A Strategy for Fighting Privatization

The threat of privatization is raising its ugly head again at Metro.  The DC government is considering turning over to the Circulator the local runs in DC that Metro currently operates.

If this plan is fully implemented, Local 689 could lose approximately 175 bus driving jobs over the next couple of years.  The threat of privatization is real and must be fought.

In the late 1990’s, the local governments and WMATA threatened to privatize the entire Metrobus system.  Local 689 and many riders fought back and as a result of this struggle and the fact that at the time there were no contractors who could handle the job, they backed down part way.

 

A regional Mobility Panel was established to resolve the issue.  In its final report the Panel broke Metrobus lines into two types, regional and local.  The regional lines were to continue to be operated by Metro, but the local lines could be turned over to private contractors by 2003. Except in DC, this plan was carried out. 

In Local 689, there was a disagreement as to how to fight this.  The Allen leadership advocated concessions to save jobs.  One EB member and many rank and file members advocated no concessions and a more militant fight.  The Allen leadership won out.  The starting salaries for bus drivers were reduced, an eight year progression to the base pay was established, and limits were placed on dental insurance for all and health benefits for new employees. A New Service Agreement which made even more concessions was negotiated.

The jobs that were gained (PRTC) or saved did not last long.  The private contractors lowered their wages even more, and we lost the PRTC service, and the local runs in the suburbs continued to be privatized.

Fast forward to 2013, and it is like the late 90’s over again.  The difference is that the contractors are now multi-national corporations and thus a bigger threat than before.  Metro is of course demanding concessions in our contract so that they can protect our jobs.

As a union we are faced with the same choices that we had 15 years ago, step up the struggle or make concessions.

The struggle will be more difficult this time because we made concessions in the past, the contractors are more powerful, we are a smaller percentage of the mass transit picture in the region, and the labor movement in general is weaker.

We can turn this around.  It means reaching out to the riding public and other unions in mass transit as well as unions in general to tell the bosses that we will shut this region down if privatization is not stopped.

Take the offensive! One wage and benefit package for all transit workers in the region. If we want other workers to support our fight we must support them.  Fight austerity and deportations!  Fight racism and mass incarceration!

March on May Day 2013 in DC

March On Mayday

On May 1, we will join with millions of workers from every continent and country for a Mayday March in an expression of international solidarity.

Mayday is an international working class holiday. It is a day on which the international working class reviews it forces as it prepares to do battle with the capitalist class.  For the last hundred years, the US bosses have tried to separate workers in this country from their brother and sisters around the world by celebrating Labor Day in September.  The time has come to end this division

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Mayday has a long history.  It began as a commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre.  In 1886, a general strike was called by the unions in Chicago as part of the fight for the eight hour working day.  As a part of the day’s activities, a rally was held at Haymarket Square.  The police attacked the rally and several workers were killed as well as some police.  As a result, criminal charges were brought against the leadership of the unions in Chicago and four of them were hung.

In the 1930’s, workers marched on Mayday to fight the rise of fascism and to stop lynching in the US. On Mayday, 1945, the red flag of revolution was raised over the Reichstag in Berlin by soldiers signifying the defeat of fascism and the end of World War II in Europe.  In the late 1980’s millions of workers in South Africa marched on Mayday to help bring down the apartheid regime there.

The struggle continues today as we march:

To Smash Racist Unemployment – 26 million people are out of work or underemployed in the United States, and 200 million in the world. Jobs for all.

To Stop Deportations – In 2010, over 400,000 people were deported from the United States.  Workers have no borders.

To End Mass Incarceration- Over 2.3 million are in jail in the United States, the highest incarceration rate in the world.  End the war on drugs which is being used to incarcerate people of color.

To Stop Home Foreclosures – Millions of workers are facing eviction from their homes because of the ongoing  financial crisis.

To Smash Imperialist War- End the war Afghanistan and stay out of Syria and Iran.

To Fight Sexism – End the attack on women’s rights.

We call upon all workers, students, and soldiers to join the Mayday March.

The March will leave from Malcolm X Park (16^th St and Euclid St NW) at 6:00pm on Wednesday, May 1.  Speeches and entertainment will begin at 5:00pm. The March will end at the White House.

Occupy DC May Day Committee  DCMAYDAY2013@GMAIL.COM

Stop The Fare Increases

Metro is proposing a fare increase of an average 5.7% for regular bus and rail riders effective July 1 2012. The maximum rail fare will go to $6.00 for a one way trip on the rail. This increase is being put into place when many riders’ wages are being frozen or reduced. Meanwhile service on the rail system continues to deteriorate.

