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.

Transit riders union confronts board at trimet meeting

TRANSIT RIDERS UNION CONFRONTS BOARD AT TRIMET MEETING WITH REEDVILLE CAFE BOYCOTT

author: Lew Church, Transit Riders Union        e-mail: lewchurch@gmail.com

At last Wednesday's TriMet board meeting, held in downtown Portland, Transit Riders Union confronted the board over repeated fare hikes and several rounds of bus and MAX service cuts by presenting info and brochures for the Reedville Cafe Boycott to Elect the TriMet Board & Stop the Cuts & Fare Hikes. TriMet's unelected board president, Rick Van Beveren, owns the Reedville Cafe in Hillsboro.

At the Wednesday morning TriMet board meeting, Transit Riders Union, following some testimony by two individuals who read their prepared written comments into the microphone, presented oral takes to the board about the unacceptable nature of TriMet's recent fare hikes, the cuts to 60 bus routes in September, safety practices (the Kindle driver was fired by TriMet later that day, for the second time), and the lack of accountability, transparency and democracy re the need to elect the TriMet board, since it is currently appointed by Oregon's governor.

In addition, TRU presented to the board two brochures and an article regarding the Reedville Cafe Boycott to Elect the TriMet Board & Stop the Cuts & Fare Hikes. Rick Van Beveren, TriMet board president, has voted for every fare hike and every service cut in the past two years. Van Beveren is owner of Hillsboro's Reedville Cafe.

***Noting that a bus boycott like Dr. King organized in Montgomery, Alabama, won't work in a state with the 7th highest unemployment and folks need to get to work, to job hunt, to school, to the store and to the doctor -- TRU noted that a targeted, specific boycott against Reedville Cafe is one way to start to make the TriMet board more accountable.

***It was noted that TRU collected and presented 1,400 signatures on petitions against the cuts and fare hikes to the TriMet board, which then voted 6-1 to implement the cuts.

***It was noted that TRU organizers picketed the Portland Business Alliance offices at 200 SW Market, the Black Box Building, as PBA not only pushed sit-lie but also pushed for two years, successfully in Jan. 2010, to gut Fareless Square.

Long term transit activist goals are to either have Metro (an elected body) take over TriMet (an approach favored by local elected officials Amanda Fritz and Robert Liberty), or initiate a petition to put on the Oregon ballot a measure requiring that the TriMet board of directors be elected, not appointed by the governor.

Van Beveren had already told TRU organizers at a previous board meeting that the Reedville Cafe was the site of the May 2010 primary Tom Hughes Metro president victory party. Hughes and Van Beveren both oppose having the TriMet board elected. Hughes also supports the CRC bridge. Portland Business Alliance, so far, has donated $10,000 to the Hughes campaign. Hughes faces progressive, green Metro president candidate, Bob Stacey (ex director of 1000 Friends of Oregon) on the Nov. 2 ballot to be the next Metro president, succeeding David Bragdon, who moved to New York City to work as Mayor Bloomberg's Sustainability Coordinator.

TRU also noted, to the board of TriMet, that both Bragdon and Robert Liberty had criticized (in the Oregonian) the 'closed nature' of the recent non-transparent hiring process which saw Neil MacFarlane, TriMet's light rail manager, named to succeed Fred Hansen as TriMet's $200,000 per year General Manager. The question was asked whether, in TriMet's 40 year history, if there had ever been a woman or minority General Manager. The board didn't answer.

In terms of the Reedville Cafe Boycott, Van Beveren himself made no comment. The board's vice president, one of two women on the TriMet board, recently wrote an op-ed in the Oregonian which defended TriMet practices, safety, fare hikes, service cuts, etc. -- contesting two columns written by Oregonian writers Anna Griffin and Susan Nielsen. But, Van Beveren, somewhat interestingly, as board president, did not write that op-ed rebuttal (nor did GM MacFarlane) to defend TriMet's practices.


