and any other vacant positions that result from filling this position.

In addition to the Vice President’s position, we may be voting for other Local 587 offi-cer positions. Potentially, other officers can resign in order to run for the Vice President’s position. If one or more other officers resign to run for the VP or subsequent position, their positions also become vacant and open for the nomination of any eligible member. Such resignations must be submitted before or during the first session of nominations on April 7 and are effective upon the comple-tion of this election cycle.

Nominations will be ac-cepted during the April Mem-bership meeting cycle.

Successful candidates will serve through the end of the current term--June 30, 2018.

If you are interested in run-ning for office or in the election

process, the Election Commit-tee will hold an informational meeting at 7PM on Thursday, April 7, in Labor Temple Hall #8, before the Charter Meet-ing. We will also be available informally before each mem-bership meeting in April and May. Packets of important information for candidates will be available at the nomination

meetings and in the Union of-fice (2815 2nd Ave, Suite 230).you can also phone the Election Committee at the Union office during regular business hours at (206) 448-8588.

The Election Committee sent out official notification of these nominations and elec-tions by US mail on March 17, 2016 to the last known

address on record. If you have not received your notification you may request your copy by contacting the Election Committee at electioncommit-tee@587.org or call the Union office (206) 448-5888. Please also update your address with your employer.

you will receive by US mail a second mailing with a Primary Election ballot and a final mail-ing for the General Election of officers (if necessary), election of Delegates to the Interna-tional Convention and the ref-erendum on merging with ATU Local 1384. Each mailing will contain more detailed informa-tion. Ballots MUST be returned in the postage-paid envelope by only US Mail and be received at our Post Office Box before the date of the Primary Election vote count (May 13, 2016) or General Election vote count (June 16, 2016), respectively.

Look for a ballot package in late April for the Primary Special Election. The General Election ballot package will be mailed in late May.

Special election for First Vice president

key dates in 2016 Special election:4/1 Address change deadline for Primary Election

4/7-4/13 Nomination meetings for VP/officer(s)

4/15 Candidate Statements due (for Voters’ Pamphlet/Primary)

4/22 Primary Election ballots mailed

5/2 Address change deadline for General Election

5/5-5/11 Nominations for International delegate

5/6 Last day to request replacement Primary Election ballot

5/13 Primary Election

5/15 Candidate Statements due (for Voters’ Pamphlet/General)

5/23 General Election ballots mailed

6/9 Last day to request replacement General Election ballot

6/16 General Election

comfort Station information updateThe Comfort Station Program has received funding to build

restrooms at some of our most desperate locations including:

1. Eastgate Park and Ride

2. SOdO Busway

3. Westwood Village

4. TIBS (Tukwila International Boulevard Station)

5. Westlake Central Business district (night tunnel access retrofits)

6. Vashon Island

Keep your eye out for a comfort station newsletter where we will share detailed information regarding the build project.

The below comfort stations are not reflected in the new Route Book. They may have been added after publication, are temporary, or were inadvertently excluded. Please review the CS Alerts at your base for hours and additional information.

Rt 148 Grease Monkey (14239 SE Petrovitsky Rd - new)Rt 29 Kiss Café (2817 NW Market St - Temp)Rt 29 Firehouse Coffee (2622 NW Market St - Temp)Rt 21X Taco del Mar (2122 2nd Ave - New)Multiple 4th & Washington Metro CS (inadvertent book

exclusion)

15April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

First, I would l ike to thank President Kenny McCormick for giving

me this opportunity to fill in as the acting Vice President. It’s a great honor and a lot of responsibility; I hope I don’t let him or the membership down. Second, I want to take this opportunity to thank my wife for putting up with me all these years and supporting me in this endeavor. Last but not least I want to thank the other full time officers and the office staff for their support, patience and understanding as I learn this new position.

With that being said, as I settle into my new position I’m reminded of the old saying; “Be careful what you wish for, it may come true.” When Kenny first asked me if I would consider accepting the Vice President position after Nate Chappelle resigned I couldn’t believe it was happening. It was like a dream come true. This Union has always been there for me and now is a time I can give something back.

