Magic Show, Clowns, Face Painters, Dunk Tank, Inflatable Jumper! Water Park Next Door! (Added cost) Please bring a salad or dessert to share. Food will be--hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, baked beans, chips & water. Bring your own refreshments or other items for the grill. We have wonderful door prizes---Bicycles, Portable DVD, IPods, Union Lettermen's jackets, Gift cards, and more!! July / August 2009 Prepared and distributed by the Education Committee ATU Local 1005
The 1005 Line The 1005 Line July / August 2009 The news and information publication of ATU Local 1005 Prepared and distributed by the Education Committee For The People Who Know Where They Are Going What’s Inside... Officer’s Corner page 2 Union Meeting Highlights page 3 Transit Safety & Security page 4 Customer Service page 8 Northwest ATU Conference page 9 Transit Police page 12 ATU Women’s Caucus Conference page 14 75th Anniversary of Mpls. Teamsters Strike Picnic Info page 16 Humorous TIC Stories page 17 ATU Black Caucus Conference page 18 Obituaries pages 23 "They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn, yet without our brains and muscle not a single wheel can turn We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn that the Union makes us strong." - from "Solidarity Forever" by Ralph Chaplin ATU 1005 PICNIC Sunday, August 2 11 am - 3 pm BATTLE CREEK PARK 2300 Upper Afton Road Maplewood Magic Show, Clowns, Face Painters, Dunk Tank, Inflatable Jumper! Water Park Next Door! (Added cost) Please bring a salad or dessert to share. Food will be--hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, baked beans, chips & water. Bring your own refreshments or other items for the grill. We have wonderful door prizes---Bicycles, Portable DVD, IPods, Union Lettermen's jackets, Gift cards, and more!! AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY … Where else will you have the chance to dunk Michelle in the tank?! Volunteers for 1 hour increments WELCOME! Email or Call Dorothy Maki 612-379-2914 [email protected]
Transcript
The 1005 LineThe 1005 LineJuly / August 2009
The news and information publication of
ATU Local 1005 Prepared and
distributed by the EducationCommittee
For The People Who Know Where They Are Going
What’s Inside...Officer’s Cornerpage 2
Union Meeting Highlights page 3
Transit Safety & Security page 4
Customer Servicepage 8
Northwest ATU Conferencepage 9
Transit Policepage 12
ATU Women’s Caucus Conferencepage 14
75th Anniversary of Mpls.Teamsters Strike Picnic Infopage 16
Humorous TIC Storiespage 17
ATU Black Caucus Conferencepage 18
Obituariespages 23
"They have taken untold millionsthat they never toiled to earn, yetwithout our brains and muscle nota single wheel can turnWe can break their haughtypower, gain our freedom whenwe learn that the Union makes usstrong."- from "Solidarity Forever" by
Ralph Chaplin
ATU 1005 PICNICSunday, August 2
11 am - 3 pm
BATTLE CREEK PARK2300 Upper Afton Road
MaplewoodMagic Show, Clowns, Face Painters,
Dunk Tank, Inflatable Jumper!
Water Park Next Door!(Added cost)
Please bring a salad or dessert to share.Food will be--hot dogs, hamburgers, veggieburgers, baked beans, chips & water. Bringyour own refreshments or other items for the
grill.
We have wonderful door prizes---Bicycles,Portable DVD, IPods, Union Lettermen's
jackets, Gift cards, and more!!
AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY …Where else will you have the
CalendarEducationCommittee Meetings- 2:30 pmJuly 21st August 18that the Union Office
Executive Board& Union MeetingsJuly 28th - St. PaulAugust 25th - Mpls.10:00 AM / 7:00 PM
Union Office312 Central Ave.612-379-2914email:[email protected]:www.atu1005.com
Vice-PresidentDorothy Maki
Working Together
Soon, Marquette and 2nd Avenues in downtown Minneapolis willbe complete, and we will embark on a new practice of passing otherbuses in the downtown environment.
Leapfrogging will have new distractions and hazards. Workingtogether, we can open this new practice smoothly and effectively.Practice driving with courtesy towards each other every day.
The Union understands about tightened schedules. You are askedto drive your routes SAFELY. You are not expected to speed and runred lights to keep your schedule.
The Union fought to have OCR reports addressed in a timely fash-ion. The Union fought to have you paid for every minute you are late.Please utilize these tools to address problems on your routes.
Rage with traffic and rage with each other is not useful. It gives abad impression of us as operators and, in the end, doesn't solve ourproblems.
Arbitration RequestsAn FTH Operator requested arbitration after being discharged for
violating a Last Chance Agreement. After an explanation and discussionin which he spoke, a secret ballot was cast. This case will be going toarbitration.
Union ObligationThe union obligation was taken by Lisa Pierce, Operator 68213.
Financial Secretary/Treasurer’s ReportThe following members passed away since last month's meeting:
East Metro Op. Vaughn Malueg, 7766Former ATU 1005 President Ron Lloyd
President’s ReportCell phone/electronic device usage are getting much attention due to
the recent Boston incidents. Members are urged to refrain from usingthese devices while operating buses and company vehicles.
Met Council approved a health assessment by HealthPartners.Postings are up throughout the system. This assessment is OPTIONAL.
The MSRS board met last week and increased the time to apply for aDisability Pension from 180 days to 18 months. The death benefit in theHealth Care Savings Plan was reinstated by the federal government.Minnesota and Michigan are the only two states with this provision.
A trial program for rostering part-time weekend runs has begun.Many calls have been received from members requesting a meeting withSam Jacobs on the issue.
Mike Carter, Operator #64088, was honored by the St. Paul FireDept. for administering CPR while on duty.
Several Metro Transit routes have been transferred to First Transit,but even more routes have come to Metro Transit.
Both the Forest Bryant and Vernon Hutchinson arbitrations were lost.
Election challenge update -The Dept. of Labor may be suing Local1005 to hold the Executive Board elections again.
Delegate ReportsMike Qualy, #293, and Deb Sievers, #64222, reported on the ATU
Black Caucus Conference held in Albany, NY.
June 2009 Arbitration Requests
An FTH Operator requested arbitration after being discharged for vio-lating the Operating Policy for Safety. After an explanation and discus-sion, a secret ballot was cast. This case will go to arbitration.
Continued on Page 7
For complete details please seethe Safety and Security Boardlocated in every garage.
Transit Safety/Security Committee (TSSC)Members
David Hanson, ManagementAdvisor, Street Ops Allen Juaire, East MetroDave Rogers, ActingCommittee Chair Stewart Rudi, SouthCurt Botner, Nicollet Pam Hamlow, MJRPaul Swanson, FTH
MayOthers in Attendance
Eric Isakson, TCC Emily Anleu, RecordingSecretaryBrenda Himrich, Safety Mike Lavine and JamesFranklin, PoliceDonald Davis, MaintenanceDavid Larrabee RiskManagementMike McNamara, LRT
attendance: Three major incidentswere discussed in detail. The pointof the discussion was to reiteratethe importance of remaining calm;speaking clearly and informative-ly; providing detailed descriptionsof suspect, victims; describing theincident according to the wit-nessed sequence of events. Thisallows for proper apprehensionand charges filed on the correctsuspect.
How does the law pertain tovehicles making a right turn infront of the bus? Is it illegal? Itisn't against the law for a vehicleto make a right turn in front of thebus if the bus is stopped at a busstop.
Right lane/cars yielding to buseswas discussed.
Some operators want to knowwhy the onboard police officersget off at 7th and Olson. Policehave started riding in the 'SafeZone" again. Collaborative effortwith MTP, MPD, and Henn Co.Sheriffs. The Safe Zone is a spe-cific detail that is all of down-town. There are teams of officersthat ride the buses on specificdetails.
There are several details goingon at once. The best thing to do isto initiate the proper call.
TCC REPORTEric Isakson in attendance: Hiringupdate. There were 100+ appli-cants narrowed down to seven.The assistant managers, diversity,and an HR rep will do the inter-views. Hiring for one position.