At the same time Metro is proposing to freeze the wages of its workforce and reduce their pension benefits. The federal government is proposing to cut capital funding for Metro so that many needed repairs will have to be delayed further in convening the riding public.

Public transit which is a necessary service to much of the working people of the region is under attack. The federal government, the local governments and the business community, all of which are major beneficiaries of the system are refusing to pay their fair share and are attempting to shift the cost of operating the system onto the back of the riding pubic and Metro workers.

The federal government, which had billions of dollars to bail out the banks, refuses to pay any of the operating costs of the system although a third of its workforce uses it daily to work. The local business community which thrives because of Metro will not pay for the services it receives. The local governments refuse to increase taxes on these businesses to make them pay their fair share.

Metro creates value for the region far in excess of the cost of operating and maintaining the system. A portion of this value which is currently going into the pockets of the 1% and their allies needs to be redirected to the transit system. If this is done, it will eliminate the need for a fare increase and create the basis for fare reductions.

To stop the fare increase, end the attack on Metro workers, and improve Metro service, riders and workers need to join together for this fight. The elected political leaders of the region will talk a good game about improving mass transit and protecting the riders and workers, but in practice they serve the 1%. They use racism to divide us. They pit riders against metro workers and the suburbs against the city. It is in all of our interests to overcome these divisions and fight back.

The Occupy Movement that has developed in the United States and around the world has taught us that when the politicians do not respond to our needs, we need to engage in direct action.

This can begin with attendance at the public hearing Metro will hold on Thursday, March 1 at 6:00 pm at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE. This is near the Anacostia Subway Station.

For more information email movingforwrd689@yahoo.com

ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARINGS

Us, the Occupy Movement and Our Contract

On June 30, 2012, the current contract between ATU Local 689 and Metro expires. Metro has already indicated that they are planning on a 3 year wage freeze, a reduction in pension benefits, and new rules governing the distribution of overtime. What is going to be our response to this attack?

We can take the same path we did four years ago and let an arbitrator decide the terms of our next contract or we can prepare ourselves for a fight to achieve a decent wage increase, a reduction in the length of the progression for operators and unskilled workers, proper funding of our pension system, a reduction of the cost of our health insurance and a less harsh disciplinary policy.

We learned from the last arbitration award that the process is tilted in favor of management. The award which resulted in a loss of retiree health insurance for those hired after January 1, 2010, a one year wage freeze, a reduction in health benefits, and a deferral of $190 million of pension contributions was a clear win for management.

Can we reverse the setbacks from the last contract and move forward this time? Yes and the reason why is because of a changed political climate in this country. Since last September a movement of millions of people who are angry with the attacks on working people that have gone on over the last 30 years has erupted. The Occupation Movement seeks to reverse the trends of the last 30 years which have seen a tremendous decline in the labor movement as workers’ wages and benefits have been cut, and millions of other workers have lost their jobs. At the same time the top 1% of the population has amassed tremendous amounts of wealth.

Our union and the Occupation have similar goals and can draw strength from each other. Members of the Occupation are students who cannot find jobs, federal workers who have had their wages frozen for two years and Metro riders who are facing another fare increase in July.

The local governments and the federal government that control Metro believe by using racism they can divide us from the riding public and other government workers. We must show them they are wrong.

The leadership of our union has no plan other than begging the politicians to toss us a few crumbs. The Occupation Movement views the politicians as a bunch of liars who will tell you anything to get elected. Once elected to office they serve themselves and the 1%.

The system of capitalism is in crisis. It is a political crisis because the politicians need working people to believe in them and follow their leadership. Workers are no longer willing to do this. It is an economic crisis because the system cannot meet the need of the 99%. We can advance only when we rise up and fight the system. This is what the occupation is doing and we should join them.

Is It A Victory?

The federal judge hearing Metro’s challenge to the 2009 arbitration award on our contract has denied Metro’s demand that the award be set aside. He has ruled that the award is legal and should be implemented.

After reviewing all the material submitted to him by the union and management, he decided that it was affordable to Metro because it only increases labor costs by 1.76% per year over the four year term of the contract. Inflation during the last year has been close to 4% putting a big squeeze on our standard of living. Since January 1, 2008 to the end of June this year inflation has been approximately 7.5%. Since inflation is predicted to continue at a rate in excess of 3% for the next year, we will experience a significant loss of real wages during the contract period.

