From the B/A's Seat

VEOLIA PHOENIX DOESN”T EVEN KNOW THEIR OWN CORPORATE CELL PHONE POLICY.

I guess the company is giving out false information in the TREC classes in regards to the Corporate Cell Phone Policy which goes to show me that neither the Training Department nor the Operations Manager have a clue as to the policy period yet they are dictating it to the Operators. The policy is pretty clear and easy to understand when it says that the bus must be stopped and the brake set if using a phone. NOWHERE does it say that you have to be out of your seat, or in the back of the bus to use it, contrary to what the training department is preaching. The latest new rule from the Training Department is that the Bus must be shut off and the Operator out of their seat to use a phone. So now they are being hypocrites towards their own policy that they have preached for years, and that id that we DON”T shut the buses down in Phoenix because of the extreme heat that we endure every year. So now with what the Training Department is preaching, when you get to your layover point and you have a 30 min. layover with passengers on the bus make sure that you shut the bus OFF and get your ASS out of the chair as safety Jim says and go for a 30 min walk and talk. I am pretty sure that it would take about 2 mins before the irate Phone Calls start flooding the QAS Center, and all you can answer QAS is I am only doing what I was taught and instructed to do in my TREC class.

Here is a letter submitted by a concerned Public Transit Rider that was forwarded to our office. I think that everyone should read this to see what our tax dollar paid Transit Officials and their henchmen are up to. This is the kind of CRAP that the public has to put up with from Transit just like we do.

I've read your website and sent a previous email. So what is Transit doing to save Operator jobs and bus routes for those of us who have no other transportation? I have been raging at City Council, the Mayor and Transit and they have ignored me until recently. Now I am having a meeting with Transit to get answers to my questions. I have asked why it is that the Transit-Dependent (people of color, working poor, elderly, disabled) were sold out and the Transit-Choice (White suburban riders with cars who use Park N Ride, Express & Rapid buses) lost nothing in this cut back. In fact, Transit and the City ADDED three new Express bus routes while it cut back all of the urban local routes. Was a Title VI Impact study conducted before these changes were made? What other alternatives were considered? I have asked how they can justify cut backs when they have failed to collect fares. Why has the City not installed auxiliary vaults to collect bills and coins that could not be collected with their lousy new fare boxes? People intentionally use "bad" transit dollars so they can avoid paying the fare. If they welded an auxiliary vault on those fare boxes, then the City could collect all of those now lost fares. Is someone available through your Union to talk to me? I am considering a civil rights complaint or district court lawsuit citing discrimination in the cutbacks. Someone got so upset with my questions that they actually sent my email to City Council and the Mayor, and Cotton to my employer to try and shut me up and cause me to lose my job. The Mayor's office was furious when they learned that some coward decided to attack me due to my important questions that I was asking. I need some help here. I cannot do this alone.

FIRST TRANSIT

Now let’s talk about what is going on out in the WTF!!!!!!! They are going through operators like I go through socks. There philosophy is that we care about our employees and we have an open door policy, what a pile of horse crap that is. If they can figure a way to get rid of an operator they will do it. And it isn’t just here in Phoenix, it is North America wide. We are just recently back from a conference in Washington DC where I had the opportunity to talk to 30 different locals from both the US and Canada and the stories are all the same, no matter how they try and disguise their name be it 1^st Student, 1^st Group or as we know them 1^st Transit. This Company has their glorious 7 DEADLY SINS and they use them to their fullest advantage North America wide. These are some of the most ASSININE reasons to terminate an employee on a 1^st occurrence but they seem to take great pride in these ASSININE SINS. If an Operator has a PREVENTABLE accident they will throw a GROSS NEGLAGENCE charge on top of the Preventable to make sure it is a Terminable Offence. Unlike the rest of the Transit Companies that believe a preventable is a preventable and that’s why we have ARB’S to make final determination. Not in the WTF every accident is a preventable, even if someone runs a RED LIGHT you are still charged with a preventable accident by 1^st Transits Safety Manager, make a lot of sense??????? Not to me, but it does to 1^st Transit. And if they can’t get you there watch out because they will stack some other wacked out trumped up charge on top to make sure they get you.

