Prepared and distributed by the Education Committee ATU Local 1005 The news and information publication of "It is we who plowed the prairies; built the cities where they trade; Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of rail- road laid; Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made; But the union makes us strong." - from "Solidarity Forever" by Ralph Chaplin Continuedon page 19 By Melanie Benson, Driver 854 For The People Who Know Where They Are Going
The 1005 Line The 1005 Line September / October 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 ATU Latino Caucus Conerence page 6 Downtown Improvement District page 10 ATU Local 1005 Picnic pages 11, 12, 13 My Mortgage Nightmare!!!!! page 14 75th Anniversary of Mpls. Teamsters Strike pages 15, 16, 17 Overall Record page 18 2009 State Bus Roadeo page 22 Obituaries page 27 "It is we who plowed the prairies; built the cities where they trade; Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of rail- road laid; Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made; But the union makes us strong." - from "Solidarity Forever" by Ralph Chaplin Surprise Tornado Strikes South Minneapolis Chaos on the Street and in the Control Center Two Perspectives By Melanie Benson, Driver 854 On Wednesday, August 19, I was driving the 23-line westbound on 38th Street at Chicago Avenue, heading for 38th and Nicollet, where I was scheduled to be relieved at 2:10 p.m. Because of the detour between 23rd Avenue and Bloomington Avenue, and the heavy, welcome, soaking rain, I was running a few minutes late, so I probably left Chicago at about 2:10. I looked ahead to see the flashing lights of some type of emergency vehicle close to 4th Avenue, and I thought there might have been some type of accident. The eastbound driver flagged me down and suggested I might not be able to get through on 38th, so I may have to go around. He may have said something about downed power lines. "No problem," I thought, "I'll just make a left on Portland and go over to 3rd Avenue and back to 38th Street." As I made the turn onto Portland, I was astounded to see trees down along Portland, so I drove to 39th to make a right, only to see trees down across 39th Street like railroad ties. The street was completely impassable. The same was true with 40th, and 41st. I was in shock. What had just happened here? I was exclaiming to my six or seven passengers, "Look at that! Oh, my god!" and immediate- ly called the Control Center and told them what I was seeing. The super- visor said, "Yeah, we heard there's some funny weather out there. We have a street supervisor checking it out." Funny weather ? I had just told them there were trees down everywhere!! I looked up to see that a gigantic tree had fallen across Portland at 42nd Street, completely blocking the road. I saw the street supervisor driving around at 41st Street, and was glad that someone official was on the scene. I jumped off the bus, not knowing what had happened or which way to go, and spoke to a Park Police officer, who informed me that there had been a tornado and that I wouldn't be able to proceed to the west, recommending that I go back east to Chicago Avenue, and then south to 46th Street and over to Nicollet, which I did. I couldn't believe the devastation I was seeing. Entire tree trunks were twisted, the branch- Continued on page 19
Transcript
The 1005 LineThe 1005 LineSeptember / October 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
ATU Latino Caucus Conerencepage 6
Downtown Improvement Districtpage 10
ATU Local 1005 Picnicpages 11, 12, 13
My Mortgage Nightmare!!!!!page 14
75th Anniversary of Mpls.Teamsters Strikepages 15, 16, 17
Overall Recordpage 18
2009 State Bus Roadeopage 22
Obituariespage 27
"It is we who plowed the prairies;built the cities where they trade;Dug the mines and built theworkshops, endless miles of rail-road laid; Now we stand outcastand starving midst the wonderswe have made; But the unionmakes us strong." - from"Solidarity Forever" by RalphChaplin
Surprise Tornado Strikes South MinneapolisChaos on the Street and in the Control Center
Two PerspectivesBy Melanie Benson, Driver 854
On Wednesday, August 19, I was driving the 23-line westbound on38th Street at Chicago Avenue, heading for 38th and Nicollet, where Iwas scheduled to be relieved at 2:10 p.m. Because of the detour between23rd Avenue and Bloomington Avenue,and the heavy, welcome, soaking rain, Iwas running a few minutes late, so Iprobably left Chicago at about 2:10. Ilooked ahead to see the flashing lightsof some type of emergency vehicleclose to 4th Avenue, and I thoughtthere might have been some type ofaccident. The eastbound driver flaggedme down and suggested I might not beable to get through on 38th, so I mayhave to go around. He may have saidsomething about downed power lines.
"No problem," I thought, "I'll justmake a left on Portland and go over to3rd Avenue and back to 38th Street."As I made the turn onto Portland, I wasastounded to see trees down along Portland, so I drove to 39th to make aright, only to see trees down across 39th Street like railroad ties. Thestreet was completely impassable. The same was true with 40th, and41st. I was in shock. What had just happened here? I was exclaiming tomy six or seven passengers, "Look at that! Oh, my god!" and immediate-ly called the Control Center and told them what I was seeing. The super-visor said, "Yeah, we heard there's some funny weather out there. Wehave a street supervisor checking it out." Funny weather? I had just toldthem there were trees down everywhere!!
I looked up to see that a gigantic tree had fallen across Portland at42nd Street, completely blocking the road. I saw the street supervisordriving around at 41st Street, and was glad that someone official was onthe scene. I jumped off the bus, not knowing what had happened orwhich way to go, and spoke to a Park Police officer, who informed methat there had been a tornado and that I wouldn't be able to proceed to thewest, recommending that I go back east to Chicago Avenue, and thensouth to 46th Street and over to Nicollet, which I did. I couldn't believethe devastation I was seeing. Entire tree trunks were twisted, the branch-
EducationCommittee Meeting-2:30 pm October 20that the Union Office
Executive Board& Union MeetingsOct. 27th - Mpls.10:00 AM / 7:00 PM
Union Office312 Central Ave.612-379-2914email:[email protected]:www.atu1005.com
FinancialSecretary/TreasurerTommy Bellfield
2010 BRUCE FOSTER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The 2009 - 2010 scholarships are offered in remembrance of retiredInternational Vice President Bruce Foster, who passed away on March20, 2009. Brother Foster became a member of Local 268 (Cleveland,Ohio) in 1949. He was the first African-American local union presidentelected to that post by Local 268 in 1968. Thereafter, Brother Foster waselected as an International Vice President. He was re-elected to that officeat every subsequent ATU Convention until his retirement in 1986.
As a Republican, Bruce Foster was wholeheartedly involved in thelabor movement. Bruce had a great love for children, so much that theBruce Pittman Foster Scholarship Awards were established by the ATUBlack Caucus in 1991. His generosity continued through helping othersin various ways.
Five scholarships are awarded each year. A sixth $2,000 scholarship isavailable for award to an applicant who will attend a technical or voca-tional post-secondary school. The competition is open to ATU membersand their children. All applicants must meet the eligibility requirementsand otherwise satisfy these Rules and Procedures. For each scholarshipwinner, the ATU will deposit up to $5,000 with an accredited college, atechnical or a vocational post-secondary school where the award winnerwill be attending.
For more information on Scholarship Rules and Procedures, pleasecheck the union bulletin boards at your work location!
Executive Board Recommendations (approved by the membership)A DocStar document scanning system was lease/purchased to update
record-keeping in the union office.A new copier was lease/purchased for the union office.The creation of 10-hour shifts at Northstar Commuter Rail and in the
Revenue Department was approved.
Arbitration RequestsAn FTH driver requested arbitration after being given a Class A vio-
lation and Record of Warning. After an explanation and discussion dur-ing which the driver spoke, a vote was taken. This case will not go toarbitration.
A South driver requested arbitration for a chargeable accident andFinal Record of Warning. After an explanation and discussion duringwhich the driver spoke, a vote was taken. This case will not go to arbi-tration.
An MJR driver requested arbitration for a Class B violation. After anexplanation and discussion during which the driver spoke, a vote wastaken. This case will go to arbitration.
An East Metro driver requested arbitration after being discharged forGross Misconduct. After an explanation and discussion during which thedriver did not speak, a vote was taken. This case will not go to arbitra-tion.
An FTH driver requested arbitration for a filed Customer Servicecomplaint. After an explanation and discussion during which the driverspoke, a vote was taken. This case will not go to arbitration.
