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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2014)
Inside: MEETING NOTICES See Page 6 Volume 115 Number 3 February 7, 2014 Portland, Oregon Kitzhaber sets March deadline to decide future of I-5 bridge SALEM — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber set a March 9 deadline for Oregon lawmakers to re-authorize the state’s financial commitment to replace the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Port- land, Oregon and Vancouver, Washing- ton over the Columbia River. The Oregon Legislature is in a 35- day short session that began Feb. 3. The Interstate Bridge seen from Vancouver, Washington, looking south toward Hayden Island in north Portland, Oregon, where Interstate 5 crosses the Columbia River. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons) ATU #757 not happy with TriMet audit Leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 are unhappy with the results of a comprehensive au- dit of TriMet by the Oregon secretary of state. The audit, released to the public Jan. 29, made 23 recommendations for change, from safety and scheduling to labor-management relations and un- funded liabilities. The audit was ordered by the Oregon Legislature last year after the Oregonian exposed secret pay raises for TriMet managers and shift schedul- ing practices that left bus drivers so sleep-deprived as to be potentially un- safe on the road. Since then, TriMet general manager Neil McFarlane has promised more transparency, and a policy was worked out by union and management that re- quires at least 10 hours off between shifts for drivers. The audit concluded that strained re- lations between management and ATU, low morale and employee mistrust of management, are adversely affecting TriMet and its operations. Its recom- mendations include: • A waste, fraud and abuse hotline for employees to report concerns; • Formal meetings with the union outside of contract negotiations in order to repair a contentious relationship; • Addressing the adequacy of bath- room facilities; • Ensuring adequate time for opera- tor breaks; • Reducing the complexity and cost of bus operator signups; • Allowing hiring of maintenance employees with prior training or expe- rience; • A formal evaluation process for all frontline employees that includes writ- ten constructive and positive feedback when warranted; and • Following up with operators about whether their suggestions can be imple- mented. “TriMet must work to improve a contentious labor-management rela- tionship in order to solve its fiscal chal- lenges and continue to provide critical services to Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas County residents,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown in a press statement accompanying release of the audit report. Brown said TriMet’s $1.1 billion in health care and pension liabilities are its most significant chal- lenge. But Local 757 President Bruce Hansen, in a press statement respond- ing to the audit, said he felt disheartened on reading the report. Union represen- tatives met with the auditors and pro- vided them a list of 25 concerns about (Turn to Page 12) In addition to re-authorizing $450 million to the project — better known as the Columbia River Crossing — Kitzhaber also wants the Legislature to adopt the necessary statutory changes to ensure appropriate tolling enforce- ment. Moving the project forward also will require an executed intergovern- mental agreement between the Wash- ington Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Trans- portation (ODOT) for bi-state con- struction. In a letter to legislative leaders in Oregon, and to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), Kitzhaber said that without decisive action by the Oregon Legisla- ture (by March 9) and the State of Washington by March 15, he will di- rect the Oregon Department of Trans- portation to close the project. “We’ll try to roll this rock up the hill one more time,” said John Mohlis, ex- ecutive secretary of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council, a staunch advocate of the bridge replacement project. Union officials lobbied Oregon law- makers to pass HB 2800 in the 2013 legislative session. The bill funded the state’s portion of the $3.5 billion proj- ect, which calls for improving high- way interchanges, replacing the bridge and extending Portland’s light-rail to Vancouver. HB 2800 included a provision that required the Washington Legislature to contribute an equal $450 million before any money could be authorized. Wash- ington lawmakers failed to act on a transportation package last year that would have included the money. (Re- publican leaders in the Senate refused to move the transportation package to a vote.) When that happened, Kitzhaber and Inslee declared the Columbia River Crossing dead. A month later, Kitzhaber put forth a scaled down “Oregon-led project.” The $2.8 billion plan relies heavily on bridge tolls, but still includes an $850 million grant from the federal govern- ment. Over the last decade, Oregon and Washington have spent more than $180 million on planning, designing and per- mitting for the replacement bridge. Substantial local and federal resources, and thousands of hours of public and community participation are also in- vested in the project. “For Oregon there is no alternative plan that is less complicated or less ex- pensive,” Mohlis said. In his letter to legislative leaders, Kitzhaber wrote, “Although this is an Oregon-led project, it certainly is not an Oregon-only project. All of our proj- ect partners —TriMet, C-Tran, the City of Vancouver, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Fed- eral Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration — are still part of the Oregon-led project, some with modified responsibilities to reflect the state of Washington’s post- poned funding of the Washington inter- changes. “Importantly, our federal and local partners concur that the Oregon-led project continues to meet the safety and mobility benefits required in the federal Record of Decision, and they stand ready to move forward.” But support has been shaky, espe- cially in the Oregon Senate, where Sen- ate President Peter Courtney (D- Salem), is opposed. Courtney has repeatedly told the media that Oregon lawmakers did their job last year when they approved the $450 million. He says Washington needs to step up and do its part. “I’ve done my duty,” Courtney told the Oregonian. “It’s time for them (Washington) to do their duty.” Mohlis encourages union members to contact their state legislators and urge them to again support funding for the Columbia River Crossing. “We’re another 10 years away if we don’t do this now,” Mohlis said.