If the arbitration award is implemented as written, the average member who has been working since the contract expired on June 30,2008 would be due approximately $5,000 in back pay as well as a 9% wage increase. Metro challenged the award in court, not because it was beneficial to us, but because it did not take enough away from us. The elimination of health insurance for newly hired employees when they retire will save Metro over $1 billion in the future and the one year wage freeze will save them $48 million over the four years of the contract. Cost shifting on health insurance will save Metro several millions of dollars more over the course of the contract. Isn’t this enough?

The judge’s ruling will not stop Metro management‘s attacks on us. They have made safety the issue to justify their attacks. Management talks about the need for a safety culture. At the same time they have operators following unreasonable schedules, working mandatory overtime, using faulty equipment and, stressing them out over the threat of disciplinary actions. How can this be a safe environment?

What are we doing to fight back? Not much! The union leadership believes the award was a good one so therefore since it has been approved; there is nothing to fight over. On safety, they are telling us to be safe, if we want to avoid discipline. What needs to be done? First we need to understand what is going on and then we need a plan of action to deal with it.

The attack on us began when Metro took over from DC Transit in 1973. The local governments that set up Metro viewed the problem the private companies had as caused by wages and benefits that were excessive. Metro immediately launched an attack on our cost of living increases. The union struck to preserve them. We won that fight but the company extended the wage progression to two years and froze the wages of many unskilled workers.

In 1978, Metro came after the cost of living increase again. The union went on strike for 6 days. We held on to the increases in wages, but Metro was allowed to hire part time operators with no benefits. The union weathered the economic crisis of the early 80’s (10% unemployment and double digit inflation) without much damage because of Metro’s fear of a strike still haunted them.

The economic crisis of the early 90’s was the occasion for new attacks. The progression was extended from 3 to 8 years. Wages were frozen for everyone in 1992 and for those with less than 6 years of service in 1993 and in 1995 hundreds of drivers and mechanics were laid off.

As the new century began, there was an uptick in transit workers militancy. Strikes in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York helped us regain some of the loses of the 90’s. Real wages improved. Pensions and pension funding increased. A year was taken off the progression for operators and unskilled workers.

Then came 2008 and another economic crisis began. The union did not try to advance under attack. It retreated to the arbitration process. When the arbitrator took a pint of blood, Metro said they wanted two, and took us to court. The judge has now ruled that one pint is enough for now. Metro might appeal the judge’s ruling. Although unlikely since the judge has made a good case for how much money Metro is saving on it, and Metro knows there will be a walkout if they appeal the decision, we should be prepared if they do.

To reverse the loses we need a plan to shut the city down. We need pay raises that protect us against inflation and improve our standard of living, and we need health insurance for everyone when they retire. Strikes are the only effective way we have to protect our interests. The bosses know this and that is why they have made them illegal. We need to overcome our fears and prepare for battle.

Setting The Record Straight And Planning For The Future

Jackie's comments on the 2001 to 2004 contract ( Hick's contract) showed she had little understanding of the contract and what was done. She sees it as a give back that we gave up the perfect attendance award. In reality we got a 4% wage increase instead of 3% for this. Do the math! The perfect attendance award was worth about $200 per year for people who qualified. The extra 1%, if you made $60,000 per year, is $600. Everyone got the extra 1% and it is now part of their base salary. So they continue to get it every year. Not a bad deal. What about funding the LTD benefit out of the pension fund? Take a look at the Pension Actuary Report and see how it is determined. Apparently Jackie never did this. The Actuary determines how much Metro needs to contribute to the fund for pensions. He then figures out how much money is needed for the LTD benefit. He adds these two numbers together and that is what Metro sends to the pension fund for the year ( its divided into 12 equal payments). The money for the LTD benefit comes from Metro. It passes through the pension fund because that was what was negotiated. A concession was made to Metro on who could participate in the EAP program. Under this agreement you had to work for Metro for at least six month to participate. If you though the drug test gave a false positive, you could grieve that.

In the 2004 to 2008 contract which I negotiated Jackie mentioned changes in the Section 124 language, like it was a bad thing. Compare the old language with the new. The new language expands the bidding rights of workers who are permanently disqualified from their positions so it is easier for them to get back to work. Is this a bad thing?