Financial Secretary/Treasurer's ReportRetiree Henry Evjen passed away since last month's meeting.Members stood for a moment of silence.
President's ReportThe ATU International responded to the local concerning the pro-
posed "Message of Solidarity" to Iranian workers (from last month'smeeting).
Sam Jacobs, Metro Transit's Director of Transportation, announcedhis retirement after 39 years of service. The Acting Director will beDistrict Supervisor Christy Bailly until a permanent replacement ishired.
President Sommers thanked the membership for supporting the pur-chase of the DocStar scanning system and the new copier.
No further information is available from the Dept. of Labor on theelection challenge from 2008.
No new information is available on the 'Payroll' appeal.Weekend Part-time operators will not have their work rostered for the
September choice.Contract Campaign Surveys will be distributed in August.Members who were subjected to sleep tests and used paid time off to
take these tests will be reimbursed.Continued on Page 9
July 2, 2009
Members of the CommitteePresent:David Hanson, ManagementAdvisor, Street Ops Mary Vasterling, East Metro Daisy Frantz, Committee ChairStephen Leko, SouthCurt Botner, NicolletPam Hamlow, MJRDave Rogers, LRT
Others in attendance: Eric Isakson, Elizabeth Kelly, andJohn Riel, TCCEmily Anleu, Recording SecretaryChuck Wurzinger, MaintenanceMike LaVine, PoliceMichael McNamara, LRTDavid Larrabee, RiskManagementBrenda Himrich, SafetyDorothy Maki, ATU
CALL TO ORDERDaisy Frantz called the meeting toorder at 10:00 a.m. in Chambers.
REVIEW OF MINUTESJune minutes were not reviewed.
VISTORSMary Vasterling (East), RussDixon (ATU), and ChristinaHouse (Rail)
POLICE REPORTMike LaVine and Jim Franklin inattendance:
Russ Dixon was assaulted andtwo weeks later Russ saw the sus-pect on his bus.
Captain LaVine went over theprocedure:
Dave Hanson will get theTrespass policy out to the driversin a written form and will followup on this issue.
Eric Isakson will encourageTCC Supervisors to ask "Would
Transit Safety/Security Committee (TSSC)Page 4
you like the police?" It is part oftheir procedure.
You have the right to requestpolice when there is something orsomeone preventing the safe oper-ation of your bus.
Can operators get an estimatedtime as to when the police willshow up?
Eric Isakson - on an individualbasis when appropriate.
Captain LaVine - With priorityone this is difficult to estimate.
MAINTENANCE REPORTChuck Wurzinger in attendance:
26 MCI Coaches on order13 will be operated by Metro
Transit.They will go into service in
August.Won't have adjustable pedals. 5 to East Metro
Left side mirrors Met with Hadley.Decided to move it down. Operators will have to adjust
the mirror manually, not with theremote switch.
Prototype rear door decals fromVapor were discussed.
29 low-floor artics next year.Working on specs for the new
buses.- Will be open to suggestions
from drivers.Area above wheel well was dis-
cussed.Chuck will contact Gillig to
see what they have done in thepast to work with the area andwill bring it back next month.
Selective Catalytic Reductionworks by using urea (also knownas Diesel Exhaust Fluid) as a cata-lyst in the exhaust system. Theurea will be carried in a tank onall new buses purchased in 2010and later. The addition of the
SCR system will not represent asignificant change from the busoperator's point of view, but therewill be at least one additionalwarning light on the dash for thesystem.
TCC REPORTEric Isakson in attendance:
Enunciator buses were dis-cussed.
Elizabeth Kelly is the supervi-sor that has worked the most withthe enunciator project.
3 routes, 10, 17, 18 will havestops announced.
They will announce all majorcontrolled intersections, transferpoint, and stops per ADA require-ments.
Testing was discussed.
SAFETY REPORTBrenda Himrich is attendance:APTA safety award was dis-
played.Top 10 locations for accidents
was discussed:Leamington Ramp, South,
Heywood, and MOALocks in bathrooms were dis-
cussed.Bathroom facility upgrades were
discussed.Parking issues when the Twins
stadium opens were discussed.RISKDavid Larrabee in attendance:Area above wheel well was dis-
cussed.LRTMichael McNamara, LRT in atten-dance:
Red signal over runs - a meetingwill be held to make a recommen-dation to management regardingwhat to do about red signal overruns and work. More info to fol-low.
Page 5
Continued on page 6
Last Bus Bridge was discussed. David Rogers would like
Michael McNamara to check into:TOD screens Driver shadesTrash cans in the cabs Drink holder is in an incon-
venient location - Can it bemoved?
Can the seat in Train #101 bemoved back in that train?
STREET OPERATIONSDavid Hanson in attendance:
Leamington Ramp accidentswere discussed
MTP on 3 AV S during rush hourto help MT buses navigate.
Thank you to all the operatorsfor doing such a good job duringthis construction season.
August 6, 2009Members of the CommitteePresent:David Hanson, ManagementAdvisor, Street Ops Mary Vasterling, East MetroDaisy Frantz, Committee Chair Stephen Leko, SouthCurt Botner, Nicollet Pam Hamlow, MJRChristina House, LRT
Others in attendance:Jim Chisholm, TCC Emily Anleu, Recording SecretaryBrenda Himrich, Safety Mike LaVine, PoliceChristy Bailly, Bus Ops David Larrabee, RiskManagementDon Davis, Maintenance Dorothy Maki, ATU
CALL TO ORDERDaisy Frantz called the meeting toorder at 10:00 a.m. in Chambers.
REVIEW OF MINUTESJuly minutes were not reviewed.
POLICE REPORTMike LaVine in attendance:
Three operator assaults were dis-cussed.
LaVine asked beat officers tomake bicycle stops and to focusmore on the bikes on Nicollet.
There was an incident on a buslast month were a homemadebomb exploded on the bus. Noone was hurt,but operator wasshaken up. Incident was discussed
Traffic and bikes on Nicolletwere discussed.Questions/Comments
Can we do an FYI TransitBlue communication that comesout when an incident like thehomemade bomb happens?That helps operators understandwhat happened.
Captain LaVine: I don't wantto put information out until he hasall of it. St. Paul police are stilltesting. This is the only incidentof this kind.
Maybe we should have sepa-rate trash cans for operators.
MAINTENANCE REPORTDon in attendance:
13 MCI Coaches were received.They will be in service once theyput radios in them.
Clearance issues are beingaddressed.
Concerns were discussed.Fare box display levels were
discussed.Questions/Comments
Is there a switch that operatorscan flip to unlock the artic joint?
Don: Mechanics should be theonly ones to unlock the jointbecause there are cylinders under-neath that could become damagedif the bend becomes severe.
TCC REPORT
Jim Chisholm in attendance:Training new supervisor.
Please be patient.Assaults - please let us know if
the situation has changed.If we have a squad coming we
would like to know if the assailanthas gotten off.
Down grade as soon as possi-ble.
Use of covert alarms was dis-cussed.
Jim will bring the callresponse time report to the nextmeeting.
SAFETY REPORTBrenda Himrich in attendance:
Would like MARQ2 monthlyupdates.
When we get closer to openingDave will address issues as to theGrand Opening.
Top 10 locations for accidentswere discussed:
Leamington Ramp, South,Heywood, and MOA
Leamington issues were dis-cussed.
Bus on bus accidents, fixedobject accidents
Increased bike awareness wasdiscussed:
Keep your eyes movingGet the big pictureCyclists need to be aware tooSafety will come up with a
posting for the Safety boards atthe garages.
Safety initiatives were dis-cussed.Questions/Comments
Can you give a description ofeach accident at the Top 10 loca-tions?
Brenda will provide that infor-mation.
RISKDavid Larrabee in attendance:
No report.
LRT
Page 6 DSSC Minutes Continued from page 5No LRT Report
STREET OPERATIONSDavid Hanson in attendance:
People at the 7th street GarageAMCO ramp are letting indigentpeople use the bathrooms. Theysaid they are letting people use thebathrooms, but they are lettingthem in, not giving them the code.