Let me give you some of my background and experience here at Metro and 587. I feel that Transit and Union values are in my DNA. I’m 2nd generation Metro. My dad, Jim, worked here almost 40 years, as a driver, supervisor and scheduler. My dad was active in the Union as I was growing up and there were always discussions around the dinner table about the Union and Metro. Co-workers would come over and that’s all they would talk

about, along with a few beverages and playing shuffleboard. I can remember riding the bus with him and sitting in a van count-ing passengers. My wife Kim is a Part Time Operator. When I told her to apply for the job I said it would just be to tide us over for a couple of years. She’s been tiding us over for over 35 years now. I hear from her everyday about the stress and pressure she has to deal with. I’ve personally witnessed the toll that 35 years of driving have taken on her body and mind. Being up here has given me a greater understand-ing and appreciation of what she and all operators go through on a daily basis. I can honestly say they couldn’t pay me enough to do that job.

I previously served on the E-board for 2 terms, from 1997–2003 and I’m currently on the Board as a VM rep. I have been involved in contract nego-tiations and served on various committees. I have represented members in investigations, grievances, terminations and several arbitrations, including my own. I’ve run for various full time positions over the years believing that I had the “right stuff” to be a good full time officer. Now I get the chance to see if in fact I do have the “right stuff” to get the job done.

I’ve been working as the Vice President for a couple months now and this is where the “it may come true” part comes in. I knew the full time officers worked really hard, I just didn’t know how hard. A typical 10 to

12 hour day starts with a meet-ing of all the officers to discuss the important issues and to strategize. Then there are the 10–15 calls from members that need to be returned. That doesn’t include the 20–30 emails that need to be gone through from Metro and members that usually require some kind of response. Then there are usually at least 2–3 meetings a day represent-ing members or meeting with management or going to some committee meeting. There’s also shop steward training, bills have to be paid, picks have to be done, seniority lists have to be certified and audits have to be done, not to mention member meetings. Then there’s preparing for the grievances, meeting or talking with the grievant, investigat-ing the grievance and writing briefs for the grievance. Thank god for the office staff up here. They really are the ones behind the scenes that keep everything running. They schedule all of our meetings and hearings so there aren’t any conflicts. They make sure all the deadlines are met for each step of the grievance process. Some days I feel like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest, but this has been a great opportunity and experience.

The reason I mention all this is because of the looming Friedrich’s Supreme Court de-cision. All of these benefits and services we enjoy because of our Union dues could all be wiped out because of this one decision. There’s just no way this Local could adequately represent all

its 4000 members if we have to cut full time officers or office staff. I’m not telling you all this to scare you or to toot the full time officers horn for how hard they work, after all they chose to run for these positions. That’s just the reality of it that I have seen first-hand in my time up here so far. So the next time you hear someone complaining or badmouthing the Union because they don’t do anything tell them they need to get involved, be-cause the full time officers can’t do it all by themselves. It will take all of us, working together to keep this Union strong.

One last thing, I want to give an update on the SIT recruitment grievances. There were a total of 31 grievances filed for various reasons. We’ve met a couple of times with management and there’s been some proposals thrown out but nothing has been agreed to yet. The Union will fight to ensure that all our members that were told they made the list move forward until the list is exhausted. All of the grievances are currently being held in abeyance as we try and resolve this issue until March 22nd, 2016, unless the deadline is extended.

Proud to be ATU!

Mike has declined to run for VP.

The “Acting” Vice President’s Report

Be careful what you wish for…By Mike Rochon

16 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

The 2nd Vice President’s Report

game time … my oh my!By Mike Whitehead

your Union, responsible for your wages and working conditions, a

simplistic and rudimentary statement of expectations yet your Union is immensely more than that. While day to day there are a number of member issues that arise, issues like discipline be it attendance, medical, or accidents, work performance and job preserva-tion to name just a few. There is one issue your Officers are not expected to fail at, to give it their professional all negotiating a new contract. While a number of members have experienced some degree of difficulty in their employment and needed the guidance and protection of the contract or CBA (collective bargaining agreement) the same or greater numbers of members have not experienced difficulty in their careers, yet they are the members with a higher expecta-tion of what this Union can do for them.

So April 1st has been set as the official date to start the process. Is there significance to April 1st? It has been called “All Fools Day” and said to be one of the lightest hearted days of the year. It also has been referenced as a celebration related to the change of seasons, from dark and dormant to light and new growth, so let’s go with that analogy. This Local has gone through the tough times with this Agency, times of no gain to times of take away and we stood side by side with this Agency,

appealing to the elected officials and the public the needs and values of this Transit system. The people we serve responded favorably so now it is time for management to do the same.

