Trimet Sick in Day

SUPPORT TRIMET DRIVER SICK IN DAY ON WEDNESDAY OCT 13TH

author: Lew Church, Transit Riders Union

Support the driver-initiated 'sick-in' day against TriMet management on Wednesday, Oct. 13th. The ATU drivers union has been without a contract for over a year. Both the Oregonian and John Charles (Cascade Policy Institute) has trashed the drivers and argued for cutting and gutting union driver health benefits. Transit riders can support this sick-in.

On Wednesday, Oct. 13th, if you can or are able, Transit Riders Union urges TriMet users to walk, rideshare, carpool, or bike to work or school. The drivers (not the union, ATU) is organizing a sick-in (strikes are illegal in Oregon for TriMet drivers, police and fire -- so far) to protest TriMet's refusal to negotiate fairly (the contract negotiations are in medication now) with the workers.

Transit Riders Union urges riders and others to Boycott the Reedville Cafe in Hillsboro (in addition), which is owned by the TriMet's (unelected) board president, Rick Van Berveren. While the Oregonian has printed Cascade Policy Institute and their own right-wing anti-transit propaganda (and earlier this summer, the Oregonian promoted the pro-police Red & Black Boycott with Tea Party-Victoria Taft contingent) -- the Oregonian has not been promoting the Reedville Cafe Boycott (see www.trimetriders.org for more details).

In Athens, Greece, public transit is being downsized (per Naomi Klein and the Oregonian) and, possibly, privatized.

We need to protect the public sphere, the commons, our air, and public transit here in the Northwest.

The Oregonian has come out against TriMet's proposed Nov. 2 ballot $125,000,000 tax measure to buy 150 new buses for disabled and senior riders. TriMet has also endorsed Tom Hughes to be the next Metro president, and Hughes opposes (along with Rick Van Beveren, unelected TriMet board president) having the TriMet board elected by the people. In fact, Hughes's May primary election victory party (he is in a runoff Nov. 2 with Bob Stacey now for Metro president) was held at the Reedville Cafe.

In light of repeated fare hikes and service cuts, TriMet's $200,000 per year General Manager, Neil MacFarlane, tells transit riders to 'wait for the economy to get better.' Paul Krugman and others say that is not likely to occur if the Republicans retake Congress, and Obama continues to play down the middle on unemployment. FDR, for example, created 11,000,000 government jobs in the 1930s to end the Depression. Obama has refused to do so, for two years, despite making some stimulus inroad to George Bush's attempts to dismantle the public sphere for 8 years.

So, on Wednesday, Oct. 13th, if you're able, consider walking, carpooling, rideshare, biking to work or school -- and support the drivers and TriMet workers.

As Transit Riders Union told the unelected TriMet board when the board discussed taking back health and retirment benefits from union workers, TRU stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with unions and workers.