Codes are still the same.If you see someone entering
the code, that shouldn't be, pleaselet us know.
Our driver room is secure.MARQ2 updates were discussed:
Some curbing is doneStreetscaping needs to be
done.Good job to all the drivers.
Seal coat HennepinFrom Nov-Jan we will see a lot
of change in the DT trafficHennepin and 1st Ave to return
to two-way traffic.Construction in St. PaulBulletin 31 - Buses running red
lightsPlease post this on the safety
boards.Issues were discussed.
Bathrooms at Mound were dis-cussed:
Waiting to hear back fromMound Rep. about getting locks
Carnival Cruise Ship EcstasyBy Ken Dolney, Delegate
President Jose Guerrero, in calling the business meeting to order,spoke about the 20th Anniversary of the ATU Latino Caucus. He wasfollowed by Rudy Medina, president of the Latino Caucus for its firstten years.
Vice-President Ed Figueroa reported: "This month Congress willvote on the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation EquityAct - Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), a five-year transit bill to provide funding for transit agencies through-out the U.S. We are at a point where many locals are facing layoffs, loss of service and total elimination ofroutes. Transit agencies need to be able to use funds for operating expenses to expand and keep existing serv-ice." He also reported that President Obama has said that he will not move on the Employee Free Choice Act(EFCA) until health care reform is addressed. (Ed had been unsuccessful in his bid for reelection as president ofATU Local 1056 in New York City, coming up 84 votes short out of a total of 1300 votes cast, citing the reces-sion and lack of a contract as reasons this may have happened.)
I (Ken) brought up the federal drug-testing bill that wentinto effect August 31, 2009. Many locals were not aware ofthe changes and had a good discussion about this.
M. Hernandez, General Counsel for the Latino Caucus,spoke about the new FMLA amendments that took effect inJanuary 2009: 1) The 12 months to qualify do not have to beconsecutive; 2) The employer has five business days to tellyou if you qualify; 3) The employer has to tell you if you donot qualify and why.
In January of this year, President Guerrero decided to retirefrom the Chicago Transit Authority. He will hold office in the
Page 7
Ruter / MJR Scott Lindquist #6401
How many Ruter drivers havenoticed this Metro Transit T-sign?It is between the south road andthe patio area. Nice work by some-one. See it in color before wintercomes.
Want to see a Roadeo video orsee the new MCI bus in action?Check out this website/blog-twincitiestransit.blogspot.com Itis a site run by MJR driver#68103, William Morris. He gath-ers all kinds of information, notjust on Metro Transit, but otherbus companies as well. You caneven add your own 2 cents worthif you wish.
Latino Caucus until the 2010 Latino Caucus Conference in Orlando,Florida.
The Welfare Committee(renamed the Fitzroy Boyo WelfareCommittee), the COPE Committee,the Scholarship Committee(requesting four $1000 scholar-ships) and the Audit Committee(records are in good shape) allmade their reports. Reports wereaccepted.
V.P. Ed Figueroa reported on theGoals and Objectives of the LatinoCaucus: to increase its Canadianparticipation and its membership.
Special orders of business included:Setting the next Executive Committeemeeting in San Antonio, Texas; tablingthe mentor program to next year's meet-ing in Orlando; increasing the registra-tion fee for the Conference to $100from $90 (with the extra $10 going tothe scholarship fund); and giving theCesar Chavez Labor Leader Award toJavier Perez, with a second award toJose Guerrero.
New business included: 1) A requestfrom a group of non-union members in
Allentown,Pennsylvania thatwanted to join theLatino Caucus, butcouldn't, accordingto the by-laws,because they're notmembers of theunion; 2) A motion(failed) to get infor-mation on the Obama health care bill so it could be better understood;and 3) The election of Syrgio Garcia as delegate to the NorthwestRegion.
I want to thank Local 1005 for sending me to this Conference, towhich I was accompanied by my wife (at my own expense). We didhave one free day in Cozumel, Mexico. Chris Taylor, from MJR Garage,also represented Local 1005 as a delegate and served on the ElectionCommittee. This was a first cruise for all of us, and we enjoyed it verymuch.
Latino Caucus President JoseGuerrero with Chris Taylor, MJROp. # 2228
Ken Dolney, EM Dispatcher#2641
Antonio Vargas-West RegionsLatino Caucus Board Memberand unidentifie Board member
Bill Graham Retireswith 24 Years of
ServiceBill Graham, Nicollet Garage
Driver 247, retired in Septemberwith 24 total years of service.Bill had worked as a weekendpart-time driver, a cleaner and aweekday part-time driver.
He left in early October to pur-sue his dream of going to graduateschool in Jazz Studies at RutgersUniversity in New Jersey.
Our best wishes go with Bill inhis endeavors.
Page 8
Nicollet
Stephen BabcockMelanie Benson #854
Twaya Macintosh #9002Debbi Sievers #64222Alec Johnson #66034Ryan Timlin #66279
The Nicollet Club held itsannual garage sale Saturday,October 3, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to4:00 p.m. Volunteers worked tire-lessly to collect materials, priceand store them, set the sale up,staff it, and disassemble it after itwas over. The following peopledeserve a lot of credit for theirhard work:Maria Flores, Mary Green,Kathy Jones, Dave Zapata,Kandy Duchene, Joel Terrell,Thomas Meyers, Charles Halland Barb Keener
Thanks also go to all of thefolks who donated items to thesale.
Joel Terrell, Nicollet GarageCoordinator, reports that the salewas about half as successful as inprevious years, raising about $875.Although the sale was held in C-bay of Nicollet Garage to keep itout of the cold and rain, this prob-ably reduced its visibility.Organizers are discussing havingnext year's sale earlier in the fall,hoping for better weather, havingit out in the parking lot for bettervisibility, and perhaps extending itover an entire weekend.
The Nicollet maintenancedepartment gets one third of theproceeds from the sale, and thebalance is used to pay for cableTV in the drivers' room.
Once again, thanks to all whocontributed, and don't forget:Volunteers are always welcome!
Bill receives a unionjacket from ATU Local1005 Vice-PresidentDorothy Maki.
Brian Funk, Managerof Nicollet Garage,presents Bill with aplaque bearing hisdriver badge number.
This just goes toprove that there is lifeafter Metro Transit!
Shar Knutson and Liz Shuler Make HistoryShar Knutson, the first female president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO,posed with Liz Shuler, theyoungest-ever secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, elected at the recentAFL-CIO convention inPittsburgh. Liz is a strongsupporter of the EmployeeFree Choice Act, and encour-aged union members to writeletters and make calls on theEFCA to fight for what's bestfor American workers.
Page 9
SouthLiz Goldberg #1630
2009 Metro Transit Roadeo
Congratulations to:
2009 Roadeo ChampionToby Schivley, South Op.64232 andRookie of the YearScott Tammen, South
This event was dedicated tothe memory of::
Anita Jacobsen, South Op.9784Mark Crooks, Nicollet ATMTimothy Johnson, HeywoodOp. 637Vaughn Malueg, East MetroOp. 7766Michael Price, Heywood ATMMichael Terry, East Metro Op.9134
Timothy Robinson, #1617(MJR, FTH, East Metro andNicollet operator/dispatcher) isnow assigned at South underMetro Transit's two-year inten-sive "Leadership Academy."More "Adventures with Tim" tocome - Welcome, Tim!
Poco DineroBelize, Costa Rica and Panama- 2011 Eight-day cruise$665/$915(airfare extra) For
details: Lisa Benson 651-463-1044
Fewer than 100 state employees who are part of the MSRS retired inthe month of April, an all-time low.
Deferred Compensation funds were transferred from Great West toING.
The ATU Picnic is coming up Sunday, August 2 at Battle Creek Parkin St. Paul.
August 2009 Requests for Arbitration
A South Operator requested arbitration on his discharge for Violationof a Final Record of Warning, Violation of Met Council Policy(Inappropriate Behavior) and Overall Record. After an explanation inwhich Mr. Robinson appeared, a secret ballot was cast. This case willnot be going to arbitration.