PUTTING PRESSURE ON TRIMET NOW

In past TriMet board meetings, there has been one vote, but only one -- for transit riders, against the fare hikes and service cuts, and that is Lynn Lehrbach, with the Teamsters. However, Lehrbach, too, has endorsed Tom Hughes, the conservative candidate for Metro president -- just like Van Beveren. Upon essaying the Reedville Cafe Boycott printed material, Lynn told those present that boycotts 'are too personal.' Transit organizers maintain that when you cut someone's bus line or raise their fare, that's personal -- and, that the TriMet board are public officials (but not elected).

In a recent Willamette Week article, TriMet board president Van Beveren was quoted as saying that he thought it was 'unfortunate' that transit organizers would conduct the Reedville Cafe Boycott 'because that was making things personal.'

On the contrary, for too long, there has been zero conseuquences, along with zero transparency, on votes by the TriMet board.

Also mentioned by TRU at last Wednesday's board meeting was a rebuttal to new Gen Mgr Neil MacFarlane and TriMet's standard response to transit protests -- that is, that the 'economy' is forcing fare hikes and service cuts. According to Willamette Week, TriMet is a $2.5 billion agency, counting capital projects. Moreover, economists like Paul Krugman, TRU told the TriMet board, have stated that unemployment may become a permanent fixture, or remain high for 5-10 years, and that the economy WON'T be getting better. MacFarlane's standard quotable quote to media is that transit riders 'should just be patient for the economy to get better' to see improvements on fare hikes and service cuts in the transit system.

An additional aspect of this particular TriMet board meeting, was two parents of children who were killed by MAX and the #9 bus. The father of one of two women pedestrians in their 20s killed by the 'blind spot' of the #9 bus driver -- told the TriMet board, through tears, anger and prayers uttered out loud to god -- that he 'will be back' to seek justice and accountability on safety from TriMet, in the future. When the families of the two women killed in that #9 bus killing announced plans to sue TriMet, TriMet then terminated the woman driver involved.

TriMet in the past week also terminated the 'Kindle driver' who on I-5 (shown on national TV) was kindling while driving down the freeway. With national media and more exporure, TriMet is starting to be more responsive to transit rider concerns, at least on safety. With more pressure, including the Reedville Cafe Boycott, TriMet can be made to be accountable in many more ways, as a public agency, a public resource, as part of The Commons.

As TRU told the TriMet board last Wednesday, "TriMet doesn't belong to the governor, or the board of directors -- it belongs to people, it belongs to us."

*******************

Trimet Tax

OREGONIAN COVERS UP FOR TRIMET RICK VAN BEVEREN AND AND TOM HUGHES

author: Lew Church, Transit Riders Union        e-mail: lewchurch@gmail.com

The Oregonian (and other mainstream media) has had a good deal of coverage of TriMet's proposed $125,000,000 tax on the ballot in the November election for 150 new buses for seniors and disabled riders, which Transit Riders Union supports. However, the Oregonian, so far, has had less (no) coverage of the connection between TriMet board president Rick Van Beveren, the Tom Hughes for Metro president campaign, and the pro-transit Reedville Cafe Boycott.

In the past two weeks, since TriMet announced that it is putting a $125,000,000 tax measure on the November ballot to buy 150 new buses for senior and disabled riders (which Transit Riders Union supports), there has been little/no coverage of the connections between the TriMet board president, Rick Van Beveren, Portland Tribune president Steve Clark (recently appointed by Oregon's govenor, in secret, to the unelected TriMet board of directors), the Portland Business Alliance (which successfully pushed earlier in 2010 to gut Fareless Square), and the Tom Hughes campaign to be Metro President (also in the November election).

Transit Riders Union has picketed Portland Business Alliance to protest PBA Vice President Bernie Bottomly's successful push to get Fareless Square eliminated (Jan. 2010). Bottomly's sister, Theresa Bottomly, is listed as #4 at the Oregonian, on the Oregonian masthead. The Oregonian supported cutting Fareless Square.

Metro has the legal authority, under ORS, to 'take over' the TriMet board. Metro, unlike the TriMet board, is elected by voters. However, both Rick Van Beveren, owner of the Reedville Cafe in Hillsboro, and Tom Hughes (endorsed by the Oregonian and by the Tribune in the May primary for Metro president) -- both oppose having the TriMet board of directers elected by the people. In addition, Hughes is a supporter of the CRC bridge proposal, while the progressive, green candidate for Metro president, Bob Stacey, is a CRC critic.

