Argh. The Globe reports today that upcoming negotiations between the MBTA and its several unions are expected to be “the most contentious in years.” And some observers are warning that a strike is more likely on this go-round in light of the T’s massive debt and limited ability to cut anything other than wages and benefits (according to the Globe, “over the past several years, the T has cut its workforce and expenses so much that there remains little to trim other than salaries, workers compensation, and retiree benefits”), the fact that the current union contract contains only very modest salary increases (0% in year 1, followed by 2%, 3%, and 4%), and the unpredictable dynamic of the Governor’s race in which union support may become quite important.
As this dispute simmers along, let’s keep in mind some basic facts:
Not only do retirees get free medical care, but union contracts allow employees to retire with just 23 years of service. Their pensions pay them about 57 percent of their average salary during their three highest-earning years. Average MBTA salaries in 2004 were $54,981 for a full-time bus driver, $56,616 for a subway driver, and $57,608 for a motorperson on the Green Line trolleys, T officials said. T bus drivers were among the highest paid in the nation in 2004, according to the Federal Transit Administration.
That’s a good deal – under that contract, if you start with the T when you’re 25, you can work full-time on your golf game starting at age 48, with free health care to take care of those muscle pains caused by poor form on the swing.
Let’s hope that all sides recognize that they, and the public, have much to lose from a strike, and that they can negotiate in good faith to avoid getting to that point. There’s plenty of time – the contracts expire June 30. Let’s all keep our eye on this one.
Let’s also not forget the hiring process for these employees. These employees aren’t hired like Civil Service employees, where they are required to take a competence test and score above their peers. Instead, MBTA jobs recruit candidates via a lottery, where the luck of the draw determines who is driving 80,000 tons.
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FYI, MOST T employees are decent people. I’ve noticed bus drivers are usually helpful and nice; I always try to thank them because driving a bus can be tedious, boring, and cause issues with poor posture, etc.
first, the latter:
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1. Kill the lottery, or at least run a lottery after testing at a high enough score. This results in more capable employees — and, perhaps, better public service with fewer accidents and other scenarios that drive cost up.
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Still, I’d be there’s more to the “lottery” story than in print on this page.
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2. Extend service from 23 years to something longer. They aren’t getting big pay raises in the future, but one way to cut long term costs is to increase that 23 to something larger. Exactly how much larger and how much impact I can’t say. Still, it seems like that’s the most direct way.
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I wonder at what age most new T employees join the MBTA. Is it 25, or is it older? I suspect that it’s older — that the applicants keep entering the lottery to get out of their crappy job at Home Depot or some other non-union semi-full time job paying crap wages with little or no pension. So, the T ends up making up for the weak benefits of the private sector. If this is the case, then perhaps allow folks to retire after 23 years with less than 57% of average, thereby allowing folks to leave early if they entered the T service at, say, 40 or 45.
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June 30 is right around the corner I’m afraid.
That’s the problem with the “new economy”: T workers earn a decent living and receive the retirement and health care benefits we ALL should receive. Yet Democratic bloggers find it necessary to highlight their salaries and benefits prior to a possible strike, implying that these workers are somehow paid sufficiently (and not trained enough).
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Try being a primary bread-earner in Boston on $50k/year. I say ‘You Go, transit workers’!
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No wonder union workers are bolting the Democratic Party.
“we all” don’t receive those kinds of salaries and benefits. And a lot of the folks who don’t receive those salaries and benefits are the ones who are most dependent on the T to get to work so that they can earn what salaries and benefits are available to them. Transit workers, like police and firefighters, carry out an essential public function. When you take on a job like that, you ought to recognize that your responsibility is not only to yourself, your family, and your fellow union members, but to the public as a whole.
You know, it is really sad to read union bashing and snarky implications of laziness on the part of unionized workers here on a liberal blog.
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While I would generally agree that a lottery is NOT the best way to hire for such critical positions, as a daily rider I sure as h*ll want all those drivers and maintenance folks to get good pay and benefits. Beyond it being in my interest, it’s the right thing to do. For crying out loud, the cost of living in this city is insane. Without those paychecks and benefits, few MBTA workers would be able to rent, let alone buy, a home. Imagine how many neighborhoods would get a lot less stable if those longterm homeowners had to downscale their living arrangements? The loss of property taxes would certainly hurt the schools, etc. And on and on.
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Yes, we should all have decent salaries — especially if we do a job where other people’s lives are in our hands. And yes we should all get good benefits, including pensions. Many of us don’t and the number who don’t is growing. That is not the fault of MBTA employees. It is the fault of big business and big government — both of whom work overtime to deny basic dignity to workers and make us turn those who have it “so good”.
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I live in Malden and work in Kenmore Square. A transit strike would be a nightmare for me — I can’t walk to work. But I’d figure something out to support decent wages and benefits for MBTA workers. That said, here’s hoping the union and management can work this out without a strike.