A NEW LOW IN THE VALLEY

Do you need a job driving a bus?? Just go to 1st Transit and apply. There is a great shortage at the WTF because they keep terminating employees, and the latest way for MR. MOORE to do it is by using the probationary language so that as he puts it “he doesn’t have to deal with either Dana or myself on the issue and this way we won’t have any reason to take it up with Marc Perla”. Well guess what? Wrong thing to say, we have been pretty quiet about the WTF but quiet we cannot be any longer. We just got back from Washington DC where one of the heated topics was 1^st Transit and their 7 DEADLY SINS which they are ABUSING NATION WIDE INCLUDING CANADA as our Canadian Brothers and Sisters were explaining to us as well as all the other Locals throughout the States. 1^st Transit seems to think that these 7 Deadly Sins is CARTE BLANCHE to terminate employees which is what they do on a regular basis across the country. In just about every contract I looked through in Washington there is wording just like ours here that says in ART 8 Sec 7 “If it is mutually agreed that a situation arises which has unusual circumstances, the parties without setting a precedent may elect to change past procedure to more fairly judge the employee’s particular case”. Does this happen here or on any 1^st property? The answers I got were you have to be JOKING!!!! And once more today at the WTF it happened again but this time we are using the probationary language to avoid dealing with Dana or Bob on this issue, well guess what? They will be dealing with DANA, JIM, RICK and BOB on this issue whether they like it or not!!!!!

And to think that the City of Tempe is considering 1^st Transit in the bid to become the new provider. I can already see another low ball bid so that to get a new contract signed we can go to the City of Tempe and ask them for 1.35 MILLION DOLLARS like we had to do with the City of Phoenix to get a deal at the WTF. And does the City of Tempe want to have to deal with 300 pissed off drivers that have a contract soon to expire? The 7 Deadly Sins are the most asinine things I have ever seen in my 32 years in the transportation industry and I am sure that there are a whole lot of people in the industry that would agree with me. So now that we seem to have a new set of rules to play with by 1^st Transit, I guess it is time for us to be imaginative and come up with a new set of our own.

COULD THE NEW FARE BOX BE THE REAL REASON FOR THE CITIES SHORTFALL IN MONEY FOR TRANSIT?

After reading an article in the AZ Republic form 11/05/08 titled Bus Fare boxes malfunctioning it is becoming clearer why the City’s Brain Children are making Service Reductions in Public Transit.

The opening sentence says it ALL “Bus Riders have been scoring FREE trips in the wake of ongoing mechanical problems with new fare boxes on about 800buses throughout the Valley”. So with all the FREE rides that are being given out on top of the 12 MILLION DOLLARS that was spent on this new pile of JUNK no wonder the City has to make SERVICE REDUCTIONS in Public Transit. If you take the 12million Dollars that was spent on these new headaches and add the cost of all the FREE rides that would add up to approximately the total cost of Service Reductions the City is going to make by July 1 2009. Once more it looks like Joe Q Public and the taxpayers have been SCREWED AGAIN!!!! And what is the City’s answer? We will raise the cost of riding by 40% come July, so as to make it almost impossible for a great majority of people to ride the City’s Transit System. The public should all write letters to Tom Callow and Debbie Cotton and let them know exactly what they feel about the City’s Transit System that is falling back into the Stone Age!!!!!

THE PHOENIX TRANSIT SYSTEM SINKS TO AN ALL TIME LOW.