There will be a bike rake sen-sor, so they can track when a bikecomes off and on.
Operator absence alarms. Theycan set an alarm saying they will
be out of the bus for 15 minutes.Mainly for S-98s. If an operatoris assaulted, do you notify otheroperators in the area that it hap-pened? Yes, we will notifyyou so you can watch for the sus-pect. A motion was passed thatwe ask the TCC to incorporateinto their policy texting buses inthe area of an assault or an inci-dent, to look for suspects. StewartRudi had a conversation withMike Lavine regarding sendingout a text to the operators to letthem know that officers are ridingin the safe zone.
SAFETY REPORTBrenda Himrich in attendance:Goals and top ten locations for2009 first quarter were discussed.Heywood and MJR are belowtheir goal, everyone else is abovegoal. Top 10 - East Metro is noton the list. Brian Motari is cover-ing MJR and East Metro.
Paper towel dispensers werediscussed. Operators don't likethe current dispensers. Somelocations are usually out of papertowels and some don't have dis-pensers. Brenda will be lookingat the hygiene items at all thegarages at the request of thePandemic Flu committee.
Bathroom locations were dis-cussed. Bathroom venting - thereare bathrooms that aren't ventilat-ed very well. Brenda says thebathrooms are ventilated to code.
Restriping the bays atHeywood? Hasn't been done for atleast two years. Brenda will checkon that and report back to us.Metro Transit won the GoldSafety award at APTARecognition of our distracted driv-ing initiative, and compared to
MAINTENANCE REPORTDonald Davis (FTH) in atten-dance: Lowered left hand mirroron two buses. Will monitor themirrors and get back to us on theirfindings. The biggest complaintthey have received is the glare offthe side panel of the bus. Safetyis concerned with it causing a big-ger blind spot and the road splash.
We have received the first ofthe New Flyers. We get them twoweeks before the production.
POLICE REPORTMike Lavine and Jim Franklin in
Page 4
A trend has been noticed thatoperators who speak English as asecond language are being assault-ed more often. Hate crime andbias crimes were discussed.
St. Paul police detail was dis-cussed.
Locks at BCTC are jammedand/or broken and people loiterthere. If you see that security hasbeen compromised, then youshould call TCC.
MAINTENANCE REPORTChuck Wurzinger (FTH) in atten-dance: Met with Gillig to discussthe issues that we have with thenew 40-foot buses:Street side mirror - decided tomove mirror down. Drivers andSafety were involved in the deci-sion-making process. Rear doors- Met with manufacturer, Vapor.They developed a new decal toexplain how to open the rear door.Side windows get fogged up.Gillig defrosters aren't workingwell. Gillig will work withmanufacturer to develop a betterdefroster. Telescope steeringissues were discussed. 3200 low-floor Artics have all the lights onat night and that causes glare.Shade issues were discussed.Volume of chime was discussed.What was the remedy? Cover ormuffle the chime. Chime covers.Open area above wheel well wasdiscussed. Next year we will beordering 63 new buses and wewill be able to discuss some ofthese issues with them preproduc-tion.
TCC REPORTEric Isakson in attendance: TCCSupervisor that works on theNicollet enunciator buses willcome next month.New hire is Karen Harper. BikeStudy results requested. DaveHanson will find out who to getthe results from. Is there a policy
Page 5other agencies we are lower inaccidents.
RISKDavid Larrabee in attendance:Mirror locations were discussed.Lowered the left side, not theright side. Drivers are concernedwith hitting signs and treesencroaching on the driving/road.Call TCC to let them know abouttrees or signs that are in the way.Trees will be trimmed and signagecorrected.
LRTMike McNamara, LRT in atten-dance: Stations are being extendedand signals moved at stations.Total of nine being extended, toaccommodate a three-car train.By March 2010 all stations will bethree-car stations. Signal overruns were discussed. DaveRogers will go back to rail man-agement and suggest a committeebe formed to find solutions todecrease signal over runs. He willget back to the committee nextmonth.
Communication between TCCand RCC during bus bridges wasaddressed. LRT agreed that bettercommunication is necessary. BusBridge details were discussed.
STREET OPERATIONSDavid Hanson in attendance:MARQ2 Detours. We have hadunannounced intersection clo-sures. From here on out we willknow about closures. More spe-cific details were discussed. 7thstreet congestion was discussed.
OtherSign placards inside the bus.Stewart Rudi would like to haveone that lists the rules. A motionwas passed to have marketing putrules placards up in the bus. Respectfully submitted,Emily Anleu, Recording Secretary
JuneOthers in Attendance
Eric Isakson and John Riel, TCCEmily Anleu, RecordingSecretaryChuck Wurzinger, MaintenanceMike LaVine and James Franklin,PoliceMike McNamara, LRT David Larrabee RiskManagementPamela Davis, MJR
Continued on page 6
OTHER REPORTA motion was made and passed 5-1to open membership and votingas follows:* Membership is open to the fol-lowing ATU members in goodstanding: Operators, Dispatchersand Instructors.
Each member shall be electedby their peers. * ATU members in good standing,comprised of the followinggroups: Operators, Dispatchersand Instructors, are eligible tovote.
POLICE REPORTMike Lavine and Jim Franklin inattendance: Shooting on the 5 linewas discussed. Suspect departedthe bus and turned around andshot at a passenger. One victimwas grazed, but bullet ricochetedand hit another victim in the arm.The suspect was apprehended.Operator did a great job of flag-ging down a passing officer.Called in with information whenhe could. He kept everyone safeon the bus. They were able to getstatements.
Safe Zone - Officers havebeen increased from six to eight.Three different teams riding busesin the Safe Zone.
Businesses can ban guns ontheir premises; can we ban gunson buses? The law is for build-ings, not for vehicles.
Congratulations to Jean Hammonds, #1374, for being the first black female full-time instructorin Metro Transit's history.
Jean started as a part-time driver at Heywood in late 1987. Two years later, shebecame a full-time driver at Snelling, where she worked until she came toNicollet in 1990.
She has safety awards for every year of service, is on the Peer-Support team,and works with the Nicollet Club.
Jean has worked with the Training Department since 1996, starting with then-Coordinator Will Panser, who was followed by Joel Terrell. She was a part-timeinstructor from 1996-2009 and became a full-time instructor on June 26, 2009.
Congratulations, Jean!! Good work!
Page 6 DSSC Minutes Continued from page 5about bikes that block the view ofthe driver? You are free to ask thecustomer to move the bike or callthe TCC.
SAFETY REPORTNo Report
RISKDavid Larrabee in attendance:Nothing to report. They havebeen busy with the North Star andCentral Corridor opening, work-ing with contractors. Regardingwelfare checks off the bus oraway from the bus. Where doesour liability end? If someone isgetting off the bus, if they havecompleted their exiting maneuverthen we are not liable. DVD andDVR are very important when itcomes to determining liability and
fault.
LRTMike McNamara, LRT in atten-dance: Station extensions are inprogress and going smoothly.
New Twins Stadium Stationwas discussed
STREET OPERATIONSDavid Hanson in attendance:MARQ2 Detours were discussed.Contra flow lanes back. Marq isdone from 1st-5th. Left turn forSB/EB Hennepin/Washington thatis not a turn lane. You can get aticket. Two new hires: DemetairsBell and Steven Karanja
OtherFollow up items. Mound bath-room doesn't have a lock. Parking
permits for the Heywood lotswhen the Twin Stadium opens -Dave Hanson will talk toFacilities Management and getback to us next month.
Non-employees in theemployee area. There are a lot offamily members or guests in theoperator rooms. Each managershould enforce the policies at theirgarage. Bring it to your manager.
