Commuters
suffer through MTA strike
Economy:
Public transportation has screeched to a
halt after negotiations break down between
the MTA and its mechanics' union.
By
Zamná Ávila
On-line Forty-Niner
When
María Gutierrez woke up Tuesday morning
she didn't expect to wait at the Blue Line
station for a train that would never arrive.
"I
just found out about [the strike] from another
person waiting for the bus," she said.
Gutierrez
is only one of the 500,000 estimated Metropolitan
Transportation Authority riders in addition
to non-MTA bus riders and highway commuters
affected by Tuesday's mechanics union strike
surrounding their health care fund.
Gutierrez,
35, will not go to work today, because she
does not drive to work. Instead, she wakes
up at dawn everyday, gets ready for work
and walks to the Fifth Street station from
her apartment on Linden and Seventh Street.
The Blue Line drops her off at the Rosecreans
station where she takes another MTA bus
to her warehouse job in Gardena. She says
she gets home late to take care of her 2-year-old
daughter and 10-month-old son and was not
informed about the strike.
"I'm
going to have to go back home and call in
sick, because at this point I don't know
how I would get to work nor how do I have
someone to call to take me," said Gutierrez.
After
17 months of negotiations, including nine
hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday,
Neil H. Silver, president of the Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 1277, representing about
2,500 MTA mechanics called for a walk-out
for 12:01 a.m. Tuesday with only 12 hours
notice to MTA officials. The dispute is
a result of fallen talks regarding demand
for greater contribution to the mechanics
health care fund, which currently finds
itself insolvent.
Union
officials allege their insolvency is due
to the rising health care costs. But MTA
spokesman, Marc Littman who acknowledges
health care costs has increased partly because
of "the worst fiscal year due to the
budget crisis," points to an independent
audit that found the union has grossly mismanaged
the $16.8 million annual contribution in
recent years.
Dan
Ritey, a union employee who said he could
not comment on the matter, said Silver and
the officers of Local 1277 were not available
for comment as they were at different sites,
but faxed a letter signed by Silver to union
members. The letter dated Oct. 13 outlined
the union's reasons for calling the strike.
According to the letter, MTA offered a two
year wage freeze, further cuts in health
benefits, about $142 per month, which would
increase employee contributions to $70 per
month, less benefits for retirees than active
employees and other concessions on subcontracting
and service attendants.
"Whatever
they are putting out there is garbage,"
said Littman who called the union leaders
liars.
According
to Littman, MTA is offering a 5 percent
pension, a move to build health care and
subsidies to hearth care and welfare. However,
he said, MTA is also asking for temporary
control over the health fund due to the
mismanagement findings of the independent
audit.
"They
are not even informing their members about
what is being discussed at the meetings,"
he said.
"From
what I've heard they lost money for their
health benefits, but I'm not sure,"
said Nowell Canonge, a member of the general
service union, one of the four different
MTA unions. He is one of the approximately
9,000 non-ATU employees who are honoring
the strike. Canonge explained that there
are four different MTA labor unions mechanics,
supervisors, bus drivers and general service
workers. Canonge said that he is mainly
picketing because the union at MTA have
vowed to honor each other's lines during
a strike, failure to do so, might mean losing
benefits from his own union.
Cal State Long Beach bus riders may also
feel the effects of the MTA strike even
though the MTA strike is not honored by
small city bus agencies such as Long Beach.
"It's
very busy," said Long Beach Transit
bus driver Domingo Miranda, "there
are a lot of people that don't know where
to go and we are doing the best we can to
help them by honoring their Metro pass."
Miranda, whose shift begins at 3 p.m. and
ends at 11 p.m., said his busiest hours
were from 6 to 7 p.m., when commuters were
trying to find a way home.
Another
driver, who declined to state his name,
said that his route was busy all day. "They
take the bus to wherever they can, then
take a cab or call someone," said the
driver.
The
conflict may affect riders for an indefinite
time. According to Silver's letter to union
members the union will remain available
for "fruitful" talks with the
MTA as they await advisement from a state
mediator. Littman, however, said that meetings
are not scheduled because the union refuses
to go back to the table "unless we
sweeten their deal."
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