An LRT Operator requested arbitration for a Class 'A' Violation (RedSignal Overrun). After an explanation in which Mr. Ibrahim did notappear, a secret was cast. This case will be going to arbitration.
A South Operator requested arbitration on his discharge for violatinghis Last Chance Agreement. After an explanation in which he appeared,a secret ballot was cast. This case will not be going to arbitration.
Financial Secretary/Treasurer's ReportThe following members passed away since last month's meeting:
Donald Holmstrom, Retiree Richard Vinar, RetireeMichael Terry, #9134
Members stood for a moment of silence.
ObligationsJim Swartout, #69041, took the obligation.
President's ReportOn August 20th, Executive Board Members were at their respective
locations handing out contract campaign surveys to members on.Contract proposals and surveys are due in to the Union Office bySeptember 25th, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.
The ATU 1005 Picnic was a huge success! Almost 500 people attend-ed, including members, their families and friends. Next year, the picnicbudget will be even bigger.
The appeal on the Payroll Arbitration has been officially filed in thecourts.
The State Fair starts this Thursday, with Lorenz operating the freeshuttle service.
Effective Aug. 31st, 2009, Metro Transit's Drug and Alcohol Policywill change to include observed collections for return-to-work and fol-low-up tests.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO elected a new president: Shar Knutson.Veterans Preference laws have changed. Discharged vets will now
need to choose which procedure they which to pursue, a VeteransPreference hearing or the greivance process through the union.
Commuter Rail will be getting six new cleaner positions.A Letter of Agreement has been reached between management and
Union Meeting Notes Continued
Continued on bottom of page 11
Page 10
The Downtown Improvement District (DID)by Debbi Sievers #64222
Have you noticed the sudden appearance of people inneon yellow shirts walking around downtown, or howclean and friendly they all seem to be? Well, let me intro-duce you to them:
They are part of the service of the DowntownImprovement District, paid for by the downtown propertyowners. A company named Block by Block, fromLouisville, Kentucky, started an ambassador program in1998 to help major cities become cleaner and safer for visi-tors. They are currently in 22 states and 34 cities.These folks have been working here since July 1st. Theycover 120 square blocks and have three different teams thatcover this area. They are:
The Clean Ambassadors They start at 5 a.m. M-F andmake sure the streets are clean and inviting to walk down. The Flex Team They are like the "welcome wagon" ofMinneapolis. They are out when there is a big venue, like a convention at the convention center or a sportingevent. The Safety Ambassadors They are eyes and ears on the street for the downtown area, making sure everyone issafe and the troublemakers do not get away with things. They do carry radios and are in touch with theMinneapolis Police when need be.
The employees go through a thorough background check and they do getdrug tested.
Some of their accomplishments include: Within the first couple of days they cleaned up an amazing 500 bags of
garbage, cleaned up 600 to 1400 graffiti tags and assisted several hundredpeople.
Some of the ambassadors have also helped in other ways:One ambassador saw a male leaning against a building with a possible
medical issue. Being in contact with their fusion center, this ambassadorwas able to get the help this male needed to save his life.
Another ambassa-dor witnessed anassault and was able tohelp local law enforce-ment arrest the suspect.
An e-mail came into the DID headquarters from agrateful mother. Her tall 13- year-old had gotten separatedfrom her downtown. He approached an ambassador, whoreunited the mom and son within minutes. Happy times forall.
I did get to go see the fusion center. It is a lot like ourControl Center, only smaller. One or two ambassadors arethere to answer questions and to dispatch emergency agen-cies when needed. They answer questions like, "Where is agood place for breakfast?" or, "Where do I catch an expressbus while they are on detours?" DID cameras cover a sev-
Headquarters of the DID
Taslimah (aka Taz) checkingout the area for graffiti. Heuses a tour guard to registerthat he was in the area.
Patrica helping out a person with a question.
eral-block area. They keep the employees up to date on theevents for the day and week and make sure they are well-staffed for the events around town.
The goal of the DID is to hire people with great person-alities to represent our city to make it a great place to visitand live, work and play.
If you would like to learn more about them, you can goto their website: www.minneapolisdid.com. Also, a greatresource phone number to give passengers if they need info(besides our TIC) is the DID info number: 612-332-1111.
Page 11
ATU 1005 concerning Article 20, Section 23, of the union contract pertaining to hours of driving time allowedwithin a 24-hour period.
The C-Pap/Awakening Test issue is still not settled.A meeting has been scheduled concerning issues among stockkeepers.An Iowa bus operator was suspended for refusing to drive a bus containing certain advertising subject matter.The Central Corridor project is moving along.Members were urged to get more involved in local/national politics, since virtually all of our funding comes
from the government.The Minnesota AFL-CIO elected a new president, Shar Knutson.There will be a vote soon on 10-hr. shifts at Commuter Rail.Arbitration awards for B. Poole and H. Osmanovic were announced.
Union Meeting Notes Continued
ATU 1005 Third Annual Picnic a Huge SuccessA magic show, balloon art, a dunk tank, a caricature artist, facepaint
artists, free food, a "jump tank" for the kids and a "dunk tank" for the unionofficers, camaraderie, and 50 free prizes (from books and T-shirts to large-screen TV's) - this was the ATU 1005 Picnic this year.
Organized on the concept of "giving back to the members," this year'spicnic was a resounding success. Close to 500 people attended, includingunion members, their families and friends. Folks brought snacks anddesserts. The organizers had to keep running to the store to replenish theirsupplies. Sure, there was a line for the food, but who cared? There wereplenty of other things to keep folks amused.
After all 50 prizes were distributed, there was a surprise: A 40" LCD TV,promptly strapped onto a member's car and carried away.
One can honestly say of this picnic: "A good time was had by all."Thanks to the officers, board members and volunteers who made this year's picnic such a wonderful time!
And thanks to all the members, their friends and family members who came together to celebrate what it meansto be part of a union!
Scott driving the ATVL (big vacuum cleaner) forcleaning the sidewalks.
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My Mortgage Nightmare!!!!!!by Debbi Sievers
I thought I would write about my mortgage nightmare in hopes that maybe it would and could help some ofyou who are going through the same things I did. Here is my story:
I bought my house in 2006, during all of the hiking of prices on homes. I was so excited, since this was thefirst home I had ever owned. (Boy, if I knew then what I know now, I would still be renting!) Well, my pay-ments were $1500.00 a month and, even though I wasn't yet at top wage, I thought I could make it work. It did(for a while), but then things started to get tough. I had an accident and had to go on workers' comp for a littlewhile, and that threw a huge wrench in the process. In October of 2007, I was one day away from a Sheriff's saleon my house. I found a bankruptcy lawyer who helped me to save my house and enabled me to get back on theright track. I filed Chapter 13 and am paying back everything that I filed against.
In November, we elected President Obama and things started to look brighter for me. I was able to work withmy mortgage company to get my mortgage lowered and get out from under the Adjustable Rate Mortgage(ARM).
The first thing I had done was to file for Chapter 13. This is where you make payments to a trustee, who inturns pays the bills that you filed against. You get to keep most of your things, but there are some that you haveto give up.Chapter 7, on the other hand, is where you give up everything (including your house) and start over with a cleanslate. Just remember: These legal solutions will stay on your legal and financial records for up to seven years.Chapter 11 is for business owners.
The step I took after filing Chapter 13 was to find a company that takes half of my mortgage payment out ofmy checking account every payday and, on the first of the following month, makes my mortgage payment forme.
Now, I am still paying off my household bills. The utility people have been wonderful through this wholeprocess. All you have to do is call and talk to them. Believe me, they do understand. But do not hide from them,because that is how you get yourself in more trouble.
Just a couple of months ago, I contacted my mortgage company to find out if I could get a mortgage modifi-cation. To my surprise, they said yes. I had to send in two months' worth of paystubs, my last year's tax state-ment, two months of banking statements and a hardship letter to let them know why I fell behind.
