T workers protest privatization

By adamg on Wed, 09/23/2015 - 8:28am

Kris Haight watched the Carmen's Union protest on Devonshire Street in advance of a meeting Gov. Baker was scheduled to attend this morning.

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Comments

I don't want my bus drivers

By About those buses
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 9:56am

I don't want my bus drivers bid out to the lowest contract when they hauling a lot of people around a city street with bikes, cars, and pedestrians to contend with. Sometimes it is okay to pay for experience and competency.

"pay for experience and competency"

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:22am

Bhahahahaha

On her may to work Hammered !
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/04/13/mbta-bus-dri...

Looking to get lucky and high while at work!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/16/mbta-...

Head Stomp passengers!
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_cov...

"We dont need no education"
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_mark...

Sorry i almost forgot my favorite one

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:50am

If you build it they will come - secret man cave at train yard.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/art...

Right

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:07am

Except you get a bunch of lazy a$$holes constantly yapping on their cell phones instead of "experience and competency."

Hogwash!

By Jeff B
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:20am

The T drivers are already crashing due to using their cell phones, they just can’t be fired as easily. If they could, we wouldn’t have nearly as many of these problems for an absurdly inflated pay scale.

Since

By FootPad
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:50am

we're bashing bus drivers... this past Friday evening, on Centre Street in JP, at the tail-end of rush hour, I saw once again the classic 3-4 buses-in-a-row parade that is so common with MBTA buses. But to make it even better, one bus pulled over to the bus stop; the bus immediately behind it, decided to cross the double yellow line against oncoming traffic to go around the stopped bus. A BPD patrol SUV in traffic in the opposite direction immediately turned its lights on and buzzed its sirens at the passing bus. The officer got out of his car and marched over to the passing bus (now both lanes of traffic were blocked) and proceeded to launch into an angry tirade at the bus driver - in the end, he had the bus driver pull over a couple blocks farther up the street and wrote him a ticket.

IMHO - that was justice. I for one am tired of seeing parades of extra-long buses screwing up traffic on small streets, driving around like thugs in traffic.

Baker's panel was devious - leaking that 57 days number...

By peter
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:03am

then "correcting" it afterwards, quietly, when the public had already latched on. That report had a lot of good sound bites that were later debunked by people actually looking at the facts. For example, the 57 number includes days where the employee was at work but not driving a bus - attending a mandatory training class, for example. Also military leave, jury duty, maternity leave, etc.

Didn't the latest report

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:11am

Didn't the latest report indicate that many of the "no show" busses last year were due to absenteeeism? You disagree that T workers absenteeism is a problem?

I know T workers and believe me, they make sure they take everything they've got coming to them plus some. Rigging sick time and overtime is flagrant. In my company - people would be fired for some of the things I hear.

There is a happy medium but no one will ever be able to discuss it because of the screaming from the unions.

While I appreciate and respect T workers who work under some severe conditions, when their union starts the usual antics, I tune it out and I think the general public loses a bit of sympathy.

Patricia

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:15am

Didn't the latest report indicate that many of the "no show" busses last year were due to absenteeeism? You disagree that T workers absenteeism is a problem?

But define absenteeism? FLMA? Sick? Military Duty?

These reports do not differentiate between any of those, it just gets lumped into one category.

And also, see my comment below about overtime. If you can't get people to fill in, yeah the bus doesn't leave.

FMLA and military duty is

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:10am

FMLA and military duty is usually planned time off. To take an FMLA - you usually apply for it, it's not like you call in one morning and say I'm taking 3 days FMLA - at least with my HR experience. Same with military time.

No, this was high absenteeism on the snow storm days. I have many military in my family and no one has ever been called and told to report the same day.

Even the T realizes it's a problem:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/09/14/mbta-...

Not necessarily, if you have

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:24pm

Not necessarily, if you have intermittent time approved for caring for a chronically ill relative. Emergency appt with the oncologist could be a call-out.

Less common, but it happens.

Absenteeism is mostly FMLA (Not Sick or Other)

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:39am

From Pages 41-43 http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Boar...

Workforce issues: Improving productivity, reducing absenteeism

The legislation establishing the FMCB calls on it to address workforce issues facing the MBTA, including productivity improvements and reductions in employee absenteeism, which significantly degrade both the MBTA’s operational and financial performance and the experience of the system’s users. The absence of operators is the leading cause of dropped trips on both buses and the subway, causing inconvenience and delay for MBTA customers.

Operator Absence is the Leading Driver of Lost Trips for Bus, Heavy and Light Rail January – August* 2014 vs. 2015

2014
Operator Absence (Caused 72.8% of dropped trips)

FMLA 37%
SICK 16%
OTHER 47%

2015
Operator Absence (Caused 68.7% of dropped trips)

FMLA 47%
SICK 21%
OTHER 32%

Of $53 million spent on overtime by the MBTA in FY2015, $11 million was caused by the need to cover vacant positions and unscheduled absences.

