Archive for January 2016
What gives with T’s sweetheart deal?
Commonwealth Magazine | By Bruce Mohl | Jan 29, 2016 The Pioneer Institute released a report this week highlighting what it called a “sweetheart deal” for MBTA employees, but union officials are saying the deal isn’t as sweet as the analysis or the resulting news stories would suggest. Pioneer’s report, written by Mary Connaughton, focused…
Read MoreSomali man arrested for hitting MBTA bus driver
Boston Herald | By O’Ryan Johnson | Wednesday, January 27, 2016 A Somali immigrant was arrested yesterday for hitting an MBTA bus driver and records show transit cops have locked him up three times for violent assaults in less than three years, officials said. Mohamed Noor, 29, of Brookline was arrested after he boarded a…
Read MoreD’Alessandro: T tough to fix without more money
Former John Hancock CEO David D’Alessandro joined Jim Braude on “Greater Boston” last night to talk about a number of issues, including the T, which he explored in a review commissioned by then-Gov. Patrick in 2009. On fixing the T, D’Alessandro, whose outstanding analysis of the T was largely ignored, said: “It’s going to take…
Read MoreNearly 3 in 10 MBTA employees made more than $100,000 in 2015
Boston Globe | By Matt Rocheleau and Todd Wallack | January 27, 2016 Nearly three in every 10 MBTA employees made $100,000 or more during 2015, according to new figures provided by the agency. A total of 1,884, or about 29.2 percent of the 6,451 T workers who were employed by the agency as of…
Read MoreCarmen’s Union chief defends perk that uses sick time to pad pension
Boston Herald | By Erin Smith | Wednesday, January 27, 2016 The head of the Boston Carmen’s Union blasted criticism of a plum union perk that allows T employees to pad their pensions with unused paid sick leave — saying the benefit actually helps combat absenteeism. “The MBTA for the past year has been saying our employees don’t…
Read MoreMore Fuzzy Math From the Koch-Funded Pioneer Institute, This Time on Sick Leave
Once again, the Koch-funded Pioneer Institute in an effort to demonize working families and destroy worker rights released a new study filled with fuzzy math to take the focus off decades of under investment and poor management at the T. The following is what the Koch-funded Pioneer Institute aren’t telling you in their study: The…
Read MoreCutting late-night T service could impact minority, low-income riders
Boston Globe | By Adam Vaccaro | 01.19.16 Eliminating late-night weekend T service might have a disproportionate effect on low-income and minority riders, a transit official said Tuesday. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is required by the federal law to run an “equity analysis” to see whether any planned service changes would have a greater impact…
Read MoreRight-Wing Network Puts Friedrichs v. California Teachers in Samuel Alito’s Lap
PR Watch | By Mary Bottari | January 8, 2016 Justice Samuel Alito has been scouring the land looking for a case to make his mark on history. Could he find a way to hold a big bank accountable for ripping off millions of consumers? Could he interpret intellectual property law to give more desperately ill…
Read MoreRequiem for a Union Boss in His America
The Daily Beast | By Mike Barnicle | 01.10.162:42 PM ET As we collectively wring our hands over wealth inequality in the U.S., perhaps we should look no further than our disembowelment of unions. It was nearly 9 PM the other night and more than a couple thousand people had already paid their respects at a…
Read MoreMBTA digs into worker overtime, absenteeism
By Nicole Dungca GLOBE STAFF JANUARY 09, 2016 More than 40 percent of overtime paid to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority workers in the 2015 fiscal year went to employees who didn’t work 40 hours in one week, according to MBTA officials. Such practices have led the T to launch audits into the agency’s overtime rules,…
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