I am now on a step program, which means that my interest rate will go up 2% every year for the next threeyears, and in the fourth year it will go up 0.7% and stay at 6.78% for the duration of my mortgage.
Just a side note: Check with your mortgage company to see if you have a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mort-gage. There is a program that is called Making Mortgages Affordable. You may qualify under this program.
Now, I am not saying that this will work for everyone. But I am including some phone numbers to get youstarted. They helped me a lot.
Minnesota Housing (612-521-3581) is a non-profit organization. That is what I like about them. If you live inanother part of town besides North Minneapolis, just call them and they will give you the numbers of other non-profits that will help you.
Equity Accelerators (1-800-209-9700) is the company that takes my money every payday to pay my mort-
Page 15gage. What a life saver this was! I am bad at budgeting my money, and now I do not have to worry about mymortgage not getting paid. I want to thank one of my fellow co-workers for giving me this info. I highly recom-mend doing this. It will show the mortgage company that you are serious about saving your home and want tomake it work.
Check the yellow pages for bankrupcty lawyers. Not everyone needs to do this, but it doesn't hurt to check itout. You may need to do this to stop the Sheriff's sale on your house. But, if you think you might be in trouble,do it soon.
Another great resource is Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, especially if you are not getting any-where with your mortgage company.
My hope is that this story will help someone - and if it helps just one person, then great. My stress level hasgone down so much, and my depression level is almost gone as well. Just remember that what you have isworth fighting for, and you will grow stronger every day for it. Good luck in your battle. I WON MINE!!!!!
75th Anniversary Teamster Picnic
This summer marked the 75th anniversary of the strikes that "made Minneapolis a union town" and spurredlabor organizing across the country. The basic facts about the strike were detailed in local union newspapers andeven in the mainstream press in the weeks preceding the commemorative events.
These events include a street dance in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, a labor tour of the same area, anda picnic in the recently-refurbished Wabun Park near the Veterans Home on the bluff of the Mississippi River.Hundreds of people participated in one or several of these events.
ATU Local 1005 President Michelle Sommers spoke at the rally Sunday, July 26th, echoing what a lot offolks in Minneapolis think: Many of us have been in this area for most, if not all, of our lives, and yet theimportant story of the Teamster strikes in the 1930's in unfamiliar to us. She noted that the strikes taught us that,although the fight is hard and we have to make sacrifices, we keep on going and keep organizing. "Don't letthem get to you. We will continue the work, and work together to keep unions strong so that we never forget thesacrifices that others have made."
Phyllis Walker from AFSCME pointed out that the Teamster strikes remind us that union progress "doesn'thappen at the management table. It happens in the streets. The only thing you're going to get is what you'rewilling to fight for or what you take."
Linda Leighton and David Sundeen, granddaughter and grandson of 1934 Teamster strike leader V.R. Dunne,remembered the two most important lessons their grandfather taught them: "History matters," and "Never giveup."
Other speakers and the Solidarity Singers (a chorus made up of union folks) made this an unforgettableevent. Historical displays were educational and inspiring. Thanks to all who organized and attended this impor-tant celebration.
Pictures and more information Pages 16 and 17.
Remember 193475th Anniversary Picnic
1934 Minneapolis Truckers StrikeMinnehaha Park, Minneapolis
Sunday, July 26, 2009
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Music was provided by LarryLong of the Twin Cities, troubadour.
Speakers:
David Riehle - Labor Historian,giving a brief history of the strike
Peter Rachleff - Professor ofLabor History, Macalester College
Linda Leighton and DavidSundeen - Granddaughter andgrandson of V.R. Dunne, a centralleader of 1934 strike
Bernie Hesse - Organizer, UnitedFood and Commercial WorkersLocal 789
Angel Gardner - IWW unionorganizer at Starbucks
Richard Berg - President,Teamsters Local 743
Armando Robles - President, UELocal 1110, leader of the success-ful workers occupation ofRepublic Windows and Doors inChicago in December 2008
Michelle Sommers - President,ATU Local 1005
Tom Dooher - President,Education Minnesota
Kristin Dooley - Mayday Books,member/volunteer
Phyllis Walker - President,AFSCME Local 3800
Conditions were abominableDuring the early years of the depression in the 1930’s,Minneapolis was an “open shop” town with fewunions to defend workers’ interests and miserableworking conditions. Virtually every effort to form aunion had been broken by the bosses, led by employ-ers’ organization, the Citizens Alliance.
A major labor victory The Teamsters Union was a small union locally andnationally. But a core of committed union organizersin Teamsters Local 574 decided the time was ripe,organizing a strike of coal yard workers in February1934. They won a quick victory, but the companiesbacked out of the deal. The union spread its organiz-ing to the frieght barns, involving drivers and dockworkers, and a massive was called in May 1934. The union won recognition. But the bosses reneged on thatagreement, leading to a third mass strike in July. On July 20, “Bloody Friday,” police opened fire on unarmedstrikers, shooting 60 in the back and killing two. Martial law was declared. In August, the companies capitulat-ed, agreeing to recognize the union and institute improved wages and conditions.
The strike had a lasting impactIt spurred mass organizing and unionization of workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and throughout the region,which led to a better life for workers and their families. The Teamsters Union became a major internationalunion.
The strike used innovative strategies and tacticsIt was the first strike that had a daily strike newspaper, “The Organizer,” which kept workers informed and toldtheir story. The union employed the tactic of “cruising pickets” in which strikers followed scab trucks, andstopped them from operating. The union organized rallies and mass actions with thousands of workers and sup-porters mobilized in the streets to stop truck traffic. Marches by strikers and their supporters drew upwards of100,000 people. Employers tried to use courts to shut down the strike, but the union, “papered the wall withinjunctions,” recalled Harry DeBoer, a strike leader. The union was democratically run and had a Committee of100, a group of union stewards and activists who were a sounding board for strike leaders. It played an impor-tant role in keeping the strike on track.
An historic strikeThe 1934 Minneapolis truckers strike was one ofbiggest, most important strikes in the history of theUnited States and is internationally admired.Along with major strikes in Toledo, Ohio, and SanFrancisco, California, it played a pivotal role in therise of the labor movement in the 1930’s.
Key lessons for today’s workersWith unions on the defensive these days andincreasingly unorganized, workers need to learnhow to fight back. The 1934 Minneapolis strikeshould be celebrated, not only for the heroism ofthe workers, but as a valuable example of how toorganize and win.
Page 17A thumb-nail sketch of the 1934 strike
The people in the picture from left to right:Ricardo Levins-Morales, Melanie Benson, GladysMcKenzie, David Riehle.
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Overall Record
You just got a note from the manager saying you have a customer service call. Your stomach clenches upa little. Why does this always happen when you're trying to start a brand new day? What could it be? Is itfrom that person you could have been kinder to the day before, when you lost your temper a little bit? Afterthinking about it all morning, you see the manager. Yep, that was it, all right. You're not too proud of yourbehavior, but the incident wasn't like the customer described it. The manager says she's going to file it inyour jacket. You just want the whole issue to go away, so you sign for it, even though it's not completely true.After all, what harm could it do?
This is how it starts. An overlooked filed complaint or violation, even though unwarranted, becomes part ofyour "overall record." An employee's overall record includes violations, attendance, customer service calls, andsafety-related incidents or accidents.
If something more serious were to happen later, all of the above factors would be taken into considerationwhen management determines how to discipline you - and, by that time, it's too late to file a grievance on any ofthose overlooked occurrences. The time to contact your union representative at the garage level is immediately,before you sign anything. Your union board member can try to talk to the manager and settle the issue withouteven filing a grievance, or can protect your rights by starting the clock on the grievance procedure. No matterhow embarrassed, intimidated or ashamed a manager might make you feel for something, a union rep can bethere to help protect your rights and be on your side.
Sometimes, according to a union officer, the better an employee's record is, the less likely that person is tofile a grievance. Then, when those members may want to transfer to another job within Metro Transit, or evento seek a promotion, those issues come back to haunt them.
The number of discharges has been on the rise. On average, three union members are discharged eachmonth. Some, but not all, go through the grievance procedure, and the last step in the grievance procedure is therequest for arbitration, where a neutral person trained in labor disputes hears both sides of the case and makes adetermination.