Parking at night at theHeywood lot is scary for femaledrivers. The lot is well lit, hascameras, and is monitored. See ifthere is someone free to escorther to her car.Respectfully submitted,Emily Anleu, Recording Secretary
CRYPTOEach letter stands for another. If you think X=O, for example, it would equal O throughout the puz-zle. Clue: G=A (Answer on page 19 ) Submitted by Pat Kelehan, Mech #5470
A Z B Y C X D W F V G T G C Y D A H S G K
H K K S Y M M. G C A H T S H F V C, G M
L G M V H M V G N H C, V Y O D W G P Y T.
Ruter Driver ProfileWho is Tim Hnida 65086??? AKA: Squirrel, Mr. Perfect or Garage Mouse, they all add up to Tim Hnida.
Tim is a Part Time driver; 32 years old, hard working, knows a lot about everything and is willing to lend a helping handtype of kid. Tim came to MJR garage in September of ’05 as a part time driver. He came into the garage looking as shyas shy could be but with a loud voice that could be heard through out the drivers room. But under that shy exterior laid akid who could answer any question asked bus routes, bus driving or anything about buses or new from within the garage,all within the first month of working at MJR.
Tim is the person to ask when you have almost any question-he will find it out for you. Many times it is heard. “Where isTim to turn this computer on”, or “Tim, show me how to pull up my paddle board”, or “how can I look at the book onthis thing Tim?”
Tim has a motor that is always running, his brain is fully engaged and in sync with the RPM's, There are times when heis accommodating us with his wisdom that you are unable to keep up with his infectious "lightning rod" personality. Timis the go to operator.
Time usually spends his days at the garage as the commute back and forth (Onamia) with the gas prices was too much.So with his helpful knowledge, drivers are entertained, lunch runs are made and holiday decorations go up/down and thedrivers room is made more pleasant and welcoming because of Tim and his helpful ways. THANK YOU TIM
Union Meeting Notes ContinuedFinancial Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
The following members passed away since last month's meeting:Elizabeth Pedersen (retired driver)Loren Doyle (retired driver)John Van Hofwegen (Retired TIC Rep)Robert Bellesen (retired driver)
President’s ReportThe new seat belt law has been in effect for a short time, and mem-
bers are urged to wear them on the job as well as in their private vehicles.Congratulations were given to the winners of the recent delegate elec-
tions.Contract negotiations will begin again this fall. Members are invited
to submit proposals now.The ATU Annual Picnic will be happening on Sunday, August 2.
Members are encouraged to participate.The Payroll case will be appealed in court.Issues about members arbitrarily required to submit to "Awakening
Tests" was discussed.NorthStar Commuter Rail issues are being handled. A new Executive
Board Member will soon be elected."Due Process" will be emphasized in future grievances.
Delegate ReportKen Dolney and Mark Lawson reported on the ATU Northwest
Conference held in Seattle. Mike Qualy and Tim Webber reported on the ATU Women's Caucus
Conference held in Atlantic City. Teresa Qualy thanked the members for allowing her to serve as dele-
gate to the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation.
New BusinessA motion was passed to accept as amended a "Proposal for Message
of Solidarity" for Iranian bus drivers.
Page 7
Ruter / MJR Scott Lunquist #65015
New Ruter DriversOur recent unlimited overtime hasbeen temporarily slowed by therecent addition of 12 new part tofull-time drivers who will resideon the extra board until the nextpick. Greet Ruter’s new faces anddon’t blame them for less over-time, it will come back!
Lines in BaysWhat do you think about the newline system in the bays? A lot ofstories have been going around.Tell your manager what you thinkabout it-positive or negative.
Food Prices SkyrocketSome of the prices on our vendingmachines have gone up 100%! Theonly way to do anything about it isfor the vending company to losemoney because of it. There hasbeen a quiet boycott by some ofthe food machines. It probably ishard to avoid them completely butmaybe cutting back 50% wouldsend a subtle message to them.
Page 8
Customer Relations Departmentby Ilona LaDouceur and Melanie Benson
This will hopefully be part of a series of articles profiling variousdepartments in which our union members work. The hope is that
increased understanding will bring us closer as a union.
FunctionsHandle customer complaints and commendations - (Customers are, ingeneral, ten times more likely to call in a complaint than a commenda-tion.)
Fare reimbursement - $100 bill in fare box, captured card, compensa-tion for poor service
Qualify Limited Mobility riders based on doctors' reports
Lost and Found
The Customer Service Department handled 74,000 communications in2008. These included:
- 62,000 phone calls - 9,000 e-mails- 700 comment cards, letters- 1,200 calls on contracted routes (Lorenz, Robinson, First
Student, Maple Grove, but not SW, MVTA or Plymouth Metrolink
Categories of calls include:
Operating Garage - General bus and operator performance- Main-line accessible service (tie-downs, PCA)- Careless/reckless/safety- Fare problems - Operator behavior
Non-garage departments- Facilities and signs- Planning- Fare problems - Equipment
Rail Department
Types of contacts- Comment cards - go to General Manager Brian Lamb- Contact Us- Calls - Letters- E-mail - Bi-annual survey
Documentation (validity)- GPS (late, early and off route 50/50), SmartCom data goes back
three years at least. (The customer calling is to report a late or missing bus is correct about
Nicollet
Stephen BabcockMelanie Benson #854
Twaya Macintosh #9002Debbi Sievers #64222Alec Johnson #66034Ryan Timlin #66279
The Nicollet Garage Sale willbe held on Saturday, October 3,2009. Funds raised will be used topay for cable TV service atNicollet.
Contributions are alreadybeing deposited in a special bin atthe south end of the bays. Formore information, to volunteermaterials or time, or to express aninterest in items already con-tributed, please contact JoelTerrell, #716 or Maria Flores,#6942.
Page 9
SouthLiz Goldberg #1630
Thank you South 1005 union rep-resentatives who are ready to fightfor our interests- whenever weneed them!Mark Lawson, South Operations
Tim Dixon, South Service
CongratulationsRichard Hastert, South Op. #416,
celebrates 35 years of service withMetro Transit.
Congratulations Jerry Maki,South Op #9758,retiredthis May without fanfare or priornotice.
Welcome Home "King"Hussein Mohamed, South Op.#2406 and Peer Support Rep. Wemissed you!
July Pot Luck Picnic for EdSeverson
South Garage, July 23 at 11am.Ed Severson, originally fromTransit Stores, is currently com-pleting his three-month assignmentat South Garage through Metro'sTransit Leadership Academy. Ed isalso celebrating his 35-yearanniversary with Metro Transit.Congratulations, Ed!
CHECK IT OUTUpcoming PICK: May 30-Sept11, 15-week station pick/Sept 12-Dec 11, 13-week system pick. Service, Route or ScheduleProblems? Describe issues andconcerns in an OCR form.Discrimination, Harassment andInappropriate Behavior in thework place. Find out about inap-propriate behavior and discoverwhat your rights are in the work-place! Posted at the "ATMHallway".
50% of the time.)
- Video (About 50% of current buses have been converted fromthe old two-camera VHS system to the five-camera digital system. VHStapes hold eight hours of circulating tape vs. about 20 days of storage ondigital media.)
Most common complaints- Operator rudeness (most common claim: disrespect) Rep asks,
specifically: "What did the bus operator do or say? What did you say?What brought it about?"
- Passing up riders/bus stops- Late bus/No show
Note: 75% of customer calls were resolved by being handled within thedepartment without being written up to be sent to the garage manager orother appropriate department.
Responsiveness (once at garage) - Goals: 88% within three business days, 94% within 5 days,
100% within 10 days- Actual: 89%, 94%, 99%
Hours of operation7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F, alternating shifts (Hours will be switched to 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. temporarily on July 20 due to staffing issues.) - - Two reps start at 7:00 a.m.- One rep starts at 8:00 a.m.- Two reps start at 9:30 a.m.
- One rep has 5 months on the job- Two reps have 9+ months- One rep has 4+ years - Fifth position is currently in the hiring process- Sixth position authorized but being held open due to agency
budget. Work has increased, partly due to Go-To Card, where more timeand depth is needed to research and resolve issues.
