BART managment sucks

rank and file members of the amalgamated transit union local 1555 rejected a deal that their leadership was trying to get them to agree to.
in response the capitalist media is eating up the anti-union propaganda that the BART management is putting out. it's the same old story. BART is suffering financially, and their supposedly overpaid workers arnt willing to do their part to help. bla bla bla.

it's all a crock. the working men and women of BART are not to blame, BART management is.
first lets look at salaries. BART's general manager gets $334,857.
a police lieutenant gets $227,592.
a lawyer gets $252,419.

a train operator earns a little over $60,000 in base pay, plus overtimes, which in extreme cases can amount to almost twice that much.

but that's not all. KTVU did a great story a bit ago about travel and food expenses BART Management uses BART funds for.

A $2,700 tab at Gallagher’s Steak House on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, one of the most expensive steakhouses in the nation. The meal was for 10 BART managers – at $270 a meal – and had no itemized receipt, a violation of BART’s official policy.

A $751.40 bill for some BART employees, directors – and director’s wives – at a Georgetown restaurant dubbed the “power spot of the year.” The Café Milano bill included wine and even cognac, again against BART’s official policy.

A $699.51 bill at the University Club, also on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The men’s only organization is akin to San Francisco’s Pacific Union Club, except it is exclusively for invited graduates of Yale University. The meal was said to be a “thank you” to employees of the New York City subway, who gave BART managers a “tour.” Again, no itemized receipt was provided, although as with all the other expenses, BART reimbursed the tab with taxpayer and fare gate money.

There are hundreds of travel expenses that include trips to cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro, international trips BART policy officially decrees must be approved in advance by BART’s general manager

seriously, after reading that, try to, with a serious face blame the financial troubles BART is in on the union members.

here's what BART needs to do:
1. fire the bosses. clearly the management are thieves. turn BART into a workers council. those who actually run the system should make the decision about what should take place.

2. get rid of all BART police. why does BART need its own police force? to shoot men like oscar grant in the back? to sit around in their cars in BART parking lots all day?

3. with BART cops gone, BART will most likely have to spend less on legal fees.

pretty simple.

oh, and if that isn't realistic, at very least management can stop wasting tons of money on super expensive expansions that wont pay for themselves.

the problem for the current contract BART is trying to get their workers to agree to is the contract that will be good for 4 years. what if the economists are correct and the recession is starting to get better? why should the workers be forced into a contract for 4 years, when no one knows what the economy will be like in 4 years time? it would be foolish for anyone to agree to that. unlike what the papers make it sound like, it's not about demanding a raise in troubled economic times. it's about not being forced into a recession period contract for 4 years!

the reason the other two unions agreed was that their members figured if the economy does get better, they can quit working at BART and find work somewhere better. while a custodian might be able to do that, a train operator doesnt really have that option.


a recession for which wall street and banks are largely responsible for is a great excuse to do some serious union bashing. dont let the BART management fool you, the problems BART is in financially come not from their workers but from the bosses.

if a strike does take place, don't cross the picket line. find another way for getting around. a scab is about the worst thing you can be.