Looking back to the CBA that expired October 31, 2010 the economy was in a downturn and this Local stood up and accepted a contract with no gains and only partial COLA’s in an effort to “do our part for the community.” Then the next CBA that expired October 21, 2013; the economy was still shaky but rebounding yet we were offered a contract full of concessions and takeaways. The members rejected it, not once but twice, and management forced us to arbitration. So much for the good of the com-munity.

Additionally members for years have asked me the ques-tion “why does this Local not offer extended benefits for retir-ees, like medical supplemental for instance.” Good question and it deserves a good answer, why not? Currently this retiree benefit option is being looked into by your current elected Union off icers. One board officer has been tasked with researching the options and the first step is acquiring data of the members we serve. Shortly we will be putting the member survey together for distribution and one set of questions we will be asking the membership is interest in this endeavor. When this survey is sent out please fill

it out as openly and completely as possible; the direction we head will be the direction given to us by you.

So back to the upcoming CBA negotiations, let’s go with this baseball analogy;

Our contracts run three years so the 10/31/2010 year contract made it the bottom of the third inning no runs.

Then the 10/31/2013 contract made it the bottom of the sixth and no runs.

So here we s ta nd t he 10/31/2016 contract, bottom

of the 9th with two strikes and the bases loaded. We have had Curve balls, Sliders, Fork balls and Splitters thrown at us and whatever the next pitch is we need a hit and not just a base hit a home run. So the pitcher is winding up…And here it comes…it looks like…a change up or a fast ball…either way we’re swinging…

“Never allow the fear of strik-ing out keep you from playing the game”

— Babe Ruth

keep Your addreSS

current!!(A request from our Local 8 Union office staff)

Throughout the year Local 587 mails letters to our mem-bership. With each mailing sent, the union receives a small percentage of letters returned due to improper ad-dress.

Local 587 maintains a database that in part includes the names and addresses of our King County Metro mem-bers. The King County Metro section of the database is updated monthly from data provided by King County Metro.

If you are a King County Metro employee and your name and address is not current with King County Metro, you may not receive Union mailings. Please keep your name and address current with King County Metro.

17April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

The Financial Secretary/Treasurer’s Report

By Patrick Brady

is the kc operator hiring binge coming to a close?

One of the responsibilities the Finan-cial Secretary has in our Union is to enroll new members. Across the

KC system I meet with a few new employees in rail, facilities, vehicle maintenance, and so on. But one way measure the trajectory of Metro’s expansion and the size and strength of our Union is to follow the number of Transit Operator “new hires.”

All TOs enter Metro as Part-Timers. That was true for me in 2009. Some stay there for a good amount of time, some become Long Term Part-Timers, and many wait for a chance to become Full-Timers. If you’re willing to work a lot of hours (40 guaran-teed) and are available to work nights and weekends to start, and a PTO can pass the records review, Metro has become very anxious to offer you the life of a Full-Timer. yesterday I stopped in on Metro’s latest PT to FT class and asked the Instructor what the average length of employment of these drivers was. He told me seven months. He also added the comment, these new Full-Timers will keep learning as they go…. But that’s true for us all.

I remember a time last year when FTOs at our Union meeting was concerned that

PTOs were going to take over our ranks. It’s probably in Metro’s interest to be handing work to PTOs, overall they’re less expensive employees. But in my nine months in office, the PT bucket is being drained out as fast as Metro can fill it.

Most of us Operators have been aware that over the holidays Metro and the general public were frustrated by a high amount of cancelled trippers. This week I inquired with the higher-ups who told me that current cancellations are within normal parameters. By the time this article finds you Metro will have started their service change (shake-up) and the amount of service hours will have increased by 97,000 hrs. More drivers are needed. I’m glad to report that all the classes this year have been full. We could

easily see another three or four PT to FT classes for Transit Operators. Then Metro usually back fills with new PTO. What does this mean for us?

It means that 587 has the challenge of welcoming, assimilating, equipping the

hundreds of new Members in both the Operator ranks (new to PT and new to FT) and the dozens of new non-Operators. As I said in my last month’s article, Washington State may well soon be in an environment of voluntary union membership. Will you be more than a rank & file member? Will you be a participant? Will you be a voluntary and willing participant? Will you be an Active Member? Next month, I’ll say more about how we want to recognize and appreciate you as our Active Members.

Operator Counts

Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16

Full Time 1622 1621 1632 1651 1683 1703 1704 1714 1740 1760

Part Time 936 948 920 911 895 887 917 970 945 918

Total 2558 2569 2552 2562 2578 2590 2621 2684 2685 2678

Membership census:In the month of February we received

81 new members and had 10 members deducted due to voluntary withdrawal, suspension, retirement and/or death. Our total membership is now 4,063.