(Three reps recently moved on, one to Finance, one to TCC, oneto District Supervisor, and two have recently retired.)
Qualifications- Background in Customer Service- Must pass typing test 40 wpm accurately- Must pass data entry test of 5,000 keystrokes per hour- Good phone voice- Navigation of multiple computer programs- Multi-lingual preferred but not required
Note: Members are reminded that a manager must contact a com-plainant to "verify" a complaint before it can be entered in their file.If a complaint is untrue, members are entitled to union representation,including the grievance procedure, to have it removed from theirrecords.
Page 10Training
- 5 to 8 weeks, average 6- 1st week in the Transit Information Center- By supervisor, mostly by fellow reps
(Training starts with supervisor; reps follow suit, usually training their "strong" skills.)- Must be trained on 17 software programs- Learn how to process and qualify Limited Mobility riders (rotated between the reps)- Learn how to work in Lost and Found (rotated between the reps)- Language barriers
Two Customer Advocates (non-ATU)- Speak to groups about riding buses and trains- Meet with Metro Transit customers for dealing with a recurring customer situation (i.e. hygiene, abu-
sive language)- Restricted-duty operators assist in Lost and Found.
New Supervisor Pam Steffen began June 27, 2009 after Linda Bechtold became an ATM at FTH.
Lost and FoundCustomer Relations handled 17,000 lost and found items in 2008. Items get sorted by day, garage into largedrawers, then go onto shelves by date. If there's an address on an item, a green postcard is sent to that address.Often, it is not still a valid address. Items called about go onto a will-call shelf, where they're held for 30 days.Valuables, like cash and jewelry, are stored in a 'valuables' drawer. Items are stored by category: medical items,keys, cell phones, umbrellas, glasses, sunglasses, books, etc.Bicycles
- 75 bikes per month are left on bike racks on buses- These bikes are tagged by the driver, then picked up by a street supervisor.- They're stored at the service garage until picked up by OHB truck, which brings them to L&F, where
there's a rack that holds 15 bikes. Sometimes bikes are lined up down the hallway or stored in offices. - If not claimed in five business days, the bikes go to police auction (many stolen, originally).
ContrabandIf a bag or backpack contains drugs, and the owner comes to claim it, a police officer is waiting to arrest.
Drivers are requested to please tag all keys found on the bus. If they're not properly tagged, often they just goin the receptacle where relieved drivers leave the keys for their relief drivers. Then they get sent in a mass toL&F without any kind of identification. This makes it very difficult for those in L&F to identify them fortheir rightful owners.
- Cell Phones (approximately 150 per month) Those that are not retrieved are turned over to the policedepartment, where they are refurbished and donated to social service agencies.
Strange items- A garden-variety rock was turned in by a driver.- Twice, a box containing a human skull was left by U of M students, who would have had to pay $850
if they had not recovered the item.Humorous
- Caller asks about a route that doesn't exist, googles Metro Transit and gets Seattle, then inquires abouta Seattle route. (Apparently, this happens in TIC several times a week.)
Many thanks to Bob Gibbons, Director of Customer Services, and Allan Cox, senior Customer RelationsRepresentative, for their help in providing the information for this report. The Customer Relations Departmentmakes quarterly reports to upper management, but these reports were not made available to The 1005 Line.
Page 11
Northwest ATU ConferenceThe ATU Northwest Conference took place In Seattle, Washington from June 10 to June 13, 2009, hosted by
ATU Local 587.
The first speaker was John Rosen, an attorney who had represented Local 587 for thirty years. He spokeabout his years of representation of the local and about cases he had won.
The next speaker was ATU International Vice-President Don Hansen, who addressed current events andthanked Local 587 for hosting the conference. He was followed by Ron Heintzman, another ATU IVP, whotalked about becoming an Executive Vice-President August 1st, and the need to grow through organizing to sur-vive and stay strong. Robin G. West, who was re-elected to the Canadian Council, also spoke.
Local 587 members made a COPE presentation.
Meade Brown, a worker comp attorney, gave an afternoon presentation "Labor and Industry Worker'sCompensation" about aging in the workplace and worker's compensation. We then finished the day with reportsfrom locals.
Lance Norton, President of Local 587, told us he had invited President Obama, but Obama's representativescalled and said that he was not able to attend. (Obama was giving a presentation of his healthcare plan at GreenBay High School.)
Kevin Densmin, the general manager of King County Transit for the last five years, said they are one of theten largest transit companies. Last year they carried 118 million passengers. Many transit events are happeningand their Light Rail will start July 18th. Jim Oyak, Manager of Operations, is also a mediator. He spoke of theimportance of a contract agreement, the trust and respect it involves.
Ken Dolney gave our Local report.- We are still appealing the payroll decision, the courts ruled against us.- The Challenge by the Department of Labor over our 2008 elections.- Our pensions are still adequately funded by the MSRS (Minnesota State Retirement System)- An assistant transportation manager, a safety supervisor, and a street supervisor were discharged during
this past year. - Ron Lloyd, our past president and delegate to previous Northwest Conferences, passed away.- Our Hastus program was updated to Hastus 2007.- We will be getting an automatic bus locator installed in all garages.- We got a shift differential in our contract for drivers.- A driver stopped on route, administered CPR and saved a life.- We have the maintenance of heavy commuter rail.- We are expanding our light rail line down University Ave between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Cliff Freed, a labor attorney, reminded us that the duty of fair representation is really just doing the rightthing. He said that, as a union officer, you must represent your members fairly.
- Listen to the grievant.- Look at the contract.- Do an investigation.- Keep the grievant informed and up to date.
A panel of arbitrators discussed cases presented to them and told us how they would rule and why.
Colorado Springs ATU Local 19 is the oldest local in the country.
Rob McKenna, The Washington State Attorney General, said everyone in his office can get a yearly bus passfor $50.00.
The audit committee reported that all records were in order.
Our last special guest was Yaram Bauman, who teaches economics and also does a comedy show. Yaram didhis comedy routine for us. This year's conference representatives were Ken Dolney, Mark Lawson, BrianLaRoue and Cliff Bolden from Local 1005.
Page 12
Metro Transit Policeby Debbi Sievers
"Metro Transit Police success is directly related to Transit Operations success. It is not independent of it."(This is the motto of the MTPD.)
Metro Transit Police Ride Along
On May 2nd of this year, I got to ride with one of our police officers, Anthony Hines. Officer Hines hasbeen with MTPD for a little over a year and has served in law enforcement for about 16 years. He is marriedwith two children.
The night I rode with Officer Hines, he was the officer at large, meaning he covered North and SouthMinneapolis, plus the surrounding areas. Metro Transit only has 40 full-time officers and about 40 part-time offi-cers that come from different agencies.
We did contact a gentleman about a problem passenger that was on the bus that he was on. Then we talked toa couple of DK's (drunks) and took one to Detox. I got to see the inside and see how they book a person intoDetox. Then, there was a call about a possible fight on the 5- Line, so Officer Hines put on the siren and lights.That was fun. What an experience to see what these officers have to go through on a daily basis. I do suggestthat if you really want to know what they do, please take a ride along.
Metro Transit Police Dispatcher at Control Center
On Saturday, June 20th, I went to the TCC and sat with police dispatcher, Brian, #71. He gave me some verygood ideas of what the police dispatcher does and how busy it can get. I was there for four hours and he did getbusy at times.
Brian asked if I could include a little information about what the different buttons for our Transitmastermean. They get a lot of covert calls that are not really necessary. So please use good judgment when deciding topush the covert alarm.
Covert Alarm is for when there is a dangerous situation on the bus, like weapons or if someone is so mad thatyou fear if they hear you talking to Control they may get more violent. But, remember: Control can only hearwhat is happening on the bus and cannot contact you. They dispatch police right away. If the problem resolvesitself, make sure you downgrade by pushing either the emergency button, PRTT or the RTT button. ThenControl can contact you right away.