One thing Hicks and I learned from negotiating with Metro is that they often do not know what they are talking about. They made a big issue of the LTD benefit being a pension benefit. Our concern was that they continue to pay for it. The result was that they changed the name and the membership got the benefit cost free.

Jackie continues to make a big point about all the concessions Metro wanted and that is why she could not negotiate a contract. Every contract since at least 1983 Metro has come at us with the same laundry list of concessions (they must use a copying machine and change the dates). In the 2001 and 2004 contract negotiations, we got Metro to drop all the significant concessions, made some improvements and moved on. Why couldn't she do the same.

There are two reasons. First Metro management was more determined to set us back in 2008 then they were in the previous contracts. Second the union leadership told management from the start of negotiations that they would play by the rules and there would be no work actions to press the union's issues. At this point management knew that they could force the contract to arbitration where they believed that they could do better than in negotiations and if this failed they could challenge the award in court without any fear of a strike by the union.

Metro's attitude to its workers is on display in the challenge to the arbitration award. The award is clearly the worst contract the union has achieved since the Simpkin Award in 1969 when the full cost of living clause was taken from us. ( We got it back in 1972 through negotiations and the threat of a strike.) The award froze our wages for a year which has not happened since 1992, and it eliminated retiree health insurance for new employees which will save Metro over $1 billion as current emplyees and retirees die off. In addition it introduced co-payments for the HMO's which had never existed before. Despite these give backs, Metro believes they can push us even further back.

We are now at a crossroad. The laws governing the arbitraton process at WMATA have been changed to tilt the process more in the bosses' favor. We are in a weaker position than we have been since the right to strike was negotiated away in 1955. At this point we have neither binding arbitration or the right to strike. If we acept the status quo this job will soon not be worth having. Many of us are afraid of the consequences of fighting back. We still have hope that things will work themselves out. They might, but we should prepare ourselves for battle. Preparing for battle means building an alliance with the riding public whom we serve everyday. It means uniting with other unions who are facing the same difficulties we are. It means gaining the support of our families and friends.

Court Ruling Expected Soon

On April 29, all the various documents, briefs and motions that the judge reviewing our arbitration award has asked for were given to him. He will now write his opinion on whether the award is in compliance with the law or not. He stated in his February opinion that he would attempt to finish his final opinion as quickly as possible. For a federal judge this is probably about two months.

When the opinion is handed down by the court it will do one of two things, either he will order Metro to pay the wage increases in the award or he will declare the award illegal and order the parties to go back and begin negotiations on a smaller wage increase. If either party is dissatisfied with his opinion they of course can appeal his decision and delay the final outcome for another year.

Many members have asked how can Metro do this if we have final and binding arbitration. The court told the union in February of 2010, that we no longer have final and binding arbitration. This was taken away from us when Congress passed and President Clinton signed the Wolf Bill into law in 1995.

Since the original award was written in November 2009, unions across the country have been under attack and the arbitration process has been labeled unfair to the bosses and the local governments. The bosses seem to have forgotten their history on this one. Arbitration was set up in the first place to prevent workers from striking because the bosses felt strikes were too effective in winning workers demands. In recent years, the unions have been weaken to the extent that they can rarely wage an effective strike, so now the bosses feel they can take away our right to arbitrate contracts without any repercussions

We have all seen the process unfold in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana where collective bargaining rights have been eliminated or greatly reduced. In Montgomery County the courts have ruled that the County Executive can set aside an arbitration award if he honestly believes it will threaten the financial stability of the county.

From the 1930’s to the middle 60’s a militant trade union movement and the civil rights movement were able achieve a decent standard of living for many workers through collective bargaining, and a decent retirement through Social Security, Medicare and the private pension systems. Now 50 years later, the bosses have decided that all these gains by workers have to be taken back because they are no longer affordable.

The problem is not that we do not have the workers and the resources to provide workers with a decent standard of living but rather that the bosses run the system to make profits rather meet the needs of the working class. As long as we let the bosses continue to spend billions on foreign wars to protect their profits, billions more on police repression at home to keep the working class down and billions more in fighting each other to see who can make the most money, workers will not have a decent, secure and productive life.

To build a struggle to protect the rights of all workers, ATU Local 689 is holding a town hall meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library in downtown Washington on June 20 at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to build unity between Metro workers and the riding public to fight for decent public transportation, low fares, and a strong union presence at Metro. Metro workers are willing to fight not only for themselves but for all workers in the region. Join us. For more info email: movingforward689@yahoo.com