$7M Unscheduled Absense
$4M Vacancy
$3M Scheduled Absence

The FMCB’s workforce committee has undertaken a series of diagnostic and operational steps that will continue into next year. By the time of the next FMCB report in December, additional steps taken will include executing the absenteeism plan currently under development; developing policies to quantify the trade-off between hiring fulltime employees versus the use of overtime; and creation of a plan to address current vacancies and future workforce needs, especially in view of the aging/retirement-potential of the current MBTA workforce.
In addition, interviews are underway to hire a Leave Manager for the MBTA. One of the manager’s initial tasks is a full audit of the 2000 MBTA employees – nearly one-third of all MBTA employees – who are currently FMLA eligible.

MassDOT

Active FMLA Certification 6.8%
Employee Count 3,958
FMLA Certified 268

MBTA

Active FMLA Certification 31.7%
Employee Count 6,462
FMLA Certified 2,046

The FMCB’s efforts regarding workforce are not limited to productivity alone. The FMCB will also seek to explore issues related to potential volume and gravity of future vacancy forecasts, the efficacy of compensation systems, and the efficiency of current human resources and hiring practices.

Your point is? There is

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:29pm

Your point is? There is admitted abuse with the FMLA. Supervisors not managing the benefit properly.

So abuse of FMLA is OK?

" But define absenteeism?

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:49pm

" But define absenteeism? FLMA? Sick? Military Duty? These reports do not differentiate between any of those, it just gets lumped into one category."