Overt Alarm (emergency button on Transitmaster) is to be used if a passenger or other party needs medicalattention right away. Stay calm and answer Control's questions to the best of your ability, because when you aretalking to Control, they are relaying all of the info you give them to the police dispatcher and he/she is relayingit to the proper assistance that you need.
PRTT (priority request to talk) is for if you have a DK (drunk), a lost child or something that does not needimmediate help, but does require assistance. Please do not use this for fare box or route info questions or some-thing very minor. That is what the RTT button is for.
RTT (request to talk) - This button is for minor things like farebox problems, route info, or to hold a bus for apassenger, all of the non-emergency calls. Again, they ask that we use good judgment when deciding what typeof call to use.
Page 13Fallback mode is where the Control Center would like you to use the radio only in extreme emergencies (anycall you would make using the PRTT or the overt button). Use very good communication in these cases,because everyone on the bus can hear what is being said. You will hear Control on your handset and also overthe speaker on the bus.
While I was at TCC, a call was made regarding an emergency on the rail platform, by a parent who was sep-arated from her three children. The call went directly to the RCC (Rail Control Center), who then contacted theTCC to have the police meet up with the train. RCC had the train hold at the Bloomington station to wait for anofficer to retrieve the children. Another officer was dispatched to the 28th Street Station to be with the parents.With the excellent teamwork from RCC, TCC, the police and the LRT operator, the children were back withtheir parents within 10 minutes.
In another case, a Metro Transit bus driver in St. Paul saw a pedestrian get hit by a car. He hit the OvertAlarm and was able to get medical help to the pedestrian right away. The pedestrian did survive. (And the buswas not involved.)
There have been rumors about TCC and the police officers being able to see into the buses with the newcameras. That is not true. Yes, the police officers could during the RNC, but only on the designated police buses.This technology is available, but Metro Transit has not purchased it.
Walking the Beat with MTPD
I also went with Lt. Charlie Dodge and Officer L. Keyes to walk the beat with them. They are Safety Zoneofficers. They walk up and down 7th Street from Marquette to Hennepin to make sure that all of the passengersand pedestrians are safe when they are downtown. The funding to have officers downtown comes from theMinneapolis Business Association and several other organizations. When officers ride the bus in the SafetyZone, they only go to 7th and Olsen Memorial Hwy., which is the end of the Safety Zone.
There are other officers who do ride the buses farther. Some have asked why the officers do not ride thebuses farther than they do. When they are on the buses, they have their vehicles parked in certain locations.When they are by themselves, they need to be close to their car to be able to help in case of an emergency. Ifthere are two officers, one on the bus and one following, they may go farther.
While downtown, I got to meet Izzy, a golden lab, and her handler Officer Rausch. Izzy is a friendly and out-going, until she has to go to work as a bomb-sniffing dog. There are four K-9's on the MTPD force: Izzy,Cooper and Bosco (both black labs) and Holly, a German Shepherd. The dogs live with their handlers. They alsogo through training once a year, to hone up on their explosives and to keep us safe.
So, when you see our boys in blue, please give them a wave just to say thanks for being out here. They dowork hard. And yes, it may sometimes seem like it takes them forever to get to you, but remember: There aremore buses on the streets than officers.
I do want to give a special thanks to Lt. Dodge for setting up the ride along and letting me tag along withOfficer Keyes and himself. Thanks also to Brian, #71, TCC police dispatcher, for giving me a first- hand viewof what happens behind the scenes; to Officer Rausch for the info on the police K-9 units; and to Izzy for lettingme say hi and for the kiss on the chin. I would also like to thank Officer Anthony Hines for taking me for theride along and letting me see what the officers do on their shifts. I especially thank all of the officers that workat MTPD for the job you do every day to keep us safe. I know that I can drive my bus with the knowledge thatyou will be there if I ever need to call. Also, to read more about the MTPD, make sure to look for a copy of"Transit Blue," stories from and by the MTPD officers themselves.
ATU Women's Caucus Conference in Atlantic City, NJJune 15-17, 2009
by Mike Qualy
I had the honor and privilege of being a delegate from ATU 1005 to the2009 ATU Women's Conference. The other delegates were MichelleSommers and Timmy Webber. I also had my wife Terry accompany me atmy own expense.
Some memories include Warren George (ATU International President)speaking on several items:
He and other union leaders had a meeting with President Obama amonth earlier, trying to get 10% of the $8,500,000,000 transit stimulusfunds shifted from capital to operating expenses. (The union leaders seemto have succeeded, because some has been shifted into operating funds onthe maintenance side as preventative maintenance.)
President George says the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is needed. (This is card signup to formunions, without needing a secret election.) I had always been against this, since I felt a free secret election wasneeded for fairness after cards had been signed. I changed my mind when Pres. George pointed out that, in the1937 law, a decertification vote can be done by card signing. What's good for management is good for unions. Ithink the law should be changed to have secret elections for certifications and decertifications. Until the law ischanged to reflect that, we as a union and as individuals should support the EFCA. George believes that60,000,000 people would join unions if they could, and that the EFCA would help level the playing field.
Pres. George also said that if he had to choose to support EFCA orhealthcare on a national basis, he would support "BOTH, selfishly EFCA,morally healthcare reform."
John Cosco, from the ATU Council of NJ (a group of 10 ATU locals),gave a speech supporting Teamster organizing at the Atlantic City casinohotels. He said the wage for the employees was $4.17 per hour and thatmanagement figured in collected and shared tips as part of the employeewages.
The work done within the seminar day was focused on U.S. concernsregarding healthcare and EFCA. The Canadian delegate in my
"Organizing your Local Membership" seminar left when her repeated efforts to return to the topic were ignored.The overall function of the sessions was disorganized. Meetings would start late, 10 minute breaks would
become 25 minute breaks. As a bus driver used to being timed down to 6 seconds, I felt like screaming, but heldmy voice.
The business session became a "dump on Warren George" session.Warren George has made nine of his last 11 appointments "diverse." TheWomen's Caucus (65-70 % of the American delegates were black women)felt that this was not good enough, since none of the appointees were blackwomen, even though they all qualified as "diverse" appointments. (As awhite male, 57, I wondered whether George was trying to meet some quo-tas or discriminating now to make up for past discrimination.)
What is needed is a website for the Women's Caucus. We did not haveany information about registration. I went back to register four differenttimes and the paperwork was not ready. A website could have had theagenda for the three days and been regularly updated.
As a Local, ATU 1005 has not sent delegates to the Women's Caucus Conference for the last several years.We should, in my mind, continue being represented. We did provide input and we need the access to all levelsof influence within the ATU as a whole.
Fraternally, Mike Qualy, 293, South Driver
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More Humor from TICA girl called to ask when the 27 would be on Lake and Minnehaha to go to 35th. I confirmed that she want-
ed to go from Lake and Minnehaha to 35th and Minnehaha. I told her that the 27 was going east from Lake atMinnehaha at 8:02. "I don't know where that is," she said. I asked, "Do you know where Lake Street is?" Shesaid no. I asked where she was and she said she was at the Target on Lake Street. I said, "When you walk outof Target, turn to the right and walk through the parking lot to Lake Street." She repeated that she didn't knowwhere Lake Street was. I said, "You are at the Target on Lake Street, right?" Needless to say, this conversationwas going nowhere…I asked if she was with anybody and maybe I could try with them. She got someone elseon the phone, and that conversation went smoothly. Hopefully they made their bus at 8:02.
A man was wandering around downtown Minneapolis asking other people waiting for buses where he couldcatch a "Chicago" bus. So other bus riders told him to go over to 8th Street and Nicollet, and catch any #5going east on 8th Street. He got on a #5 and asked some riders if the bus went to "Chicago" and they of coursetold him yes. So about the time he was arriving at the Mall of America he got concerned and asked when thebus was heading to "Chicago, Illinois." Seems he was talking about the Mega Bus at the 4th Street Garage.