The Portland Business Alliance, in addition, in July, donated $5,000 to the Tom Hughes campaign.

Transit Riders Union supports pickets, rallies, direct action, protests and boycotts to both elect the TriMet board and to stop the fare hikes and the cuts (in Sept., this month) to 60 bus routes. Transit Riders Union presented the unelected TriMet board 1,400 petition signatures against fare hikes and service cuts, but the board voted 6-1 for the cuts and fare hikes, regardless. As the IWW says, 'direct action gets the goods.'

The Bus Riders Union in LA this summer has been picketing the mayor's mansion (Anthony Villagorosa) against fare hikes and service cuts by MTA in LA. Two BRU organizers also were arrested doing civil disobedience (150 people were at the protest) at an MTA board meeting this year, as well.

TriMet has said that NONE of the $125,000,000 tax measure in November, if approved by voters, will be used to rescind either the fare hikes nor the bus service cuts. TriMet says the five cents fare hike will collect $1.5 million, and that will be used to help make up an alleged $27,000,000 budget gap -- but that leaves $25.5 million still to make up!

According to Willamette Week, TriMet has a $2.5 billion budget, counting capital projects. (One reporter for the Oregonian who talked to transit organisers recently wrote, in the paper, that Libertarians who oppose light rail are off the mark, and radicals (on the Left) who allege TriMet has plenty of money -- simply don't get that TriMet is strapped for cash, etc. This Oregonian also said 'there is no conspiracy, Portland's a small town' -- yet, the Oregonian has yet to write a single story about the Van Beveren-Tom Hughes-Portland Business Alliance-Tribune-Oregonian axis, 'conspiracy' or not).

Transit Riders Union has initiated the Reedville Cafe Boycott to Elect the TriMet Board and Stop the Cuts & Fare Hikes. As this campaign goes forward, we will see if the unelected TriMet board can be pressured to stop the service cuts and fare hikes. Beyond the short term, having Metro (which is elected) take over TriMet, under ORS, is one option, or, organizing an initiative petition for the Oregon ballot to require the TriMet board to be elected by the people is another option.

By not having the TriMet board elected, TriMet is 'invisible' with no face. Just another bureaucracy in a bad economy. Neil McFarlane, the new TriMet General Manager, says transit riders need to be 'patient' and just wait for the economy to get better. However, as Paul Krugman and others have noted, so long as the Republicans and Obama continue to 'wait' for the private sector/free market to 'get better' it may be years (5 years? 10 years?) before [or even if] unemployment goes down.

Wall Street, of course, under Obama, had a 47% increse in profits in one year. The billionaires (Pete Peterson?) who support the Republicans can make their profits without full employment. Workers, transit riders, tenants, et al. -- are simply 'marginal' parts of a free market economy, or economic 'collateral damage.'

Rick Van Beveren has said that "it is unfortunate" that transit activists (in WWeek) have decided to make transit "personal" by targeting his Reedville Cafe. But every time one of the 60 bus routes is cut or cut back and fares go up, that is personal for transit riders, many of whom are seniors, disabled, low income, communities of color, workers and students who depend on transit to get around. The last unelected TriMet board president, George Passadore (regional Wells Fargo president), was on the TriMet board for 13 years -- and ignored transit rider protests during that time -- but then abruptly quit the board, in the face of those protests.

The Reedville Cafe is a specific, local target -- we can vote with our dollars, even if it is "illegal" for us to vote (for now) to elect the TriMet board. In the past, groups besides transit riders were 'banned' from being able to vote: women (Jane Addams got arrested for voting when she was the 'wrong' gender, in Chicago) or African-Americans in the South before the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

At a recent TriMet board meeting, the unelected TriMet board president, Van Beveren, did confirm to transit rider organizers that he did, indeed, host the May primary victory party for [pro-CRC, anti-democratic] Metro president candidate, Tom Hughes.

Just say no to PBA, the Oregonian and the Tribune: Boycott Reedville Cafe, elect the TriMet board, and stop the cuts and fare hikes!