Our dues paying Retiree Membership is 509

By the numbers…income and expenses for February:

Our February’s income was $ 301,344 up from the previous year’s February income of $260,195. Once mandatory per capita fees to the International ATU and various Labor Councils were taken out, what re-mained was $228,699 to pay our expenses.

February’s expenses were $201,092. The previous year’s February expenses were $221,157. With the close of the month we a yTD surplus $96,298. Our March will show much higher expenses.

18 April 2016news review

ATU Local 587

I recently had the honor of attending a training ses-sion at ATU International

headquarters. February 26 – 28, the leadership of 5 public sector Locals from around the nation were brought together to formulate strategies if the Supreme Court upheld the verdict in Friedrichs v. Cali-fornia Teachers Association. The passing of Justice Scalia has placed the decision into limbo. What is absolutely clear, however, is that the billionaires will continue promoting their right-to-work agenda until they get the desired result. The Friedrichs case is only the first of many that will be brought before the Supreme Court until the money wins.

Going into the training, I admit to feeling discouraged about the future of our local. In the weeks leading up to training, we began receiving withdrawal cards from some members, including people who have worked at Metro for 30+ years. Each of these withdrawal forms included a “cc” to the Ev-ergreen Freedom Foundation, whose primary goal is to break Unions and give all the power back to employers. I thought, if some of our most senior mem-bers are bailing out, what hope do we have with new members?

As training progressed, I started to think “maybe we DO have a chance”…a chance to engage our membership in a meaningful way, to strengthen

The Recording Secretary’s Report

we the unionBy Cheryl Rowe

child come to work here some day and enjoy the same (or bet-ter!) benefits as you do? Are you willing to settle for more give backs in the upcoming contract negotiations? Do you want to see our Local close up shop? I don’t have a crystal ball, but one thing I know with certainty: no employer is ever going to

give you any more than they absolutely have to out of the kindness of their hearts. Get involved. Come to meetings, take advantage of the upcoming training opportunities, build and encourage a sense of unity within your work group. Let’s get back to “WE THE UNION.”

our local, to not only survive but thrive.

Nice words, but what to do? I believe one of the first chal-lenges is to change how we each personally view our Union. When a friend asks you about 587, is your response “They are doing…”? Or is it “WE are doing…”? The difference is significant. Someone who feels disengaged will distance themselves further by saying “they”; someone who feels en-gaged, a member of the group, will answer “WE.” Our first challenge is to get more people answering “WE”.

Over the years, most Unions have drifted from their original purpose and become service agencies for workers; pay your dues and receive services in the form of collective bargaining and representation. Nice, but Unions are not grocery stores. Unions are organizations of workers, whose goal is to work together to advance us all.

In the 1940’s, 34% of all pri-vate sector jobs in the U.S. were Union jobs. That number is now at 7%. And as these numbers have declined, so has the power of the middle class. During this same time period, public sector Unions have grown from 10% to 36%. Is it any wonder that the big money is coming after us now?

The decision is yours: do you want to see our Union not only continue, but thrive? Would you like to see your

Shout outSMo-Mony Snack Bar

We have heard from so many of you regarding “The Oasis aka Mo-Mony Snack Bar”!! Someone made this “Mo-Mony Snack Bar” sign and posted it in our room. We were so tickled to see this, so we will be using it. We’d like to let you know we now have Jeanetta (sp) as part of our team. All our fellow workers: Metro, Pierce, and PD have made this a total joy. Now: on Friday April 15th the 3 of us will be at “Mo Mony Snack Bar” with cake and coffee, from 10:00 – 3:00pm. We would love for any of you to come and say “HI”! We are aware these times we will not be able to get to everyone — but the logistics don’t make it easy. Please try to make it in to say “Hi”!

Thanks“Mo - Mony & Jen”

Morgan Michaels, #3717

a huge Shoutout of thanksThank you to everyone who participated and contributed

to our COPE fundraiser. All money is going directly to the COPE fund and being used to support politics.