Had a call from a friend over the weekend from the Seattle area asking just what in the HELL is going on with the Transit System here in Phoenix. So I went on to explain that the City Managers as well as the Director of Public Transportation just don’t give a DAMN about the riding Public here in Phoenix. I guess the news of the IDIOTIC Service reductions has spread across the country already making the City of Phoenix look like a 3^rd class Transit System. Nobody that I have talked to can believe the stupidity of the City Managers and the Director of Transportation when it comes to these reductions!!!!! With the economy in the toilet, and the public looking for the mass transit system to get them to and from work, these brain scientists that we have running our Transit System decides to put the screws to the Public with Service Reductions. Then they add insult to the injury by coming forth with a 40% fare increase proposal, what a double kick to the nads!!!! Rather than gradually increase fares over the last 10 years like most cities in North America have, these buffoons have left it alone and now need quick cash grab so let’s slam the public riders with 40% right now. But one will notice that none of the City Managers JOBS are in jeopardy; coincidence???? Another thing the City isn’t telling everyone is that they are calling this a SERVICE SUSPENSION at this time so as not to have to get rid of any buses. Now they can just park them for the time being. I understand that the Christmas bus will now roll in December and January as it took a private donation to make this happen, I guess someone in the private sector still believes in the season as it is quite obvious that the City doesn’t!!!! Maybe it is time that the public boycotts the Transit System for a week or two, then maybe some of these clowns would get the message!!! I doubt it though as they are only concerned about there own livelihoods and their paychecks every two weeks. So I guess being the countries 5^th largest city with one of the worst transit systems really doesn’t count for anything. Bellingham Washington which is a very small town in Northern Washington State has a better Transit System than Phoenix and they have a population of maybe 50,000 people, go figure!! So maybe it is time for the City Officials to start focusing there concerns on the people that count on transit to make a living rather than what is best for themselves, I hope everyone remembers this when some of them come up for re-election.

THE COTTON EXPRESS KEEPS ON ROLLING DOWN THE TRACKS WITH TOM CALLOW AT THE CONTROLS.

Here is the latest City Transit News on how the City plans to shaft the Public and the late night work force who count on the late night service to get to and from work. Debbie Cotton and Tom Callow now plan to cut Service by the end of December 2008, these cuts will be 500am service instead of 400am and the last pick ups at night will be 10:00pm, nothing later. All Saturday Service will now be Sunday Schedules. MV Dial-a-Ride will now ONLY PICK UP ADA passengers (nothing else), and the Dash Buses will have the last 2 hrs of their runs abolished here real quick. This is all for December with another 22.5 million in cuts to be made in July 2009.So can someone please tell me how in the hell the City can claim that they really do care about the pubic that counts on early morning and late night bus service to get to and from work?? Considering that Phoenix is the 5^th Largest City in the Country and its Transit System is by far one of the worst. I guess if the City hadn’t spent MEGA MILLIONS on the light rail stations and all the fancy art work to go with it, there might be some money left over for the bus service. If the City is so worried about money; why not clear out some of the DEAD WEIGHT at City Hall and the Transit Department at the Compass Building; I am sure that could pay to keep some buses on the road .

But who gives a RAT’S ASS it is only the Public and the Bus Operators as well as all the Businesses on Central that are going to pay the price of this latest Brain Storm by our City Transportation Experts. I guess the City figures the businesses on Central haven’t suffered enough in the last 3 years as Central was torn apart for Light Rail, lets screw them a little more by cutting out late night bus service, who needs people to frequent downtown at night any way!!! And don’t forget that the CITY is going to let everybody RIDE LIGHT RAIL FOR FREE for the first FULL WEEK of service. One really has to wonder what Debbie and the City Managers are doing with all the FEDERAL money that has been given to Phoenix. Oh well, with the price of gas up and the economy in the toilet, bus ridership up about 22% why the hell should we care about BUS SERVICE? As long as all the City Managers keep getting a paycheck, who gives a DAMN about the riding public, the Operators who need a paycheck, as well as all the business owners who need employees being able to get to and from work, as well as customers to patronize their businesses. As the City Grows the TRANSIT SYSTEM SHRINKS makes a lot of sense to me, how about you?

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY TO PHOENIX AND 1^ST TRANSIT OPERATORS FROM THE CITY OF PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After sitting through 2 transportation meetings today the news only gets worse, and once more who is going to suffer? The riding public and the operators of course. It was made known to us at the 800am meeting that there will be a 5 million dollar service cut at the end of December 2008, so MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR from the City of Phoenix Public Transportation Department and the City Managers. But who the hell cares as long as the City keeps getting the Federal Money in their Palms.

Then we have HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY to all Operators and the Riding Public as it was also announced at the 800am meeting that come July 2009 their will be a 22 MILLION DOLLAR SERVICE REDUCTION, that’s right I said 22 MILLION DOLLARS in service reductions come July 2009. Does DEBBIE COTTON and THE CITY MANAGERS care about the Operators that have car payments and mortgage payments? Or do they even give a damn about the inconvenience that this will cause the people that count on the bus as their mean mode of transportation? Some how I really doubt it. If I had to make a wager I would bet that PHOENIX is NOT going to hire any more classes this year and probably very few next year if any. Doing some very quick math we figure 8-10 operators per million dollars without knowing exactly how they are going to implement these ridiculous cuts.