A lady called to ask if we had service out to her hobby farm. I gave her the best trip I could. She asked ifshe could bring her "hoe" on the bus with her. Serious.
An elderly lady called early on a Monday obviously upset about the "fake" coins she received out of one ofour TVM machines over the weekend. She had purchased a light rail ticket with a larger bill and the machinegave her back these "fake" coins. She wanted to know where she could bring them in order to get real money.Nothing could convince her they were the $1.00 coins.
Personally, I think it is strange that people call us to get all kinds of information - everything from whatmovies are playing and where…do we know how traffic is on 35W... or where is the Victoria’s Secret Store inRosedale - and are they having a sale.
Women’s Caucus Conference Photos
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ATU Local 1005 belongs toseveral labor organizations andsends delegates to the meetings ofthese organizations.
In some cases (such as the ATUInternational Convention), some ofthe full-time officers of Local 1005are automatically delegates byvirtue of their office. In others,members are nominated at unionmeetings and elected to those dele-gate positions.
When a union member runs fora position and is uncontested, thatperson is elected by a unanimous(or "white") ballot and thus is notincluded on the election ballot.
All positions listed are delegatepositions unless they're designatedas alternates.
ATU International Convention Russell Dixon, Sr. - Position 1Stephen Babcock - Position 2Gary Bier - Position 3Jerry Ewald - Position 4Deborah Sievers - Alternate toPosition 1Teresa D. Qualy - Alternate toPosition 3Ken Dolney - Alternate to Position4Mark A. Lawson - Alternate toPosition 5Mike Qualy - Alternate to Position6
Minnesota State AFL-CIOConvention Lisa Callahan - Position 1
Russell Dixon, Sr. - Position 2Marlin Jensen - Position 3
St. Paul Regional LaborFederationMarlin J. Jensen - Position 1Richard Steffels - Position 2Ilona LaDouceur - Position 3Chuck Gudknecht - Position 4
Minneapolis Regional LaborFederationCarl B. Rice - Position 1Timmy Webber - Position 2 Deborah Sievers - Position 3 Chris Taylor - Position 4
St Croix ValleyKen Dolney - Position 1Marlin Jensen - Position 5
Southeast Area Labor CouncilTerry Sprung - Position 1Dave Gosha - Position 2
Recent Union Election Results
Get your motors started!It's the 5th Annual Poker, Charity Motorcycle Run!Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), Ride to SAVE a life!
When: Saturday August 22, 2009Where: East Metro Garage, 800 Mississippi St., St. Paul, MinnesotaRegistration: 10 a.m, Pull-out at 11 a.m., ride ends at Treasure Island Casino at approx. 4 or 5 p.m. (Buffet is$12.00, discount rooms available for extra dollars.)
Arrive early to receive a raffle ticket, map, other necessary information and purchase a poker card. Cost: $20 per person Poker Run: An additional $5.00 per person
One card will be drawn at each stop and recorded; best poker hand (5 cards) wins 50% of the pot, 2nd placewins 30% and 3rd place wins 20%. Purchase as many cards as you want. Remember, it is for a great charity.
There was a great turnout last year, let's see if we can beat that this year. So come on, motorcycle enthusi-asts, let's get 'em started and ready to go August 22, 2009!
Raffle Prize give away at the end of the ride! Winners must be present to win. If rain cancels this ride, it'll be rescheduled for Saturday, Sept 12, 2009.
"Buckle up the belt or loosen up the wallet."by Phil Jarosz
In these tough economic times, traffic laws have much weightier consequences. We as Metro Transit driversneed to maintain standards, since the public will notice. The new seat belt law is an example of a law we needto enforce upon ourselves. Although the fine for no seat belt is only $25, the fines can add up to $125.00 inMinneapolis and $106.00 in St. Paul due to additional administrative fees. Be advised that this is not takenlightly, and could be considered in the same category as a head light/tail light out. Metro Transit drivers in thepast have been cited and fined for such violations.
Speed limit fines are as follows: 1-10 mph over the limit - $121.00
11-14 mph over the limit - $131.0015-19 mph over the limit - $141.0020-25 mph over the limit - $221.0026-30 mph over the limit - $381.00
Other moving violations include:Inattentive Driving/Failure to Use Due Care - $121.00Stop sign/Semaphore - $131.00Failure to yield right of way - $131.00Possession of a small amount of Marijuana (Priceless) - $231.00Alcohol consumption ...Duh (Metro Transit Police officers enforce this law.)
Parking tickets have a high cost @ $5.00 a day until $50.00 is reached, when your license is suspended.Don't get caught with your license revoked. It is your meal ticket.
We are who the public sees, so let's set a good example - and spend our money wisely.
This is brought to you as a public service to encourage and promote Metro Transit standards.
A reminder: In addition to these violations leading to tickets and fines, some are Metro Transit violationsand could count against one's record at work.
New Education Committee MemberTwaya McIntosh, Driver 9002, Nicollet
Hi, my name is Twaya V. McIntosh, better known as “T.” I’mone of the newest members of the Education Committee, and I’ll bereally happy to be able to collect and share some old memories ofTwin Cities history.
Yes, you’ve got it, I was born here - at the old General Hospital, inthe early 50’s.
My first experience with the schools was Adams Elementary, whereI went from Kindergarten to sixth grade. (For those of you familiarwith the route number 2, the building still sits at Bloomington andFranklin Avenues.) I attended Ramsey Junior High, spent two years at
Washburn High (on 50th Street and Nicollet), then graduated from South High.
I came to work at Metro Transit the very first day of January 1990. After the first strike, I found the need toget involved with our union, and I try not to miss meetings.
I’ll stay tuned – and if you’ve got any good history about Minneapolis, you can reach me at Nicollet Garage,where I work vacation hold-downs, or via e-mail: [email protected]
Peace – love and understanding T - 9002
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ATU Black Caucus Conference-by Debbi Sievers
The ATU Black Caucus Conference was held in Albany, New York this year. I had the privilege to go withTommy Bellfield and Mike Qualy.
Our trip started out when we met at the airport. We got on an earlier flight to Chicago, so we would not haveto run through the airport to get to our Albany flight. When we reached Chicago, we found that our flight wascancelled. So we had to go stand-by. Our flight should have left at 1:30 pm and we finally got on a flight at 7:45that night. After finally arriving at our destination, Mike and I went for a walk the first morning to check out alittle bit of Albany.
Thursday was registration day. This year's Caucus was dedicated to the memory of ATU Brother BrucePittman Foster, who passed away on March 19th, 2009. Thursday night, we went to a new delegates' meeting,followed by a meet- and- greet with music and hors d'oeuvres. During the day we went on a trolley ride to seewhat this great city was all about. I personally would love to go back and see more of Albany. They do not teardown old buildings to make room for new. They treat their old buildings with love and care. Albany is a very bigDutch colony town.
Friday was the first meeting day where everyone dressed in business attire. We listened to speakers. Theseincluded: ATU International President Warren George; Michael J. Siano, ATU International Executive VicePresident; ATU International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens; David A. Patterson, the governor of New York,who is the first black and blind governor of New York State; and the presidents of the two host locals, Local1321's Steven Green and Local 1056's Ed Figueroa. We went to the Saratoga Racetrack that night. (Thought Iwould bring back some New York money, but that did not happen.)
Saturday we had another full day of business. Corliss Olson, from School for Workers, educated us on thelistening and communication skills. We had a very good lunch that the International set up for us. After lunch,they announced the winners for the Scholarships and talked about Mr. Foster. We returned to the meeting andheard proposals. The site of next year's Caucus Conference was voted on at that time. It will be in Detroit,Michigan. There was other business, as well.
That night Tommy and I attended a very elegant and very dressy dinner dance. Although there was lots ofdancing, I did not dance - but Tommy can really get his groove on.
We left on Sunday. Mike left on an earlier flight because his daughter graduated from college. (Congrats!)Tommy and I went to the breakfast they had and then went to the airport. We got to Chicago and found that ourflight was DELAYED! Michelle, Dan and Dorothy showed up and we all sat, waiting for the flight.
