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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2018)
Street Roots • June 15-21, 2018 News Page 7 U R drivers plan event to address work conditions “Laidlaw, I’m sure, wasn’t perfect, but most of these problems started with First Transit. And drivers in particular have gone on strike or threatened to go on strike numerous times over the last decade or so over issues with First Transit.” Dozens of complaints on First Transit have been filed with the Oregon Bureau of BY SARAH HANSELL complaints with the Portland Jobs with Labor and Industry,over the years, for a S T A F F W R IT E R Justice-affiliated Worker’s Rights Board, variety of reasons, including disability which has created a list of recommendations magine that you’ve just arrived at work, related concerns. All of them are now they will be sharing at the next TriMet and you are immediately informed it is closed, most because they were withdrawn board meeting later this month. time for your first break. Within the next or ruled unsubstantiated. On June 25, passengers of LIFT will have two hours, you also must take your lunch In a statement from Trimet, Tia York told the opportunity to share their experiences break and second short break. Now, you Street Roots that “TriMet has worked with at “Speak Out for Accessibility in Public have six, maybe seven hours of your shift First Transit to ensure operators have Transit and Housing,” an event co-hosted by left — and your breaks are spent. access to restroom facilities. To support Portland Jobs with Justice, Real Choice Now imagine that your job is to drive a LIFT operators in their route Initiative, and the Amalgamated Transit 26-foot vehicle, and, despite when your responsibilities and provide safe, accessible Union, or ATU 757, which represents breaks are that day, since it’s always Trimet drivers. The event will be 6:30-8 p.m. locations for restroom breaks, TriMet different, a dispatcher will inform you when started providing access to nine additional at SEIU 503, 6401 SE Foster Road in you can take them. And once you are alerted badge-access restroom facilities within its Portland. of your break, you have five minutes or two service district during the last year. For passengers, scheduling issues often miles to find a place to not only park the “Because they do not operate on fixed leave them on the bus for as long as two to 26-footer, but also one that happens to have routes,” York said in her statement, “and four hours for as short as a 15-minute trip, a public restroom in walking distance. because service is by reservation only, LIFT according to Redwine. Drivers will be given Now imagine that the bus is full of operators enjoy greater flexibility to access a set route at the beginning of the day in passengers, some of whom should not be two-hour increments, which can be amended adequate facilities. In addition, TriMet has left unattended, according to the Bureau of confirmed with First Transit that LIFT at any time by the dispatcher. However, the Labor Industries. Your employer, however, operators are allowed to take comfort routes aren’t always logically planned, and breaks outside regular break times. For tells you that you can leave them for a short riders returning home may end up going safety and security reasons, they are period if the vehicle door is open. hours out of the way, she said. required to first contact dispatch. If the This is what First Transit tells its TriMet “Many times I just won’t go places that operator finds herself in an unfamiliar area, LIFT drivers, according to driver and I’d like to go because I don’t want to sp e n d dispatch will guide the operator to a location Washington County union liaison Cathy all day riding around, or getting weird where a restroom can be utilized at no cost.” Redwine. First Transit is TriMet’s bookings, or whatever,” said Beth Omansky, When asked about the conditions drivers contractor for TriMet LIFT, the Portland a passenger of TriMet LIFT, who also holds were complaining about, First Transit Metro Area’s paratransit service that a doctorate in social work and does research spokesperson Jay Brock had this response: transports people with disabilities. on society’s treatment of people with “First Transit follows guidelines set by Situations like these are disturbingly disabilities. the State of Oregon, Bureau of Labor and frequent at LIFT, she said, and arc not taken For riders with certain disabilities or Industries,” Brock wrote in an email. health concerns, riding for up to four hours seriously by First Transit. “Employees are provided with regularly without a bathroom or food break can be “First Transit told me last week they scheduled breaks during their shift. In unsafe and unhealthy, Redwine said. think we’re making it too big of a deal,” addition, employees can request a needed Passengers also must be recertified every Redwine said of the difficulty of finding a comfort break at any time. For the safety three years through an interview process, place to park in the five minutes or two and coordination of