Page AIO
^Jortlnub (Obstruer
May I, 2013
Expansion Comes with Impressive Studio
Antonio Harris
opens highly
visible location
If you were married in inner
north or northeast Portland or
even know someone married in
the past 25 years, Antonio Har­
ris was probably a part of that
experience by photographing that
memory.
A fter 35
years of op­
e ra tin g
a
hom e-based
photography
b u s in e s s ,
H arris Pho­
tography is
expanding by
moving to a
highly visible
location, the Antonio Harris
blue and white building at 4545
N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. BI vd.
and Going Street.
continued
on page A17
Spacious studios provide an impressive backdrop for Antonio Harris and his new Harris Photography location at
4545 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
TriM et Pensions: A Q uestion of Fairness
Its fashionable these days to call frontline workers and retired frontline workers "greedy." That's what
TriMet management wants you to think about us. Yet, over the years, we took less in wages partly so
we could supplement our social security benefits. That is how we saved for retirement. Many of us
have small TriMet pensions. Sometimes they are completely gobbled up by medical costs. When the
numbers are viewed side-by-side, it is clear TriMet management places a higher value on themselves than
they do on the front line employees—those who have the most demanding jobs in the organization.
[ p e n s io n Class C o m p a ris o n
1
—
TriM et Non-Manager
Non-Union
TriMet Union
Average Monthly
Pension Benefit
Z
TriM et Former i
General M anager «
TriM et Managers
Ç JL956, z
^ "$ 1 6 ,0 0 0 ^
^$3786, Z
Years Worked to Qualify
10
3-5
3-5
7
Minimum Age
for Eligibility
58
55
Unknown
Unknown
Paid Life Insurance
$25,000
$150,000
$500,000+
$800,000
(current Gen. Mgr.)
’
-
-------------------- 9
——. — -—
r
jr fcnz/.
Unknown - Information requested but not received.
\ \ hat we are talking about is economic justice. Corporate America is excessive when it comes to executive compensation.
Not So Golden Years:
Retiree Profiles
John: “I drove a bus for 26 years. I often
worked 16-hour days due to driver shortages.
I seldom got breaks and had to eat on the
ru n . The stress o f tight schedules, city
traffic and no breaks caused chronic
health problems. I’ve had a. triple by-pass
and live with diabetes. My TriMet pension
is SI,454 per month. So far this year, I’ve
paid almost $1,400 toward my health care.”
Betty: “I am a fifteen-year TriMet employee.
Faulty operato r seats crushed three of
my vertebrae, and I had to have surgery.
The constant use o f my right leg on the
bus pedals ruined my knee, so I’ve had
to have it replaced. My pension from
TriM et is $748 per m onth.”
XX
Should our public agencies follow suit? What happens when top management receives compensation far in excess of that
received by most of their employees? Does that gap in overall compensation create a sense of superiority or inflated self-worth?
Does it taint their relationship with the agency’s workers, customers and the community? We think it does. We believe TriMet
has strayed from its mission. We are working with the com m unity to put it back on course - providing the safe, affordable,
reliable and sustainable public transportation our com m unity deserves.
Sincerely, Your Transit Workers
LOOK FOR US
ON FACEBOOK
LET YOUR VOICE COUNT!
Monthly Payment
Distribution for 1,283
Total Union Retirees
LEARN MORE AT
TRANSITVOICE ORC
$1,000-
$2,000
(478)
I