An RTD Strike and You

As we approach the February 28 deadline of the three-year Regional Transportation District's union contracts, it's still unclear what if anything will happen with the negotiations between RTD's union and RTD. 

First a slight bit of background. Using the bad economy as an excuse, RTD wants its union contract to have a three-year wage freeze. RTD also wants to take control of the union's health care and benefits system. Of course, the union doesn't like agreeing to the wage freeze and especially not the loss of control of their benefits, which was one of the main issues that resulted in the union's strike that paralyzed Denver transit for a week in 2006. 

On Thursday, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 (the union that represents many RTD workers, mostly drivers and mechanical operators) filed an intent to strike with the Colorado Department of Labor, a formality required by law for any union considering even the possibility of striking. The union actually wants the state labor department to deny its intent to strike, because it instead wants the state to take the case to a binding third party arbitrator, which the union said it feels would better fulfill its goals, because the decisions of that arbitrator are binding to both the union and RTD. At the department of labor meeting on Thursday were dozens of blind and disabled transit riders who also encouraged the state to deny the union's intent to strike and instead move the case to arbitration. The state has the ability to deny intents to strike if it feels such a strike would put public peace, health or safety at risk. That message was certainly what the disabled riders were trying to convey by attending the public meeting.

RTD actually prefers the union to strike instead of going to arbitration because that process could end up costing RTD more money that it says it has the ability to spend. 

“(Arbitration) would have a chilling impact on both sides to negotiate in good faith,” Cal Marsella, RTD general manager and chief executive told the Denver Daily News.

RTD is arguing that arbitration would put the transit union at a privileged position, and if the union wins many of its concessions, the agency may have to make even deeper and harder cuts to service.  However, that was not actually at issue at Thursday's meeting. The state doesn't care about what effects the strike will have on either the union or the agency, they only care about its effect on the public. And in that regard, RTD actually had to argue to the state that a strike really wouldn't be that big of a deal.

“The human being is a remarkable animal in its ability to adapt,” said Bruce Abel, RTD’s assistant general manager for customer services at Thursday's meeting.

Abel said that RTD has a contingency plan that will allow 43 percent of busses to run during the strike by using private contractors not associated with the union.

But the reality is that an RTD strike really will have a significant effect on all of us in Denver. Since the 2006 strike, the transit union has organized many of the workers in the three private contractors that RTD uses, making it much harder for the agency to use replacement workers during the strike. If a strike were to occur some of the most popular pieces of the system would be ground to a halt including the two most ridden busses the 15 and the O, the B bus that connects Denver to Boulder and all light rail. The disabled riders at the meeting were certainly alarmed by the prospect of another strike, with many recounting stories of not being able to attend doctor's appointments or pick up medications during the last strike. Even first responders such as firefighters and paramedics spoke out against the strike, stating that it would significantly increase road congestion, making their ability to get to where they need harder and more time consuming.

But RTD doesn't care. For the agency, the strike is twofer: A week or more of significantly reduced service allows the agency to save millions and with a strike, the agency is in a more privileged position to put public goodwill against the union get more concessions from the union on wages and benefits. 

I think the union has every right to be concerned with RTD's proposed contracts. Why should they agree to a three-year salary freeze for an economy that may only be bad for one year? And certainly losing control of hard-won benefits for what is a fairly crappy and even dangerous job is not something the union would want. The union might consider agreeing to a one-year salary freeze to be re-evaluated as the economy gets better and some benefit concessions, but I don't think they should consider the horrible deal RTD is offering them.

But basically the cretins at RTD would rather screw over its workers and the public at large to squeeze a small amount of savings from its employees. This despite the fact that the agency's own mismanagement is more to blame for its financial predicament then the flimsy "bad economy" excuse. 

In less than a week, the union contract expires. Hopefully, both sides will come to an agreement or the state will force both sides into arbitration before then. A strike would horrible for everyone in Denver and potentially disastrous for those who are dependent on transit just to live. 

RTD needs to stop playing games with Denver and avoid a strike. Here is the contact information for the Colorado Division of Labor. Please tell them how the strike could effect you and urge them to force RTD into arbitration. 