our passengers and which sometimes even includes being miles allotted to them once alerted of their employees, we do ask that the driver notify accompanied by an occupational therapist to break time. our operations.” deem if they qualify for TriMet LIFT’s First Transit has began to gain notoriety Regarding the complaint of long rides, service. Rather than feeling supported, it for stacking breaks and leaving drivers Brock said First Transit and Trimet are leaves people with disabilities feeling that without breaks for so long that they have partnering to identify solutions as ridership TriMet LIFT is trying to “rule people out,” soiled themselves, or resorted to wearing expands to outlying areas. Omansky said. adult diapers, among a host of other At the panel with the Worker’s Rights LIFT drivers have been in contract complaints. In 2017, one driver was fired Board last month, a representative from because she was unable to wait, and relieved negotiations with First Transit for the past C-TRAN, Clark County’s public transit two and a half years. herself on the ground outside of the bus. system, shared that their paratransit First Transit is a Scotland-based company Drivers’ shifts can also be extended service, which uses the same software as contracted by TriMet, and has been without notice, and they can be informed of First Transit, but is operated in-house rather receiving complaints from riders and drivers an upcoming shift the next morning, than through a contractor, runs more alike for a little more than a decade, when sometimes with as little as six hours notice smoothly. Although it costs a bit more, both they acquired Laidlaw International, Inc., — barely time for a full night s sleep that riders and drivers are more satisfied, and the company who formerly operated the would prepare them to drive safely the next rides are much shorter, Norton-Kertson Portland Metro area’s paratransit service. day, said Justin Norton-Kertson of Portland said. “From what drivers say, there’s a Jobs with Justice. • Redwine, as a driver for LIFT, said she noticeable difference from when First During a panel last month, drivers, as feels taken advantage of by both First Transit took over,” said Norton-Kertson. well as some passengers, shared their Drivers for the paratransit service for Trimet say their contractor, First Transit, isn’t responsive to the conditions they work under I Transit and TriMet. “Most of the drivers that work for LIFT are very compassionate people,” said Redwine. “They put the passengers ahead of their own needs, they run their routes to get people off their bus in a timely manner. And both agencies know that’s the mentality of our drivers, to help our passengers. And they use that. And it just looks to me like they’re exploiting some of their measures in order to get a better outcome on the bottom line.” As contract negotiations continue, health insurance and wages are particularly important for LIFT drivers. Drivers hired after 2012 only have access to a catastrophic health insurance plan with a $2,500 deductible, Redwine said. “This kind of transit work, honestly, it breaks your body,” said Andrew Riley, communications director for ATU 757. Transit workers are at heightened risk for a host of health problems, such as deep vein thrombosis and circulation issues from sitting for long hours, chronic kidney issues from the lack of bathroom breaks, and bladder cancer and related issues from inhaling diesel fumes over extended periods, said Riley. “(Health) insurance becomes this huge sticking point because this works makes you sick, and we know that health care is not exactly affordable in this country to begin with,” Riley said. B ro c k said h e co u ld n o t c o m m e n t o n health care matters while contract negotiations were ongoing. He did say that First Transit investigates every issue brought forward by a driver and that there are multiple ways for a driver to report an issue: “Directly to a supervisor, via an employee dedicated hotline, or to union management.” Low wages and poor health insurance, Redwine said, make the job much less attractive to potential applicants. While TriMet LIFT has some particular issues, Portland Public Schools bus drivers for students with disabilities are also experiencing many similar ones, such as low wages, poor health insurance and their employer not taking complaints seriously. “Even in places where paratransit drivers are making close to what fixed route bus drivers are, they’re not making the same wage,” Riley said. “And I think honestly it’s because they’re working with folks with disabilities. And because of ‘ableism’ in our society devaluing people with disabilities, I think by extension we devalue everyone who works with folks with disabilities.” “I think that our lives are being disrespected,” Omansky said. “I mean, every being has a certain amount of time on earth, and ours is being used up by TriMet. I feel that we’re being disrespected and devalued.” Street Roast coffee is now available fo r retail and wholesale purchase! 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