News
Media Coverage: Local 589 Fights Moves to Privatize Money Room
Below is some recent media coverage as Local 589 fights against the MBTA’s move to privatize the money room. Union promises fight as MBTA moves to privatize cash-counting jobs Boston Globe | By Nicole Dungca | October 5, 2016 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is poised to privatize dozens of jobs in its cash-counting…
Read MoreGov. Baker Says Operator Did Not Follow Protocol During Orange Line Emergency
CBS | October 27, 2016 6:05 PM BOSTON (CBS) – There are new questions about the safety of the MBTA after passengers kicked out windows to escape a smoky Orange Line train Wednesday afternoon. Governor Charlie Baker says it was more chaotic because of what the operator did but union members say he is a…
Read MoreLang: Keolis was on verge of walking away
Commonwealth Magazine | By Bruce Mohl | Nov 10, 2016 A MEMBER OF THE MBTA’S oversight board said the transit agency’s commuter rail operator was on the verge of walking away from its $2.68 billion contract earlier this year when state officials agreed to pay the company at least $66 million extra over the course…
Read MoreWhat the Heck Is Wrong With Boston’s MBTA?
Street Blogs USA | By Angie Schmitt | Friday, November 4, 2016 Last week, the engine on one of Boston’s Orange Line trains overheated and ignited some trash, filling traincars with smoke. Passengers broke windows to escape. Three people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. The scare focused attention on long-standing maintenance problems for the T: It’s underfunded, upkeep is falling behind, and the quality of…
Read MoreLegislators slam state transportation officials
Boston Globe | By Nicole Dungca | November 2, 2016 Amid declines in commuter rail service, 14 state lawmakers urged transportation officials to be more transparent about their fines against Keolis Commuter Services and denounced the agency’s failure to announce its forgiveness of Keolis’s fines from the winter of 2015 as “indefensible.” In an Oct.…
Read MoreCity Council concerned more MBTA privatization could lead to discriminatory service
Boston Metro | By Kristin Toussaint | Nov. 2, 2016 Concerns about how more privatization efforts from the MBTA could lead to widespread discriminatory practices of transportation services prompted the Boston City Council on Wednesday to unanimously request a briefing from Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration. Residents have experienced multiple issues with Keolis Commuter Services, the…
Read MoreAfter smoky chaos on Orange Line, MBTA union chief rips into Gov. Charlie Baker
Mass Live | By Gintautas Dumcius | October 31, 2016 “The only way to evacuate those passengers was to do what the [train] operator did – leave his cab to try to manually open each car door,” O’Brien told members of the oversight board of the MBTA on Monday. “But Governor Baker’s first public comments…
Read MoreOpinion: Keeping Public Transportation Public
The Heights | 9/26/16 | By Matthew BeDugnis “Every day these hardworking people continue bailing out a ship that has been taking on water for years. You see it in the MBTA employee who has to figure out how to get an old, rotten, and rusted-out Green Line train back to the station after it…
Read MoreMake believe math won’t fix our public transportation system.
Last week, former Massachusetts Transportation Secretary James Aloisi wrote a detailed article (“Shutdown process costly for the T“) for Commonwealth Magazine on the complicated and costly process the MBTA has to go through to shut its service down every night. The article cites independent data sources that show the process costs the MBTA $3.8 million dollars…
Read MoreTestimony before Fiscal & Management Control Board on 7/18
Yesterday, Boston Carmen’s Union President, Jimmy O’Brien, provided testimony to the Fiscal and Management Control Board, speaking out against privatization, particularly in response to news and announcements over the past week. Below is his full testimony. ————- Good Afternoon. My name is James O’Brien, I am the President of the Boston Carmen’s Union, representing over…
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