As you may have noticed by reading the union bulletin board, there were five requests for arbitration at theJuly membership meeting. Each case had been handled by one of the full-time officers, who presented the caseto the union Executive Board for a recommendation, and then to the union members at the monthly meeting fora vote. In each case, the member filing the grievance had a chance to speak on his/her behalf. In this instance,only one of the five requests was actually approved to go before an arbitrator. In the other instances, theExecutive Board and the union members felt that the union's case was not strong enough to justify the time andexpense of an arbitration hearing (typically around $4500).
Members who did not hear the cases presented may feel that the "union" wasn't backing up its members.(Remember, only one of these cases was a discharge.) Chances are good, however, that the majority of memberswho feel that way probably didn't attend the meeting where they were voted on. This is not meant to guilt-tripthose who don't go to monthly meetings for whatever reason, just to remind us all that the meetings are wherethe decisions are made about these and many other matters.
Union officials are currently working with management on a less adversarial way of dealing with issues thatwould be educational first before being considered disciplinary, considered “policy review.”
es torn off and thrown elsewhere, even along 46th Street. Countless numbers of trees were uprooted. I hadn'theard one single siren this entire time.
When the Control Center finally came through with a communica-tion on the Smartcom, I was looking for some news about what hadhappened, some warning that we should take cover if necessary, but thisis what I saw: "There's a tornado warning in effect until 2:45 p.m.There has been a sighting north of downtown." Oh, now I knew I wasin Oz! I had just told them that trees were uprooted all over the place at38th Street and Portland Avenue South. The street supervisor was rightthere in front of me. What was going on?
I finally made it to my relief point at 2:30 p.m. and my poor reliefdriver didn't even know what direction I'd be coming from. He had torun across 38th Street and catch me on Nicollet. I jumped on a north-bound 18 to get back to Nicollet Garage, still in shock. A relativelynew, petite driver who was going to be out on the street until 8:00 thatevening was much calmer than I was, and mentioned that all the traffic lights were out in the area, making thegoing a little slow. I flew into the driver's room and went straight to the phone to call the union office, tellingDan that the Control Center's response to this natural disaster was totally inadequate. Then I bent Brian Funk'sear for a while about the lack of information on the street. It was amazing how many people, even in the imme-diate area, were completely unaware there had been a storm like this, unless they were watching TV and thenews crews had finally gotten out. My niece called to ask if I was all right after she saw the devastation at theintersection of 38th Street and 4th Avenue South.
A passenger on 38th Street Thursday morning told me he was heading over to his buddy's house at 39th andPortland to help out because his friend's house and garage had been badlydamaged minutes after he saw a funnel cloud at about 2:00 p.m. A utilityshed had been lifted 30 feet into the air and twisted around a tree. Twoeighty-pound cast iron lawn chairs had been lifted from his front yard andthrown into his back yard.
Friends and I toured the area Thursday evening and took lots of pictures.I hadn't seen such destruction since I visited my home town of St. Peterafter the tornado there in 1998.
On Thursday or Friday morning, August 20 or 21, I talked to the unionrep at Nicollet and called the union office, requesting copies of the tapes ofconversations between drivers and Control Center supervisors, and recordsof what communications the Control Center had made to the drivers.Having heard nothing by the union meeting on the following Tuesday,August 25th, I asked what had been done about obtaining those records and
was informed that they had been requested but wouldn't be available for about a week and a half. As I typed thisarticle on September 16, 2009, those records had still not been made available.
I was informed shortly afterwards that a meeting had been arranged at the TransitControl Center to go over the events of that day. The meeting took place onWednesday, September 23 at 2:00 p.m. and included Dorothy Maki, Local 1005Vice-President, Christine Kuennen, TCC Manager and myself, for The 1005 Line.There we learned what Wednesday, August 19th had looked like from another per-spective, in the Transit Control Center.
At 2:00 p.m.on the day of the tornado, the supervisors were changing shifts andChristine Kuennen, Chad Loeffler and another supervisor were having their staffmeeting. It was raining at the time, and the only word from the National WeatherService was that there was a flood watch. Lisa Johnson, Manager of StreetOperations, reported that there were "a lot of winds out there," and was advised thatthe situation was being monitored. Reports from the Police Dispatcher at 2:00 p.m.
Tornado contiued from p1 Page 19
The only "silver lining" in this storm is that there weren't anyserious reported injuries or deaths. What if the twister had gonedown 35W, only feet from its path, or Chicago Avenue, only fourblocks east of its path, or Nicollet Avenue, only eight blockswest of its path?
In this case, the routes most directly affected were probablythe 23-line on 38th Street, the 46-line on 46th Street, the 11-lineon 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue, the 2-line on Franklin Avenue,the 5-line on Chicago Avenue, the 21-line on Lake Street and the18-line on Nicollet Avenue. Numerous TCC text messages weresent out from 2:34 on advising drivers on these (and otherroutes) of detours because of uprooted trees and blocked streets.
Christine Kuennen is clear that text messages should havegone out earlier, as "unconfirmed reports," when all of these calls were coming in from drivers and police abouthigh winds, downed trees, and buses and waiting passengersbeing struck by flying debris.
As a result of this experience, the Transit Control Center'sSevere Summer Weather Operating Procedure (dated 07/5/04)will be updated to allow for an earlier warning system based oneyewitness reports from the field.
Two days after the storm, the NWS finally admitted this wasindeed a tornado. They rated it an EF0, indicating 65-85 mphwinds and “some shingle and siding damage.” (The rating sys-tem pertains primarily to wind damage to building structures.)Perhaps now the National Weather Service is going through asimilar reevaluation to the one in the TCC. One can only hope.
A damage assessment team from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen surveyed storm damage inMinneapolis. They confirmed that a tornado touched down in south Minneapolis, initially near East 53rd Streetand Park Avenue around 150 PM CDT. The tornado then moved north from that location toward downtown,and eventually lifted near the Convention Center around 200 PM CDT. Damage was most intense and concen-trated from East 45th Street north to East 38th Street, generally along Park, Oakland, Portland, and 5thAvenues. The track shifted slightly west of due north with time. The most intense damage was consistent withEF-0 intensity, with wind speeds between 75 and 85 MPH. Numerous trees were downed in the area, with dam-age to a number of homes and structures as well. Much of the structural damage was due to falling trees. Thetornado track was approximately 4.5 miles in length, although it may have lifted for a brief time between East29th Street and the Convention Center area. Maximum track width was approximately 500 yards, although themost intense damage occurred along a path approximately 250 yards wide.
Page 20mentioned a tornado in South Minneapolis, and more reports came in from police and bus drivers of flyingdebris striking buses and of damage in the areas of 26th and Portland, 36th and Stevens, and of trees down on46th and Park. According to Christine, the situation in the TCC "quickly became chaos."
Calls from buses on the street peaked at 92 calls just after 2:00 p.m. and continued at high levels well intothe afternoon. Although the TCC was fully-staffed, the shift change had just occurred when the calls startedflooding in, many before official word from the National Weather Service (NWS).
TCC Standard Operating Procedure has been that text messages to operators are only sent out after confirma-tion by the NWS, a warning which, in this case, didn't come out until 2:18 p.m., prompting the TCC to send amessage out at 2:21, stating "To all buses: A Tornado Warning has been issued for Anoka, Hennepin andRamsey Counties until 2:45PM. A tornado was reported north of Dwtn. Mpls. Take appropriate steps shouldyou encounter weather conditions that pose a safety Threat."
The NWS bulletin didn't mention South Minneapolis, because they were tracking the "cell" heading north.From the NWS website days later:
The More Things Change…-or-
What's in a Route Number?
As we enter a new pick, it's interesting to take a look back and seewhat some of the changes have been in our routes over the years. Notall of us, of course, have been around long enough to know how things"used to be," but let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
Friday, September 11, marked the last day, for example, of the 24-line. This is the route that replaced most of the south end of the 20-linein 2004, when LRT began. The north end of the 20-line, on PlymouthAvenue, had been replaced by the 7-line, which used to also travel southon Minnehaha Avenue, but was replaced by the 27-line, which ran toLake Street, and has now, with the new pick, been replaced by the 7-line, which once again travels on Minnehaha.