I again want to thank the membership for the opportunity to go to this year's Black Caucus Conference. Ilearned a lot, met some great people and collected more local pins for my hat.
Answer To CRYPTO:MY PET FROG HADA TERMINAL ILL-NESS. AT MID-NIGHT, AS WAS HISHABIT, HECROAKED.
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08/27/84 Paul Poppie, NIC Sr. Mech. 519608/27/84 Edwin Pedersen, SO Gen. Disp. 166208/28/84 David Durow, OHB Motor Builder 514608/29/84 Matthew Homan, OHB Mech. 523708/29/84 Jerrold Learn, NIC Mech. 5238
Thirty years08/01/79 Carolyn Maier, FTH Bus Op. 110408/01/79 Renae Smith, FTH Bus Op. 110308/06/79 Rodney Pederson, EM Bus Op. 111408/06/79 Sylvia Roth, Mpls. Transit Store Cashier 306408/06/79 Thadore Stephney, EM Instr. 110908/17/79 Delroy Schafer, MOW Bldg. Elec. App. Floater512108/20/79 Carolyn Fehrman, EM Bus Op. 114508/22/79 Dale Woodcock, MJR Sr. Mech. 514108/30/79 Michael Humphreys, NIC Mech. 5154
Thirty-five years08/03/74 Thomas Wannarka, FTH Bus Op. 47608/05/74 James Dalton, NIC Bus Op. 47708/05/74 Glenn Goetz, EM Bus Op. 2698
September 2009Five years 09/11/04 Teng Moua, NIC Bus Op. 6436409/11/04 Shaunece Smith, MJR Bus Op. 6434109/11/04 David Weros, EM Bus Op. 6434409/13/04 Stryker Fedorowski, EM Bus Op. 6435209/13/04 Daniel Feleke, EM Bus Op. 6435309/13/04 Donald Rossebo, SO Bus Op. 6434809/13/04 Thai Yang, EM Bus Op. 6435509/13/04 See Yang, EM Bus Op. 6434709/13/04 Russell Cage, FTH Cleaner I 6436609/25/04 Megersa Gibe, NIC Bus Op. 6439709/25/04 Christine Ingram, NIC Bus Op. 6437909/25/04 James Warner, SO Bus Op. 6439809/25/04 Abdelawel Seed, LRT Janitor 6437709/27/04 Abdullah Ali, EM Bus Op. 6439309/27/04 Michael Dicosimo, EM Bus Op. 6438509/27/04 Abdellatif El Maarouf, SO Bus Op. 6439209/27/04 Michael Gray, NIC Bus Op. 6438609/27/04 Carol J Swenson, FTH Bus Op. 6439009/27/04 Thomas Thao, EM Bus Op. 6440009/27/04 Xoteng Yang, EM Bus Op. 6440309/27/04 Dale Heidelberger, LRT Electro-Mech. Tech.6437509/27/04 Aisha Dancy, TIC Rep. 6436809/27/04 Tonia McRaven, TIC Rep. 64370
Ten years09/11/99 Jonathan Dumenya, EM Bus Op. 696109/11/99 Ervin Spevacek, FTH Bus Op. 695809/13/99 Billy F McLean, MJR Bus Op. Retired 701509/13/99 Julius Gronau, EM Mech. 557809/13/99 Clyde Gillespie, OHB Elec. Repair Tech. 3646
RetirementsCongratulations to April Retirees
04/04/09 Joyce (Joy) Fuller, SO Bus Op. 44004/04/09 Roderick Keith, OHB Janitor 104304/03/09 Nicholas Paulus, SO Mech. Tech. 535404/04/09 William Tischner, MJR Helper III 932104/27/09 Brian Lundgren, MJR Bus Op. 971504/29/09 Merrill Bebo, MJR Bus Op. 971804/09/09 Virgil Westlund, MJR Bus Op. 65177
Congratulations to May Retirees05/02/2009 Daniel Achman, SO Mech. Tech. 544805/02/2009 Patricia Pack, EM Bus Op. 596005/02/2009 Jeffrey Stone, NIC Bus Op. 963405/16/2009 Harold Bogotty, EM Cleaner III 513805/23/2009 Jerome Maki, SO Bus Op. 975805/29/2009 Darrell Knosalla, NIC Bus Op. 92205/30/2009 Steven Oman, MJR Fac. Tech. 01486
Congratulations to Employees CelebratingAnniversariesAugust 2009
Five years 08/02/04 Michael J. Erickson, LRT Pt. and Body Electro-Mech. Tech. 6426608/02/04 Earnest Robinson, EM Mech. 6428808/02/04 Lisa Sovde, FTH Off. Asset Mgmt. Clerk6429508/07/04 Abdirazaq Abdulle, NIC Bus Op. 6429908/07/04 Carlisha Lyles, FTH Bus Op. 6429808/07/04 Abdinasir Mohamud, NIC Bus Op. 6429708/07/04 Benjamin E Poole, EM Bus Op. 6430308/09/04 Steven Bringe, Nic. Bus Op. 6432008/09/04 Tsultrim Karpoche, SO Bus Op. 6430608/09/04 Seth Keyes-Taylor, FTH Bus Op. 6431808/09/04 Leon LeCuyer, MJR Bus Op. 6432608/09/04 Otis Meneese, FTH Bus Op. 6431608/09/04 Eugene Stroot, FTH Bus Op. 6430908/09/04 Chou Thao, EM Bus Op. 6431108/09/04 Darsalle Warren, FTH Bus Op. 6430808/09/04 Tyra Iverson, TIC Rep. 6431008/21/04 Shaunte' Johnson, NIC Bus Op. 6433010/11/04 Yuk Kwan Yau, SO Helper III 64305
Ten years 08/02/99 Aziz Habibovich, FTH Bus Op. 694408/16/99 Michael Altendorf, EM Mech. 5577
Fifteen years08/23/94 Stephen Eidsmoe, SO Bus Op. 6446
Twenty-Five years08/02/84 John Powell, EM Janitor 330708/27/84 Clement Schwintek, EM Bus Op. 1661
09/20/99 Haile Tesfaye, NIC Mech. 557909/27/99 Gayle Gilman, NIC Bus Op. 697709/27/99 George Hamilton, EM Bus Op. 697409/27/99 Hernandez Hill, FTH Bus Op. 697209/27/99 Jason Davis, OHB Mech. 6978
Fifteen years09/03/94 Oscar Turner, NIC Bus Op. 645909/06/94 Steven Gilman, NIC Bus Op. 646209/06/94 Steven Tangen, EM Stockkeeper 646409/21/94 Kevin Davis, FTH Bus Op. 647309/21/94 Richard Price, SO Bus Op. 647209/26/94 Gary Merchant, EM Bus Op. 6476
Twenty years09/05/89 David Rasmussen, EM Bus Op. 896909/05/89 Timothy Patrin, EM Sr. Mech. 897009/18/89 William Byrd, FTH Bus Op. 897509/18/89 Mark Patrick, Public Facility Maint. Worker8976
Twenty-five years09/04/84 Howard Foxx, FTH Bus Op. 1664
09/04/84 Kham Seung Phanthavong, SO Bus Op. 166309/04/84 Ronald Roth, NIC Bus Op. 166609/04/84 Donald Dobis, SO Mech. 525809/17/84 Michael Modahl, OHB Trans. Overhaul Spec.528409/22/84 Daniel Hawkins, SO Mech. 3308
Thirty years09/10/79 Marnell K Wilber, MJR Bus Op. 115709/10/79 Steve Schurmeier, SO Mech. 524209/10/79 Larry Pederson, SO Mark-Up Disp. 116209/17/79 Randall Burzynski, FTH Bus Op. 117009/17/79 Charles Greer, FTH Bus Op. 117809/17/79 Terry Isensee, FTH Bus Op. 118209/17/79 Birkett Jackson, FTH Senior Mech. 1183
Thirty-five years09/03/74 Michael Cope, MJR Sr. Mech. 152009/03/74 Jay Capistrant, FTH Pass. Sampling Clerk 316809/16/74 Steven Hopkins, IC Shelter Maint. Mech. 152809/23/74 Howard Melco, OHB Sr. Mech. 5137
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Submissions for Letters to the Editor are subject to approval of theEditorial Board and space considerations. Letters to the Editor aresolely the opinion of the author and do not represent endorsementby ATU Local 1005 or the Education Committee. If you have aneditorial to submit, please contact a committee member or ouradvisor Dorothy Maki at: [email protected]
LettersTo TheEditor
Don't call me Operator
When I was hired in 1976 I was given the badge number 854. I've been Driver 854 ever since and, as far asI'm concerned, I'll be Driver 854 when I retire - and beyond.