ATU 587 COPE Committee

19April 2016 news review

ATU Local 587

We have all been there, driving a coach and all of the sudden a light comes on in the dash

or an unknown alarm starts sounding. It would be nice if there was a magic knife switch that could cure everything, but un-fortunately knifing a battery switch usually causes more problems than it fixes. From the 2600 fleet and newer, there are many different computers and communication paths that don’t like to lose all signals without the proper shut down procedure. yes the light or alarm may have gone out for a little while, but usually the problem is still there. The computers often require a fault to be present for a predetermined amount of time before turning an alarm or light on. So this being said , now the coach driving down the road is not only still B.O., but it may be causing additional damage and could be putting the driver and the public at risk. One example of many that comes to mind is the 4300 power steer-ing. The power steering will quit but may come on after knifing the system, only to possibly go out while you’re driving and in the middle of a turn. The tow truck or shop truck needs to use a laptop to check the system and find the root cause of the problem. yes sometimes the shop will drive the coach back, but as trained Mechanics we are looking for and expecting problems, not to mention, we carry no passengers. The safest way to keep you and your pas-sengers safe is to call the coordinator and get the shop out to look at your coach. A ten minute delay in service is better than filling out an accident report or worse.

Part 2 by Jeff Stambaugh

Brother Brian leaves off with the “or worse.” What could that or worse be? Let me tell you about an incident

that could have been that or worse. There was a newer Orion coach that had an air leak on the East Hill of Kent, lights alarms and disabled coach. In an effort to “Keep service moving” the batteries were knifed by the D-car. Miraculously the air leak stopped. The operator fired up the coach and off they went headed down towards Kent Rail Station. Only shortly thereafter

Safety isn’t a knife switch awayPart 1 by Brian Glassley

the electronic timer in the air dryer cycled, when this happened all the air dumped out of the coach again, leaving it disabled again. Fortunately for that operator the coach was sitting in a zone when this hap-pened. Had this coach made it a bit further

it could have been blocking an intersection or maybe sitting across railroad tracks. Please don’t endanger our customers, the public or yourselves.

We should not compromise safety to “Keep service moving.”

ATU Local 587

20 April 2016news review

ATU will hold its International Convention on October 3-6, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. The ATU

International Constitution and General Laws and the ATU 587 Bylaws require that Delegates to the International Convention (other than those who are Delegates by virtue of their office) be elected by plural-ity. The number of delegates is based on our membership in the month of May before the convention. We expect to elect 6 Delegates in addition to our 5 Delegates who are full-time officers.

Nominations will be accepted during the May meeting cycle, beginning May 5. All members in good standing who have two years of continuous membership in this local as of May 4, 2016, are eligible for nomination to run for Delegate. Nominees may submit a candidate statement for inclu-sion in the June News Review. These state-ments must use the format provided the by Elections Committee and be returned to the Election committee by May 15.

Each voter will have 6 votes to use on the entire list of nominees for Delegate. Because the full-time officers are automati-cally Delegates 1-5, the candidate receiving the most votes will become Delegate #6; the next top vote getter will become Del-egate #7 and so on through Delegate # 11. The candidate who gets the seventh most

votes will be the first alternate Delegate, the eighth will be alternate Delegate #2, etc. (Alternates will go to the Convention only in the case that regular Delegates are unable).

If you are interested in running for Delegate or in the election process, the Special Election Committee will hold an information meeting at 7PM on Thursday April 7 in Labor Temple Hall #8 (before the Charter Meeting). We will also be available informally before each membership meet-ing in April and May. Packets of important information for candidates will be avail-able at the nomination meetings and in the union office (2815 2nd Ave, Suite 230).

On March 17, the Election Committee sent official notices of nominations and elections to your address on record in the Union Office. If you have not received your notices, contact the elections committee (and please update your address with your employer)

In late April, you will receive a second mailing with a primary ballot (officer elections only, election on 5/13, see News Review article on the Special Election). In late May you will receive a final mailing with a ballot for the General Election to be held June 16 for election of officers (if necessary), election of Delegates to the International Convention and the Refer-

endum on merging with ATU Local 1384. Each mailing will contain more detailed information.

The final ballot (including the Delegate election) will be mailed on May 23. It MUST be returned in the postage-paid envelope only by US Mail and be received at our Post Office Box before the date of General Election vote count (June 16, 2016).

To be sure of receiving ballots, please inform your employer of any new home address before May 2, 2016

you can contact the elections commit-tee for further information via email at electioncommittee@atu587.org or by phone at 206-448-8588.

key dates in 2016 international delegates

election:5/2 Address change deadline for

Special General Election5/5-5/11 Nominations for International

delegate5/15 Candidate Statements due (for

Voters’ Pamphlet/General) 6/9 Last day to request replacement

General Election ballot6/16 General Election

election of international delegates,

First notice