I know they are not going to get rid of any of the TOP HEAVY management in the CITY TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT to lessen the burden on the operators and the public so that really only seems to leave 1 choice?????????

I would really recommend that we all band together and show up at the next transportation committee meeting and let them know just what we think of their STUPIDITY. And then we can carry it over to the Council meeting and let MAYOR PHIL GORDON know exactly what we think at the same time!!!!!!

Maybe it is time to get the MEDIA in full blown on this issue seeing as how the media loves to attack the Operators, now maybe it is time to let them attack the COTTON EXPRESS!!!!!!

      PHOENIX BAH HUMBUG!!!

Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any worse, DEBBIE COTTON and the City Managers and Transportation Committee have sunken to a new low, and have gone to show us all that they don’t care about the Operators or the public and are trying to mask it all with the Famous Line BUDGET CUTS!!!

For the first time in many years the Phoenix Operators will not be participating in the Bus Rodeo due once more to the famous BUDGET CUTS. The Christmas Holiday bus will NOT be out running in December and January due to BUDGET CUTS!!! So much for the Phoenix Operators that look forward every year to participating in the Rodeo as they have for many years past. All the other companies think it absolutely great as they see themselves having a chance of winning it this year. Pretty funny how all the other companies can still participate in the Rodeo, and 4 of them are Veolia Properties!!!!! So I guess what is good for the Operator really doesn’t matter when it comes to Debbie and the rest of the City Managers. Then we have the Holiday Bus that has put a smile on so many faces over the Holidays, little kids and especially the elderly who this bus really helps out during the Holiday Season, as well as the many Operators that have the privilege of driving this festive bus. But it’s only the public and the Operator that are going to suffer once more. If it is a money issue, then why doesn’t the city cut back on the amount of top heavy mangers that they carry on a daily basis?

Lets get back to the BUDGET CUTS!!!!! Debbie and the City Managers want to pass off transit in Phoenix as a first class system, yet we have no real protection out there, we have the homeless that think the bus stops are there personal apartment with nothing done about it. Now between Phoenix Transit and 1^st Transit we are looking at between a 20 to 30% reduction in service, which by our figures translate into approximately 200 or better cut in Operators. This kind of cut will also be the elimination of routes throughout the City and West Valley but lets not worry about it as we are a first class service and continually receive Federal Money to operate. Maybe if the Feds knew exactly how things were run, then the money would dry up. But lets not worry about the 20 to 30% reduction in service that we are not supposed to know about, it will only affect the PUBLIC as well as the livelihood of many OPERATORS, but that is ok as DEBBIE COTTON and the CITY MANAGERS will still all be receiving their paychecks. Maybe it is again time to call up our friendly reporter at the NEW TIMES and let her run this story throughout the Valley for ALL to read.

PHOENIX AND 1^ST TRANSIT OPERATORS

The City has taken it upon themselves to make all of the Operators FARE Enforcement POLICE. Phoenix has come out with a bulletin for its new fare enforcement decals which are now asking the operator to start enforcing the FULL fare to ride now. It goes on to say “state the fare and let the customer know that the full fare must be paid. Let the customer know that it is no longer your discretion to let them ride without paying the full fare” this is now about 20 years too late as it has always been the policy of the city just to let them ride no questions asked. Does the term “courtesy ride” ring a bell? They now want you to become the new big bad fare enforcer after they have told you for years just to let them ride.

The way it looks to me is that rather than stick management or the cops out on the buses to enforce this new policy, they want you the operator to do their dirty work and at the same time set yourselves up to become human punching bags over what is going to be major fare disputes on a daily basis now. If the city and the company want this so bloody bad let them enforce it with the proper people, as you the operator have enough to worry about on a daily basis let alone now worry about fare enforcement. Do not get yourself hurt, hit, spit on, or verbally abused for the city or the company over this new policy, which by the way never was discussed with the union again!!!!!!!