Somewhere along the way we drivers started being referred to as "operators." I don't like this designation.An operator is a person who operates a piece of machinery. We do much more than that. We drive people toand fro, and we use a bus to do that. It's a fundamental difference. If I were simply operating a piece ofmachinery, I wouldn't like my job. What makes the job endlessly fascinating and rewarding is working with thepeople. We perform a public service by providing customer service.
While I'm at it, let me express my displeasure with the design of the new low-floor buses, which move thepassengers much farther from the driver and thereby move the driver closer to being an operator.
Melanie Benson, Driver 854, Nicollet Garage
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Diversity and Discriminationby Deborah Sievers - 64222
Diversity: the inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races, cultures, religious beliefs and orienta-tions) in a group or organization; an instance of being diverse; diversity of opinion.
Discrimination: the act, practice, or an instance of discriminating categorically rather than individually; preju-diced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment.
I have been thinking a lot about these two words lately. When we work at a job where we have to dealwith all kinds of people, why is there still the worry of discrimination?
Are we all different? Yes. Do we breathe the same air and bleed the same color of blood? Ye, Unlesssomeone is an alien from outer space, I would think so. Don't we all have feelings that can be hurt or boostedby a kind word? Yes. So why do we look at people and think bad things about them?
If we were all the same, think how boring this world would be. We would all talk, walk and look the same.We would like and believe in the same things. What fun would that be? I like learning new things and seeingdifferent things through the eyes of others.
So, in reality, it does not matter what color our skin is, what religion we are or who we choose to love andhave in our lives. It does matter that we are all human and have the rights to be respected and not have peoplelook down on us, as I would hope that no one would look down on others.
I am going to close now with this: I would love to live in diversity and not discriminate, because - nomatter what - we all live in this world together.
The annual GLBT PrideFestival and Parade was heldJune 27th and 28th of 2009.We had the State Fair bus thisyear. Michael Crosby drovethe bus. The rest of us(Dorothy Maki, her friendLori, Kelci Stones fromMarketing, Christina fromGraphics, Melanie Benson andMark , and I) walked in theparade handing out candy andbookmarks this year.
I want to thank thesepeople who took timeout of their Sunday tocome walk with us.Hope to see more nextyear.
Van Hofwegen, John W., age 59 of Plymouth. Survived by wife, Carol; son, Paul(Danette) Van Hofwegen; daughter, Rachel (Mitch) DeMars; stepdaughter, Tonya (Matt)Dubbin; grandchildren, Casey and Allison DeMars, Andy and Paige Dubbin; sisters andbrothers, Marian (Donald) Connelly, Nancy Lewis, Bastian "Sonny", Fred (Sandy) andJames Van Hofwegen; also survived by many nieces, nephews, and friends. Preceded indeath by parents, Bastian and Ada Van Hofwegen. John was a member of Paul RevereMasonic Lodge. He enjoyed fishing, traveling, motorcycling, reading, and his beloved cats,
Tawny, Missy, Romeo and Juliet. Memorials preferred to American Cancer Society or donor's choice. John was a full-time operator and served briefly (but well) on the Education Committee. His health forced
him to give up driving, and he worked in TIC for about a year. He has two brothers working at Metro Transit:James 'Van', MJR operator, and Bastian, Nicollet operator who retired in March of 2008.
In Memoriam
Loehrs, Lyle passed away June 28, 2009 following a long battle with cancer. Lyle was hired in Nov.1975 andretired from Building Maintenance at Heywood on June 11, 2007. Lyle requested a private funeral with onlyimmediate family present.
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Bellesen, Robert William, age 78, of Minneapolis. Retired FTH Operator #2627, Robert washired December 1984 and retired July 1996. He passed away May 26,2009. Robert is sur-vived by his loving wife, Frances Smith Bellesen; his children, Valerie Lambkins, David F.Smith, Robert E. Bellesen, Richard F. Bellesen (Mae), Pamela G. Alexander (Albert); his sib-lings, Francis Bellesen (Grace), Carolee Bellesen, Gladys McGowan and a number of grand-children, great-grandchildren, great- great-grandchildren; nephews, nieces and friends. Robertwas cared for during his illness by his wife and dedicated grandson, Jerald A. Smith.
Pederson, Elizabeth, age 91, passed away June 24, 2009. She was a 44-year retired member of Local 1005.Ethel was born November 17, 1917 to William Cecil and Viola Thaxton Cummins in Midland, South Dakota.The family moved to Hutchinson, Minnesota where Ethel attended school. She attended beauty school and mar-ried James Duffy. To this marriage two children were born, Robert James "Bobby" and Lois Jean. Jim passedaway in 1957. In 1960, Ethel married Luther "Mickey" Pederson. They lived in the Minneapolis area until theirretirement in 1980, when they moved to their lake home on Lake Mille Lacs in Wahkon, Minnesota. Theymoved to Alamo, Texas in 1991. Ethel enjoyed fishing, boating, snowmobiling, playing cards, going on cruises,and spending time with family and friends. She loved cooking and was well known for her wonderful meals.Ethel was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jim; son, Bobby; brothers, Harold, Lawrence, and ElvisCummins and sister, Lillian Benjamin. She is survived by husband, Luther; daughter, Lois (Roy) Hansen; sister-in-law, Harriet Cummins; step-daughter, Carol Pederson; step-son, Gary (Pamela) Pederson; granddaughters,Cindy (Mike) Young, Katina (Paul) Lamberty, Karie (Bob) Thomas; seven great-grandsons and two great-grand-daughters.
Doyle, Loren, retired member. No further information available.
Evjen, Harry L., age 87, of Minneapolis, passed away June 22, 2009. He was a TrolleyCar/Retired Bus Driver with the MTC. Harry was a member of the American Legion andVFW. He was preceded in death by long-time special friend, Anora Nelson; brother, AlvinEvjen; and son-in-law, Richard Peterson. He is survived by daughters, Rebecca Osunkoya(Tim Clark) and Barbara Peterson; grandchildren, Omolola, Naomi, Andrea and Jesse; sister,Barbara Ulman (Ken); former wife, Naomi Schmidt; many nieces and nephews.
DRUG TESTING RIGHTSIf you do not use the specific wording when you request results from a positive drug test, the agency has no obligation to comply.All they are required to do is give you a paper stating the results are positive. Every employee has the legal right to request, in writ-ing to the Medical Review Officiers (MRO), copies of: the Litigation Package* of the initial test. (this will tell you how your testturned up positive); the Confirmation (breaks results down into specific levels); the Threshold levels (baseline of all tests)
The Litigation Package can be nearly 100 pages of technical data, which cannot be analzed or understood by a layperson, includingunion officers. Professional interpetation is available at member’s expense, starting at about $50 minimum.
WEINGARTEN RIGHTS STATEMENTIf disciplinary action is suspected, read this statement to your foreman: I request to have a union representative present on my behalfduring this meeting because I believe it may lead to disciplinary action taken against me. If I am denied my right to have a unionrepresentative present, I will refuse to answer accusational questions and any I believe may lead to discipline.
