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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2018)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | February 2, 2018 | PAGE 5 ATU Local 757 blasts TriMet’s pick for general manager Union leaders hoped the board would hire a change agent. By Don McIntosh Leaders of Amalgamated Tran- sit Union (ATU) Local 757 are blasting TriMet’s pick for new general manager in statements online and at a Jan. 24 meeting of the transit agency’s board. Current general manager Neil McFarlane is retiring this year, and union leaders had hoped the board would hire a change agent from outside who might take the transit agency in a different di- rection. Instead, TriMet’s cur- rent chief operating officer, Doug Kelsey, was named Jan. 17 as the sole finalist after a na- tional search. “Selecting Kelsey is a clear choice for the status quo: declin- ing ridership, increasingly-unre- liable service, and a worsening relationship between workers and management,” the union de- clared in a Jan. 23 public state- ment signed by Local 757’s three top officers: President Shirley Block, Vice President Jon Hunt, and Financial Secre- tary-Treasurer Mary Longoria. In the statement, the officers said the executive search process was “a sham from top to bot- tom,” saying it was an open se- cret after Kelsey’s 2015 hire that For TriMet to name insider Doug Kelsey as sole finalist — after spending money on an international search — was not what ATU expected. he would take over as general manager someday. Kelsey came to TriMet after working 16 years at TransLink, the regional transportation au- thority in the Vancouver, B.C. metro area. Block says the union has had no specific difficulties with him at TriMet, but did have trouble with managers under his direc- tion. At the Board’s Jan. 24 meet- ing, Kelsey took questions from the public, including Block, Hunt, and Executive Board offi- cer Anthony Forrester, a TriMet light rail operator. But first the Board heard from consultant Celia Kuper- smith, who led the search for a general manager. Kupersmith said input was solicited from 40 organizations, 12 applicants were interviewed, and three fi- nalists were selected from among seven semifinalists. But the requirement that finalists present themselves publicly was UNION DEMOCRACY METAL TRADES COUNCIL ELECTS NEW OFFICERS. Gary Moore (left) installs new officers at the Metal Trades Council of Portland & Vicinity Jan. 23, prior to their monthly delegates’ meeting, which attracted more than 100 members. Officers from left to right are: Secretary-Treasurer Jason Joeckel of Laborers Local 737; Recording Secretary Mike Bridges of IBEW Local 48; Vice President Robert Petroff of Machinists District Lodge W24; Trustee Shawn Eckleberry of Sheet Metal Workers Local 16; President Pat Christensen of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290; Trustee Darren Glebe of Operating Engineers Local 701; and Trustee Benjamin Heurung of Boilermakers Local 104. Moore, who served for 12 years on the Executive Board, did not seek re-election as secretary-treasurer. Terms are for three years. The Metal Trades Council represents workers at the Portland Shipyards. Last month they overwhelmingly rejected a three-year master contract proposal from at Vigor Industrial LLC. They have been working without a contract since Sept. 1, 2017. Bargaining was scheduled for Jan. 30, after this issue went to press. “Do you believe in keeping union jobs, or contract- ing out?” ATU Local 757 Presi- dent Shirley Block asks Doug Kelsey at a Jan. 24 TriMet board meeting. “Both,” he replied. a deal-breaker for the other two finalists, Kupersmith said: With- out a job offer, they felt that pub- licly considering a job as TriMet general manager would put their current jobs at risk. “We see you as part of the current administration,” Hunt told Kelsey — an administration that Hunt said has acted inhu- manely toward staff, violated the union contract, prevented low-level managers from re- solving union grievances, and routinely lawyered up at tax- payer expense to resolve even minor disagreements. “I have been in ‘unfair labor practice’ hearings where I spent the entire day listening to gob- bledygook from your manage- ment staff that is out of touch and is unable to recognize the most basic issues that are hap- pening at the workplace,” Hunt said. “Do you believe in keeping union jobs, or contracting out?” Block wanted to know. “I believe in both,” Kelsey replied. “There’s a balance. I be- lieve there’s healthy tensions that keep all of us in checks and balances.” Forrester said a recent disci- plinary crackdown has created a “culture of fear” in the light rail division, and asked Kelsey how he would change that. The goal isn’t to create a culture of fear, Kelsey said, but TriMet has to “true up” some of its practices that are inconsistent with laws and safety rules at other agen- cies. Local 757 expected the Board would authorize its chair to ne- gotiate a contract with Kelsey at its Jan. 31 meeting. But the Board decided to postpone that meeting, and extend its public comment period, saying in a Jan. 25 statement: “The Board would like more time to weigh public feedback before it deter- mines the next steps in the gen- eral manager search.” No date had been set as of when this is- sue went to press. HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS The public can continue to submit comments on the GM search by: ■ Email boardtestimony@trimet.org ■ Comment online at trimet.org/contact ■ Call 503-238-RIDE (7433)