The south end of what used to be the 20-line, but then became the24-line, is now the southeast portion of the 9-line, which used to travelon 4th Avenue South before it was replaced by the 11-line. The BrynMawr portion of the 9-line, once replaced by the 8-line, but thenchanged back to the 9-line again, will remain the same. The north end ofthe 11-line is what used to be the north end of the 18-line, when the 18went north of downtown, except for the Washington Street portion ofthe 18-line, which became the north part of the 17-line, which used toend downtown. The Grand Avenue portion of the 18-line used to be thesouth end of the 10-line, which now terminates downtown.
This kind of reminds me of the 6-line going south on France andXerxes, once changed to the 6-line (France) and the 28-line (Xerxes),eventually changed back to the 6-line for both.
Need I go on?(Please keep in mind that this is just a small sampling of
routes that have been redesigned in recent years, and these areprimarily routes that operate out of Nicollet Garage. How manysimilar stories could be told about the routes operating out ofthe other garages?)
This kind of scenario is all too common for many of ourtransit routes. If it sounds confusing to us, who drive and giveout information on these routes, imagine how it sounds to ourpassengers. One of these days it would be interesting to findout exactly how route and schedule planners make these kindsof decisions, and how much it costs the agency in ridership andrevenue when these seemingly-random changes are made.
Some of our passengers sarcastically suggest that thesechanges provide job security for the planners more thanimprovement for the riders, but how would one even begin totry to quantify that? Are statistics kept in any meaningful waythat would allow for a comparison between the ridership levelsbefore and after such changes? Is anyone being held account-able for that? Perhaps these questions could be explored further.
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These signs, posted along the entireroute, carried the wrong informa-tion: The change actually tookplace on Saturday, September 12.
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The 2009 State Bus RoadeoBy Deb Sievers
This year's State Bus Roadeo was held in Albert Lea,Minnesota. A group of us from Nicollet Garage havegone every year for the past three years - to get away, tohave a good time, and to see parts of the state we mightnot otherwise have thought about visiting. You mightcall us "bus roadeo groupies." We are known at thesebus roadeos as the Heckler's Row. Last year in Bemidji,besides attending the Roadeo, we were able to go to theheadwaters of the Mississippi River, and this year wewent to the Spam Museum (what a neat place).
Saturday was the actual Roadeo. This year, MetroTransit was represented by Idar Bilij, #2315, andMichael Terry, #9134. It was a great time. This wasIdar's second year participating and Michael's first. Idarwas accompanied to the Roadeo by his wife and daugh-ter. Michael's wife, Carol, also attended.
Michael was scheduled to be the first driver outthat morning, and he was so nervous that he couldn'teat breakfast. He did very well for his first time. Idaralso did very well, even though he was nervous, too;but the jitters went away.
We would like to invite anyone who would like tojoin us on our yearly trips to come along. It is somuch fun to get away. If interested, please contactDeb Sievers at: [email protected]. We usually start getting ready for this in December,so please let me know in advance.
Now, on a sad note: Michael Terry and his wife Carol lost their livestragically in a motorcycle accident last month. I feel blessed just to have metthem. What a loving and caring couple! They were a lot of fun to be with,even if it was for a short time. I will never forget the look of excitement onMichael's face when he realized that there was a group from Metro Transitto cheer them on. Michael and Carol will be sadly missed by one and all
who knew them.
For more information, please see the obituaryon page 27.
From left to right: Bernie Martinez #5989, DebSievers #68222, Jean O’Neill #2116, Theresa Collins#1378
Idar’s daughter
Michael Terry # 9134 and Idar Bilij #2315
Idar and FamilyCarol Terry, Michael’s wife.
Paul Kirchner’s the busPaul Kirchner has worked all his
adult life as a writer and illustrator forcomic books, magazines, advertising,and the toy industry.
He created a comic strip called "thebus" for Heavy Metal magazine,which featured comic stories for adultreaders. It was featured on the lastpage of the issue every month from1978 until 1986, when the magazinewent quarterly. In 1987, these stripswere published as a book called thebus.
Paul’s idea was “just to take anordinary man, one who looks fairlystodgy and dull, and put him througha variety of surrealistic experiences ashe sets out on his morning commute.”Paul says, "I don't think he ever actu-ally made it to work!" Paul has graciously allowed The 1005 Line to use his comic strips in our publication. Weare honored and grateful.
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Friends got together at Champion’s acouple of months ago to welcome MikeRossini back from Italy. He had justbeen released from a stay in the hospi-tal, after blood clots in his lungs almostdid him in.Welcome back, Mike! Keep us posted!
Left to right:Judy Klein, Donna Tuveson, Ross Martin, HelenJenkins, Leroy Fuller, Loree Cullen, Mike Rossini, Barb Ezaki, AndyKlein, Elaine Markula, Dan Melander, Joy Fuller, David Blumberg
CRYPTOEach letter stands for another. If you think X=O, for example, it would equal O throughout the puz-zle. Clue: Z=A (Answer on page 27 ) Submitted by Pat Kelehan, Mech. #5470
A Z B Y C X D W Y Z E Z W F C Z A V F D S G Z
C Z F B V N D Z Y B Z K K Z D Z V F M. H S A Z B B Y V
V L S H Y A J S G M H Y V A L S G X C V L S H S M V.
Page 24
Twenty-Five years08/02/84 John Powell, 3307 08/27/84 Clement Schwintek, 166108/27/84 Paul Poppie, 519608/27/84 Edwin Pedersen, 1662 08/28/84 David Durow, 514608/29/84 Matthew James Homan, 523708/29/84 Jerrold Frank Learn, 5238
Thirty-five years08/03/74 Thomas Wannarka, 476 08/05/74 James Dalton, 47708/05/74 Glenn Goetz, 2698
September 2009Five years 09/11/04 Teng Moua, 6436409/11/04 Shaunece Smith, 6434109/11/04 David Weros, 6434409/13/04 Stryker Fedorowski, 6435209/13/04 Daniel Feleke, 6435309/13/04 Donald Rossebo, 6434809/13/04 Thai Yang, 6435509/13/04 See Yang, 6434709/13/04 Russell Cage, 6436609/25/04 Megersa Gibe, 6439709/25/04 Christine Ingram, 6437909/25/04 James Warner, 64398 09/25/04 Abdelawel Seed, 6437709/27/04 Abdullah Ali, 6439309/27/04 Michael Dicosimo, 6438509/27/04 Abdellatif El Maarouf, 6439209/27/04 Michael Gray, 6438609/27/04 Carol Swenson, 6439009/27/04 Thomas Thao, 6440009/27/04 Xoteng Yang, 6440309/27/04 Dale Heidelberger, 6437509/27/04 Aisha Dancy, 6436809/27/04 Tonia McRaven, 64370
RetirementsCongratulations to June Retirees
06/03/09 Donald James, OHB Mech. Tech. 556306/27/09 Mark Sutherland, LRT Track Maint. 30206/13/09 David Dixon, TIC Rep 993706/03/09 Daniel McNamara, EM Bus Operator 159806/13/09 James Devine, MJR Mech. Tech. 5358
Congratulations to July Retirees07/06/09 Billy Ashford Hey. Bus Operator 134807/10/09 Ronald Parent, EM Bus Operator 257307/11/09 Ronald Gale, Nic. Skilled Helper 540207/17/09 Terry Smith, EM Mech. Technician 543707/18/09 Gary Dreke, MJR Rev. Eq.Maint. 3667
Congratulations to August Retirees08/04/09 Renae Smith, Hey. Bus Operator 110308/07/09 Aaron Smith, Hey. Bus Operator 921008/11/09 Patricia Williams, Hey. Bus Op. 6412908/15/09 Ernest Bowman, Hey. Bus Op. 970908/22/09 Charles Knapp, MJR Bus Op. 642308/24/09 William Graham, Nic. Bus Operator 247