The damage is done.

The RTD board met last night and approved most of the proposed May 2009 service cuts. The board meeting had nearly 100 people in attendance, most trying to persuade RTD to save some service or another. Unfortunately, it looks like it was mostly to no avail. The largest turnout by far was in support of the Route U bus, which travels from Pine in the Jefferson County mountains to the Denver Tech Center, but was completely eliminated by the RTD board.  Except for a few services that were saved because various municipalities agreed to cost-share programs with RTD, pretty much all of the original cuts went through. 

RTD is clearly in a mismanaged free-fall. RTD Director Kent Bagley told the Denver Post that the cuts approved yesterday may just be the beginning under these current economic conditions. Though the cuts will save RTD $4.3 million, they still are nearly $3 million below budget. Like I have said many times, part of the problem is RTD's idiotic decision to lock in the price the agency pays for diesel back in October at $3.09 a gallon, which means they are paying more than a $1 a gallon than it would if they were buying fuel on the open market. With diesel prices continuing to fall, that decision is costing RTD millions of dollars every month. 

Apparently, RTD is trying to extend the agency's fuel contract with a new rate until 2010. I am not sure how the agency pays for fuel, but they really should consider multiple-length contracts where RTD pays part of the price of fuel at a current rate and the rest at a previous rate. That is what Southwest Airlines does to the company's benefit.  Clearly though, RTD is not being managed well and has zero accountability to its riders. At this point, I am not sure what riders themselves can do. Obviously, the direct approach yields little, as dozens of people fought for the U and it still was cut. What are the other options? I'd say kick all the idiots out, but the last election actually retained pretty much everyone on the Board of Directors and general manager Cal Marsella still has his job (and apparently a very good bonus/benefits package) despite what seems to be his general incompetence.

So the question is: What can riders do? Anyone have any ideas?

Does RTD actually listen to its riders?

I went to the RTD meeting on Friday about the agency's proposed and severe cuts to service. There were only 14 people in attendance. Since the meeting was on a Friday night, that seems pretty good. Friday night has to be the worst night to hold any kind of meeting, so of course RTD held five meetings then.

Those in attendance made their cases to save various routes. I was glad to see that many of the people were there to protest the cuts of the 1 bus. Many of them made very good points, noting that the geography of west Denver makes it harder for people to travel farther for transportation and that this burden is particularly hard on the transit-dependent riders such as the elderly and the disabled.

I made my case, explaining that RTD's service is already lackluster compared to other cities, that its unfair to increase fares and reduces service, and that riders should not have to suffer for RTD mismanagement and inability to anticipate problems. The RTD bureaucrat who conducted meeting dismissed by comments in typical bureaucrat fashion by not really answering my claims and instead insisting that there was nothing RTD could have done to prevent its current situation (fire the "several economic advisors [that] told us fuel prices were going to go back up again," for one).

We'll see what happens next. I think those of us who fought for the 1 were convincing and it seems like they might moderate the cuts somewhat in the final version. The bureaucrat asked if we would support having 1A service only during peak hours. I told him that I think the bus is used all day, particularly since much of the ridership consists of students, the elderly and low-income workers who often have different schedules then the typical "peak hour" users have. I suppose having the 1A at all is a positive step though.

In the end, I left the meeting feeling as though I wasn't really listened to. Even the bureaucrat admitted that the meeting was basically a legal formality and though there was a note-taker, there was no recording of the meeting, so who really knows if our opinions from the meeting are actually going to be heard by the board.

I know mine well at least, because I plan on attending the next board meeting. I found information about the meeting in the crevasses of the RTD web site. The next board meeting will be on Tuesday, February 17 at 5:30PM in the lower level meeting room at RTD headquarters; 1600 Blake Street. The public is allowed to attend and make three-minute comments directly to the board. You can also send an e-mail to your RTD board representative here. If you didn't attend the public meetings on the service cuts, this will be the last chance to give your opinion. I can't promise they will listen, but at least it will be heard.