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.

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Good Afternoon. My name is James O’Brien, I am the President of the Boston Carmen’s Union, representing over 4,100 hardworking employees of the MBTA.

I am here today because, in just this past week we have seen further evidence of MBTA privatization gone wrong – and we need to talk about it.

The MBTA’s recent quotes about privatization sound like a kid who can’t wait to play with a new toy.

But privatization shouldn’t be played with just because you were given the ability to do so.

Privatization is not a magic wand. There is no magic wand to cure the lack of investment of the past 20-plus years.

I have testified in the past, that Keolis is a glaring example of privatization gone wrong. Two years into their contract and Keolis still isn’t producing the results we were promised.

And last week, it was announced that an additional $66 million dollar will be paid to Keolis, on top of their nearly $3 billion dollar contract – with the hopes that they will finally do what they said they would do years ago.

Keolis has failed to meet its obligations – and the MBTA’s response is to give them more money to do the job they guaranteed they could do when they submitted their bid.

When the MBTA demanded better service and improved performance – the for-profit company said, “We need more money.”

That’s the trouble with privatization. Private companies will say they can do more for less – and then come back with increased costs and hidden fees, and we have no choice but to pay them.

Keolis said they could not make their trip times, so the MBTA agrees to extend trip times to help their performance. That action helps Keolis, but how does it help the commuters who rely on their service?

We were told that a private security force – hired without any public bidding or review – was needed to fix security issues at the MBTA Money Room.

But just last week we saw evidence of one of the newly hired private security guards asleep on the job. Asleep while he was charged with protecting the Commonwealth’s money.

When G4S was hired to take over security of the money room, the MBTA’s spokesman said—and I quote— “The MBTA is pleased that it was able to retain the services of a widely respected, international firm to help secure the money room, where a series of threats to safety and security had been identified.”

Well, that widely respected private security firm fell asleep on the job.

Literally.

We all talk about cost savings for the MBTA, we talk about necessary investments and improvements for the system, and we talk about giving the Commonwealth the public transportation system it deserves – but all we hear back is how privatization is the only way to do that.

And that is simply not the case.

In a Boston Globe Op-Ed last week, this Board said that, despite low morale, broken down communication, and insufficient management – and I quote – “The MBTA was able to deliver even adequate service only through the sheer determination and dedication of thousands of its employees.”

Well, I’m here to remind you that it is these employees whose jobs you threaten when you look to privatization at any cost.

You went on to say, “the MBTA was fiscally and operationally broken, with hard-working employees left to function as best they could within a failed system.”
It is these hard working employees whom you have trashed in audits as you seek to privatize operations – operations that you, yourselves, have labeled as broken and failed.

I will remind you that I stood here, at this podium, three weeks ago and put forth a proposal that would save the MBTA $24 million in the next four years, and over $190 million over the next two decades.

And we have yet to receive a response– or even a hint of consideration– from anyone on this Board or within MBTA leadership.

I have stood at this podium countless times, often joined by fellow Union officials. And I have been joined by our members – your employees – who came to remind you why their jobs matter, why public transportation should be kept public.

For decades, the MBTA has failed to invest in its own system and now leadership is blaming the very employees who are invested and committed to the system. It isn’t right. And we believe the system will ultimately suffer as a result.

On behalf of the Boston Carmen’s Union, thank you for taking the time to hear from me today.