An article in Commonwealth Magazine (“MBTA pension costs rising at fast pace”) says the MBTA oversight board raised concerns that pension costs at the transit agency are spiraling out of control, and called on unions and management to come to some accord to rein in spending.

In the article, President Jimmy O’Brien said the transit authority created the problem it is now fretting about by shifting employees from the payroll to retirement. He noted Monday’s budget update indicated regular wages were $7 million below projections in the first quarter, in part because the T has been cutting payroll through outsourcing, privatization, and early retirement incentives. All of those efforts increase the number of retirees taking advantage of pension benefits, he said.

“You can’t have it both ways,” he said. “They created the problem.”

Click here to read the full article.

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The second story (“The old MBTA Orange Line cars are gearing up for their final rides”) in the Boston Globe talks about how many Orange Line cars are well past their prime, but remain in service, thanks to our hard-working members, until they can be replaced with new cars.

Click here to read the full article.