JH - 35 The First Goal

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Joe Hill LTD Project
LTD Strategic Plan discussion now continues. If you as a union member want to see the future of LTD study this plan. Study the remarks of the leadership Council.

On August 3, 2004 the Leadership Council had their usual sit and listen to Hamm and Pangborn Leadership Council meeting. Item 4 on their report says:

"LC Retreat: By now, all administrative staff should have received a letter from Ken Hamm outlining a plan for a local consultant, Glaser and Glaser, to conduct a confidential survey of administrative employees to identify key strategic issues that can be incorporated into the LC strategic planning meeting to be conducted in late fall of 2004. If you have any questions,
please contact your department head."

source Leadership Council Meeting Notes 8-3-04 by Mark
Pangborn.

I guess we serfs are not worthy of supplying any input. I recommend everyone ask Mark Johnson and Ron Berkshire why our input is not being sought. After all aren't we four times as many employee as the administrative employees. Isn't a bus driver's opinion just as valid as say, a receptionist or a coin room employee? How are we to be heard?

We aren't because "children are meant to be seen but not heard!"

So here is the first Goal we are going to examine from THEIR Strategic Plan:

GOAL: DELIVER RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICE
Provide high-quality, effective, safe, and reliable service that meets the community’s mobility needs.

Short-Term Implementation Strategies:
If a goal is a BRT Goal LOOK for a big BRT in blue. If its a goal for Scabs look for a big teal colored SCAB

Strategies Priority: Note the word priority and order of the priority. Also note the number of strategies that concern regular service. The ratings for the priorities are NONDESCRETIONARY, HIGH and MEDIUM.

1. Install the AVL/APC/CAD project by December 2003
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Well this has happened and now our part is to hear Bill Hallmark's voice all day long - not that it is a bad voice. Note the word NONDESCRETIONARY. And by the way what ever happened to the promise that AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) would not be used as a disciplinary tool. I guess just more words not to trust by Hamm and Johnson. BRT

This is an important word - NONDESCRETIONARY. It means the debate or planning discussion is over. It means that everything is less important than this and that it MUST happen.

2. Use APC data to provide route segment and stop-level analysis
Priority- Nondiscretionary - Well this is nice to have because passengers get counted automatically. It will also affect LTD federal funding I hear so we should have no complaints about this. BRT

3. Develop RideSource Efficiency & Productivity Standards
Priority - Nondiscretionary - You mean LTD has contracted with this scab outfit all these years without standards of productivity? Give me a break. LTD refuses to measure this service against the bargaining unit's ability to do the same work. Besides how can this be a higher priority than regular service for LTD. SCAB

4. Construct a RideSource facility
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Now this is utterly ridicules. Why is LTD buying a subcontractor real property and building them a building. Are they going to pay rent? Are they really just a part of LTD and thus their driver really part of the bargaining unit? Is it true they bought land for a million bucks when there is space available in Glenwood on LTD land to build this facility? Why can't our mechanics do the work in our shop on the buses that LTD buys and owns for this scab outfit? This is scandalous. More than a million in taxpayer wasted money. The repairs could easily have been performed at LTD shops on the Ride Source Cut-away Buses, they could build an office for the scab outfit on our land or how about the vacant commercial space at Springfield Station? I am thinking of starting a pool as to how long that space is vacant after the Springfield Station is open for operation. Knowing LTD they will have to give away this space.

And is possibly true that LTD would not use land they owned and save a million dollars simply because they feared the proximity of the unionized worker with the RideSource Non-Union employees? Well it is true, and we all know it. LTD treats us like cancer internally and externally. SCAB

5. Develop a staff training plan for technology implementation
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Even this is more important than any goal about regular service. BRT

6. Develop and implement a facility plan
Priority - Nondiscretionary- I guess the fancy air-conditioned offices of LTD need to have an expansion or move. Maybe they will want to move back to Broadway for some of the more elite types of office workers. LTD's aggressive capital agenda just keeps rising to the top doesn't it?

7. Improve the efficiency of the fixed-route system
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Finally seven steps later we find a mention of the fixed route system. Unbelievable that for a Goal that is entitled DELIVER RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICE this is the first and only mention of the regular fixed route service. How will they do this goal. I recommend that they get Gerry Morsello back. And they (LTD) better get Gerry training someone because what do we do when Gerry retires. Oh yeah they have that computer thingy but that has been real effective, huh? Does anyone have a sense like me that LTD just has no idea how things really work around here. LTD needs to wake up and talk to workers about the work.

8. Expand the plan to optimize fleet composition consistent with LTD’s service goal
Priority - Nondiscretionary- Let's see a goal I can agree with. Now would optimizing the fleet mean having fewer kinds of buses to maintain, repair and keep inventory for? Yeah I would l think so. So lets see we have Gillig's, Mann's, AVS's, New Flyer's and Invero's on the way.

9. At a minimum, maintain service at the current level for FY 2004-05
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Oh my another fixed route goal. But will it really happen? We shall see. But realize they already made the service cuts. Anymore and LTD would have some real creditability problems. Rumors are rife that service cuts are going to happen again.

10. Maintain special events service
Priority - Nondiscretionary - Yes this way we all get to go to the Serbu Center while Ken Hamm and other bosses get free passes to the game for our work.

11. Review and refine LTD’s productivity goals and standards
Priority - High - How is this not the same as number 7 above? Not enough information LTD for the typical reader. If is from your website, but makes no sense.

12. Pursue signal priority to service outside of BRT
Priority - High - Oh my, another fixed route goal. But with a lower priority and perhaps a hopeless expectation of accomplishment.

Lucky 13 - Pursue additional funding for service (e.g., job access and reverse commute travel needs)
Priority -Medium - So glad to see funding is such a low priority. What kind of wackos are running this joint. Money, my man is the way things happen. Quit wasting it. Start looking for it and restore regular service. They really don't get it do they. But they are looking to us for the money so I better say look in the right places.

Let's face it, they are slowly but surely changing and rebuilding LTD. The RideSource Goals here should frighten every LTD employee. LTD if they have their way would contract out all of our jobs to these scabs. Yes they are scabs, because they are willing to do your work for less. They might be nice folk and undoubtedly they are, but they are scabs.

LTD wants to scab out everything. The union has wanted to remove these scabs for a long time. But LTD has made a big fight about it. But now how about the union just claiming them. LTD buys their buses, buys their property, pays their wages how are they different - oh management. That does not seem like enough to Joe Hill. Capture the Scabs!

You know I am done with their plan. It makes me too sick to read and analyze. Read it on the web yourself Brothers and Sisters. Their regard for us is low. They are in fact repulsed by us. They want nothing to do with us in their planning for you see we are not hired for our brains even though each of us has one - and one every bit as good as that former driver Hamm. In fact, likely a far swifter and thoughtful mind is at work with you than our loopy leader. And where in the hell is the Board of Directors.

I think we change their designation to the LTD Board of Sycophants (BS for short). When was the last time they did not agree with the management on anything or not vote unanimously on any subject?

The war drums are beating in the distance.

Yours in Solidarity,
Joe Hill
JH 35