From the Albuquerque Journal Opinion section
View the Video of the council meeting on GOVTV
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Council Hears Both Sides of Bus Issues By Isaac Benton And Ken SanchezAlbuquerque City Councilors The editorial, “Councilors Represent Bus Riders, Too” incorrectly stated that “city councilors refused Monday to watch the video” of a few bus drivers behaving badly. In fact, the council viewed six videos — including all those described in the Journal's editorial — brought to the meeting by Transit Director Greg Payne. Within his prerogative as council president and without complaint from anyone, Isaac Benton gauged the progress of the lengthy unscheduled presentation and eventually chose to cut it off. Payne had made his point, and the council was ready to move on with the night's lengthy agenda. The council is expressly prohibited by the City Charter from getting involved in individual personnel matters, such as disciplining of the drivers in the videos. Councilor Ken Sanchez was prudent in questioning the appropriateness of publicly airing the surveillance video. City Attorney Bob White confirmed that the Council should not be hearing about pending personnel matters. No councilor we know of was “asked by the driver's union to call Payne on the carpet.” The union and its supporters chose to attend and speak their concerns during the open public comment period, and Payne was allowed to respond. No councilor suggested in any way that the activity shown in the videos was appropriate. The safety of people who ride buses in Albuquerque depends on a number of factors, including the morale of transit employees, driver behavior and the way the Transit Department is managed. Make no mistake — the council paid plenty of attention and is very concerned about both what it heard from the drivers and the videos it saw on Monday.
Frome the Albuquerque Journal Opinion section
Saturday, May 23, 2009 Transit Reality TV Diversionary Tactic By Rev. Trey Hammond And Msgr. Richard OlonaFor the Albuquerque Interfaith Clergy Caucus Leaders from Albuquerque Interfaith, from our member churches, schools and unions, stood with city bus drivers May 18 and urged the City Council to undertake an independent audit of Transit Department disciplinary practices. Bus drivers tell of widespread use of arbitrary disciplinary actions and firings with questionable justification. The fact that transit workers make up only 5 percent of the city work force but represent 77 percent (26 of 34) of the pending Personnel Board appeals led one hearing officer to conclude there "seems to be a pattern developing regarding the structure of discipline issues by the Transit Department, and deficiencies associated with management practices." Unfortunately, instead of sitting down with the drivers and working toward a resolution, the head of the transit department, Greg Payne, chose to show a video of bad behavior by bus drivers to the council. In the clips, bus drivers were shown texting while driving or running red lights. This was a classic tactic of diversion. No one, including the drivers, is questioning the responsible use of disciplinary procedures to ensure quality job performance. What was brought to public attention was a pattern of punishing drivers for arbitrary reasons and reprisals aimed at drivers who have been active in forming a new union in the past year. The issue here is not bus drivers behaving badly, but transit management behaving badly. Payne's video ploy is simply exploitive and disrespectful. People's work and character are being demeaned, not in an authorized grievance hearing process, but in the director's own strange version of reality TV. The city had a chance to forestall this public protest by settling a number of pending cases, by reinstating drivers and moving the department forward. Instead, it chose a tactic of publicly smearing his employees. What appears to be happening in Transit is a capricious use of discipline and the creation of a climate of punishment and reprisal. These appear to be especially focused on those workers who have been involved in organizing AFSCME to represent transit workers. This union displaced a previous union that many drivers felt represented their interests less than those of management. The clergy caucus of Albuquerque Interfaith urges the council to initiate an independent audit for transparency's sake. Taxpayers have a right to know how much money has been spent on settlements in favor of the bus drivers. This is a waste of tax dollars, as these expenditures do nothing to ensure better bus service. We believe that an outside investigation of the department's disciplinary practice is warranted. There are other questions to consider. Why do bus drivers, on average, earn $4-$5 less than Solid Waste drivers? Good wages at Solid Waste indicate that workers are well organized and bargaining for decent wages. At Transit, instead of good wages and a constructive environment, there is an incredible turnover of drivers, which means the most experienced drivers are not retained to provide service. This translates in large sums spent on training. This is an issue of public safety. The bus drivers at the center of this struggle are not asking that poor driving performance go undisciplined; they are asking that arbitrary discipline not be used to intimidate or to discourage union involvement. They are asking for fairness, accountability and transparency. It is a legitimate request. We stand with them in seeking resolution, as our faith traditions stress the dignity of work, the respect of persons and the right to organize.
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