Congratulations to Employees CelebratingAnniversariesAugust 2009
Five years 08/02/04 Michael Erickson, 64266 08/02/04 Earnest Robinson, 6428808/02/04 Lisa Sovde, 6429508/07/04 Abdirazaq Abdulle, 6429908/07/04 Carlisha Lyles, 6429808/07/04 Abdinasir Mohamud, 6429708/07/04 Benjamin Poole, 6430308/09/04 Steven Bringe, 6432008/09/04 Tsultrim Karpoche, 6430608/09/04 Seth Keyes-Taylor, 6431808/09/04 Leon LeCuyer, 6432608/09/04 Otis Meneese, 6431608/09/04 Eugene Stroot, 6430908/09/04 Chou Thao, 6431108/09/04 Darsalle Warren, 6430808/09/04 Tyra Iverson, 6431008/21/04 Shaunte' Johnson, 6433010/11/04 Yuk Yau, 64305
Ten years 08/02/99 Aziz Habibovich, 694408/16/99 Michael Altendorf, 5577
Fifteen years08/23/94 Stephen Eidsmoe, 6446
Ten years09/11/99 Jonathan Dumenya, 696109/11/99 Ervin Spevacek, 695809/13/99 Billy McLean, 701509/13/99 Julius Gronau, 557809/13/99 Clyde Gillespie, 364609/20/99 Haile Tesfaye, 557909/27/99 Gayle Gilman, 697709/27/99 George Hamilton, 697409/27/99 Hernandez Hill, 697209/27/99 Jason Davis, 6978
Fifteen years09/03/94 Oscar Turner, 645909/06/94 Steven Gilman, 646209/06/94 Steven Tangen, 646409/21/94 Kevin Davis, 647309/21/94 Richard Price, 647209/26/94 Gary Merchant, 6476
Twenty years09/05/89 David Rasmussen, 896909/05/89 Timothy Patrin, 897009/18/89 William Byrd, 897509/18/89 Mark Patrick, 8976
Twenty-five years09/04/84 Howard Foxx, 166409/04/84 Kham Seung Phanthavong, 166309/04/84 Ronald Roth, 166609/04/84 Donald Andrew Dobis, 05258 09/17/84 Michael Modahl, 528409/22/84 Daniel Hawkins, 3308
Thirty years09/10/79 Marnell Wilber, 115709/10/79 Steve Schurmeier, 524209/10/79 Larry Pederson, 116209/17/79 Randall Burzynski, 117009/17/79 Charles Greer, 1178 09/17/79 Terry Isensee, 118209/17/79 Birkett Jackson, 1183
Thirty-five years09/03/74 Michael Cope, 152009/03/74 Jay Capistrant, 316809/16/74 Steven Hopkins, 152809/23/74 Howard Melco, 5137
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Our apologies to Russell Cage, #64366, there was an error in his job title in the last issue. His job title shouldhave been listed as light rail operator.
Twenty and Thirty-Year Awards at Nicollet
Ivory Johnson, Mech. 5220 and Pat Kelehan, Mech. 5470, received twen-ty and thirty-year service awards from Silas Sharp, Nicollet Garage manager. Pat has since left Nicollet for the “Promise Land” - HeavyRail, Bldg. Maintenance.
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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
If you had joined the Education Committee, thiscould have been you. We had an offsite meetingon Lake Minnetonka. Maybe you should join?
Every once in a while, everybody likes a tour of the MJRmaintenance facility. Maybe we can invite them back thisfall. - Submitted by Mickster
Material Management personnel jumpedin to help with the makeover of EastMetro’s stockroom. With the new buses,a revamp was necessary to accomodatethe increase in spare bus parts.
(Left to right) Bruce Biddick, SteveTagen, Chris Kuefler, Steve Babcock,David Steen, Rich Kasprzak and MelonieBunner (not shown - was off working)
No Letters to the Editor were submitted.
On August 12, 2009, Michael Terry tragically passed away in a motorcycle accidentwith his loving wife Carol of 25 years. He was preceded in death by his mother,Dorothy. Michael will be missed by his father, James; siblings, Eileen Fewer, Patrick(Louise); many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends. Mike was hired by MetroTransit part-time in May of 1991 and went full-time in September of 1992. He was arelief instructor at Heywood before he moved to East Metro.
In MemoriamPage 27
Vinar, Richard F., age 83, died suddenly at his home in Forest Lake, MN, on Monday, August 10, 2009.Richard, the son of Joseph and Mary (Martinek) Vinar, was born on December 2, 1925 in Eagle Bend, MN. Hewas united in marriage to Dorothy Wagner in St. Paul, MN, July 1948. Dorothy passed away in November 2004.He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII aboard the USS Indiana. He drove streetcar in downtown St. Paulbefore spending over 30 years driving bus for the MTC. He also volunteered his time to the Cub Scouts and BoyScouts of America for over 30 years. After retiring from the MTC, he owned and operated a tobacco store indowntown St. Paul with his loving wife Dorothy. He always enjoyed being around people and opened his heartto everyone he met. He enjoyed fishing, bird watching, the lake and was the Number 1 Minnesota Viking Fan!Richard is survived by seven children; Molly Kundinger (Charlie); Patricia Schultz (James); Joseph; John(Jeanette); Richard; Michael (Julie); and Timothy (Karen); 24 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He isalso survived by one sister, Eleanor Ribar of Hutchinson, and other relatives. He is preceded in death byDorothy Ann Vinar, his parents; seven brothers, Joe, Leo, James, Elmer, Ed, Ray and Rex Vinar and two sisters,Mildred Bednar and Irma Meyers.
Holmstrom, Donald O., age 78 of Brooklyn Center, MN, passed away August 5, 2009. Donwas an Honorable Veteran of the Korean War, a longtime bartender at Busters in DowntownMpls and an MTC bus driver. Don was hired as a part-time driver in January of 1990, promot-ed to full-time in October of 1991 and retired in January 2004. He is survived by his wife of55 years, Marion; children, Dawn (Jack) Mayblum of Napa, CA, Donald (Karen) of SanDiego, CA, Dennis (Kathy) of Ramsey, and Dwayne (Julie) of Brooklyn Park, MN; also threegrandchildren; three sisters and numerous nieces and nephews
Answer To CRYPTO:CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURED AFAULTY RAIL APPARATUS. WE CALL IT THE WICKEDSWITCH OF THE WEST.
Humor from TICA guy called a rep tonight to get direction from his house to a certain radio station. He told the rep that he
was going to the radio station tomorrow, as he was supposed to go on air to talk about something. The rep final-ly bit and said "Oh ..talk about what?"
The guy said about ghosts...he sees ghosts all the time....that they were all around him. At this point, the repknew it was time to end this call, but the guy said, "In fact, today when I was walking to the bus, one followedme on the bus and the bus driver let him on!!!" The guy was dead serious.
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.
2009 Charity Ride for Suicide Prevention
On August 22, 2009 at 11:00am, 130 motorcycles and nearly 200riders blasted off to start our 5th Annual Charity Bike Run from theEast Metro Garage.
The weather was perfect, sunny and about 75 degrees. Thanks toour Metro Transit Police, who secured the intersection of Phalen andMississippi, we were on our way. The ride went for about 130 milesand ended at Treasure Island Casino. Most of us enjoyed a discount-ed prime rib dinner at the casino, thanks to the charity, who negoti-ated that discount.
Donations made to the charity, SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voicesof Education) totalled over $2500. We had some big-money poker
winners and many door prize giveaways.
The ride was very organized and a great success, according to the many who rode. It turned out to be a safeand fun ride, with no major problems or setbacks. Safety was the number one goal of the Ride Committee.
We will try to continue our efforts for 2010. Look for details at your facilities by June of 2010, or SAVE.org,or listed on websites promoting Minnesota motorcycle bike runs throughout the season. Thanks to all attendeesfor your support, and to the Ride Committee and Road Captains. We’ll see ya on the road next year. Ride safe,ride hard, have fun, and ride. - Jerry Larsen