"FMLA and military duty is usually planned time off. "

~~~~
The above shows it is NOT people calling in sick as much as it is FLMA and it is being aboved.

The report does show the difference between FLMA Sick and Military Duty (Other).

It is also gives a dollar costs to the absenteeism (planned & unplanned) and a plan to address the amount of absenteeism.

Steve Koczela made a handy chart

By HarryMattison
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:25am

https://twitter.com/skoczela/status/64649089462820...

Thank you Harry!!

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:27am

n/t

Those are problems with

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:55am

Those are problems with police and fire unions too, but why are conservatives so defensive of them but yell and scream about the same issues in other workers, especially public transit. Should we privative police, fire, all the highways, etc?

Not sure you you're directing

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:22pm

Not sure you you're directing that at, but why is it not ok to talk about public employees? Why so protective?

Taxpayers have "skin in the game" and shouldn't it concern anyone when public employees seemingly game the system?

I will never understand why this is something that shouldn't be talked about.

exactly

By ccd
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:55pm

I think we can all agree with the extremely important role public employees play in our society. However, the difference as you mentioned tax payers "skin in the game.". When private sector employees 'screw up' or abuse FMLA/other benefits or cant perform their given job - its at no cost to the tax payers. To me that is a huge difference.

Thank the unions for your 40

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:17am

Thank the unions for your 40 hour work week, OT pay, holidays, weekends, etc.

Union busting has done one thing - take down the middle class. Middle class people also deserve the right to make a good living - it shouldn't be just for the rich.

Yes, are there some things that unions need to fix? Of course but all in all they have been great for workers in this country.

Nope, thank Henry Ford.

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:27am

Nope, thank Henry Ford.

Nope, try again.

By Tom E
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:33pm

You've been had, anon.

Most middle class are not

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:26pm

Most middle class are not members of a union.

Seeing tax money wasted should be a concern for everyone, especially when the need is so great.

Yes, I will thank the unions of 70+ years ago and Henry Ford for what they did.

It's really hard to take the unions of today very seriously....

I agree. Tax $ waste is a

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:38pm

I agree. Tax $ waste is a concern for everyone but the hating on unions is a tad ridiculous. Like I said, are there issues with them? Yes. Are there bad apples in them that will take advantage? Of course. But do they serve a good purpose? IMO they do. Imagine what corporations would be doing without them today.

Take a lookhttp://www.mbta

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:27am

Take a look
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Boar...

thanks

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:12am

That's what my * post was above. I said it and just deleted it (not feeling it for a debate about this today).

But yes, that 57 number is very misleading because it does include all of what you said. It's been debunked on a number of occasions.

Let's also make it very clear that 100k is a crock also. I know many many many bus drivers, and most do not even come close to that. The other thing that these 'salaries' include is overtime. My bus driver friends work many hours of OT, and that adds up. very quickly. It's not like people MAKE that much money to start off with normal hours?

Why are they working OT? Because on top of their daily routes and shifts they drive, they often have to come in for shuttlebuses for things like the "Winter Resilancy" programs. The money to pay the drivers doesn't come out of thin air.

Maybe if we had working, reliable equipment, OT wouldn't be so much. It's a catch 22.

Hmmm, my neighbor just

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:05am

Hmmm, my neighbor just recently retired from MBTA (in his 50's mind you), would tell me how they rigged the overtime. A buddy would call in a planned sick day (very common) and give the shift to a friend to get the OT. Then there was some splitting of cash somehow.

(Planned sick days???)

Really, I like my neighbor very much but he had no issues explaining to me how the workers rig the system.

Anyone that denies that has their head in the sand. Also, to ignore that it is part of the problem is what makes me, and many others, take the union with a grain of salt.

That's just one

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:10am

That's just one person (okay, TWO people)

I can give you five who will say the opposite. *shrug*

You're always going to have a few bad apples anywhere you work. That's a given. But saying one is a precedent for all is a just a bad example.

I agree with the "bad apple"

By Patricia
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:31pm

I agree with the "bad apple" scenario but it's hard to respect a union when it seems their main purpose is protecting all those bad apples with tax payer money.

I do have a problem with public unions, as you can tell.

And to top it off, the MBTA admits it's a problem. Why can't you?

never said that

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:57pm

And to top it off, the MBTA admits it's a problem. Why can't you?

Actually I never said anywhere in this thread that I didn't believe it was a problem. Just because I am making points and debating someone, doesn't necessarily mean it's my opinion of the matter.

(and my original point to the OP on this thread was about the 57 days comment, not absenteeism)

One bad apple? Seriously?

By Stevil
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:44pm

Where you been Cybah? These are never one-offs. One generation always cares for the next on the presumption they will be taken care of when their turn comes.

Put your

By cybah
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:12pm

Put your money where your mouth is...

Meaning?

By Stevil
Mon, 09/28/2015 - 10:07pm

You need examples? Like I said - if you need examples you haven't been paying attention. They are too numerous to mention, but they are in the Globe and the Herald a couple times a month. Some small, some not so small - but their numbers are legion.

Compensation != Salary

By Jeff B
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:23am

They don’t have to be making $100k as pay to be compensated for that much. Benefits ain’t cheap.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-30/...
[quote]In lieu of higher salaries, employers are offering plusher benefits packages to attract and retain talent, a new survey suggests.

In a report on more than 450 employers surveyed by the Society of Human Resource Management, 35 percent cited bigger benefits packages, compared to 28 percent the year before.[/quote]

Particularly expensive are the generally lavish relative to the private working class benefits (eg: the ones paying for everything) that unions are able to secure.

$7M of the Total $53M FY15

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:44am

$7M of the Total $53M FY15 Overtime Spend is due to unscheduled absences. So 13%...

MBTA bus drivers salaries are public record

By anon
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 1:36pm

As of 2013 here are the salaries for those in the "Bus Transportation" department:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/databases...

I took out the names and the garage they are out of...
Bus drivers are called "Operator,Surface" and here is what I am left with:

Job title Gross earnings Annual salary
Operator,Surface $192,440.45 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $137,046.15 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $118,203.73 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $109,590.66 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $109,392.12 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $108,450.79 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $107,920.08 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $106,926.56 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $106,848.26 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $105,567.85 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $105,175.46 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $105,110.68 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $104,860.15 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $104,669.03 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $104,662.01 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $104,208.09 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $103,800.59 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $101,503.10 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $101,477.30 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $101,460.59 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $100,723.67 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $100,085.80 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $100,002.66 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $99,223.53 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $99,154.25 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $98,607.02 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $98,280.61 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $98,087.70 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $98,071.82 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $97,754.93 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $97,739.26 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $97,652.24 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $97,481.36 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $97,341.52 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,976.13 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,911.19 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,742.45 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,729.78 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,715.66 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,694.26 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,467.25 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,305.16 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,080.81 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,073.82 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $96,047.19 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,978.65 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,883.70 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,379.91 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,304.77 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,160.53 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $95,060.52 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,974.92 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,905.94 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,370.43 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,360.51 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,304.56 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,287.42 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,286.24 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $94,149.12 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $93,895.23 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $93,890.40 $62,774.40
Operator,Surface $93,782.27 $62,774.40

Nothing to do with this protest, but...

By jillian
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 10:57am

Has anyone else been experiencing a lot of bus breakdowns lately?

For the past two months or so, I've been on a bus that breaks down at least once a week. I can count on one hand the number of times I've experienced this before, in 20+ years of riding. I mostly ride buses out of the Quincy garage (bus #s 2_ _).

Curious if this is happening elsewhere, or if I'm just especially lucky lately.

Also seems to be a lot of Charlie Card failures (expirations?) the last week or so.