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WSTA HR Roundtable Meeting Minutes
Present:
Debra Hughes, Ben Franklin Transit; Sheryl Olson and Tina Guzinski,
Community Transit; Julie DeBoever and Sandi Free, C-TRAN; Jean Braaten
and Patti Carlin, Grays Harbor Transit;
Welcome & Introductions:
Financial Outlook Updates: Roundtable Members
Chris Baldini, Spokane Transit
– Extended sales tax, good through 2011.
Mary Adams, Lane Transit –
Funding is through state payroll tax.
Anticipate layoff of 14% (30 TTL).
Fifty percent of stimulus will go to operations.
Did a small service modification.
Look to go from 7/100 to 8/100, but this year looks rough.
Debra Hughes, Ben Franklin
Transit – Looking at a service reduction, 1,500 service miles.
Froze all non-represented wages for a year.
Nancy Venard and Marianne DeMars,
Kitsap Transit – Stopped
Sunday Service Board looking further service reductions in mid-May.
TBD. Smart card started.
Started light duty at Customer Service for work related injured
operators. Have not hired drivers since March of last year.
Attrition has drawn down 40 employees. Due to good, upfront
publicity, the lack of Sunday service has been picked up with vans made
available to church groups. The community outreach was very successful.
Patti Carlin, Grays Harbor
Transit – Receipts down by 25%.
Due to grants, doing OK.
Not looking for any increases.
Lori Dougherty, Mason County
Transportation – Sales tax is down, but not enough to dip into the
reserves. Hoping for own
fuel station; currently co-op with
Julie DeBoever and Sandi Free,
C-TRAN – had budgeted flat for this year but down 14%.
Looking at 5% cuts.
Not freezing hires but positions are scrutinized by the executive staff.
Hoping to layoff through attrition. Looking to a 2/10% increase, 3/10%
total with light rail.
Mary Lozeau, Skagit Transit
– Recently went to 4/10%.
No layoffs. Doing a service increase – hired 5 new operators and 1
supervisor. Will start
negotiations in August.
Tina Guzinski, Community Transit
– Revenue down 15% from last year.
Looking at voluntary furloughs for administrative staff but can’t
count on it. Doing a salary survey this year.
Alberto Lara and Brian Thrasher,
Pierce Transit – Pierce was under budget for the first two months of
the year. They have not
tapped into their reserves.
July 2011 is their drop off point.
Had layoffs in October.
Recalled all represented that were available.
Pierce has a 30 year old system; have created Team “PT Tomorrow”
to raise awareness in
Kimberly Somers, Whatcom
Transportation – Had the highest ridership levels but revenue down
by 14%. Fare increase from 75¢ to $1.00 for all rides; express is $2.00.
Dipping into reserves will last through 2011.
Have some service reduction plans ready if needed. Every job is
being scrutinized. Labor negotiations due to start this summer. ATU is
asking not to go through with the negotiations.
Will probably start up in August or September.
Labor Outlook Updates: Roundtable Members
Kimberly Somers, Whatcom
Transportation – Labor negotiations due to start this summer.
ATU is asking not to go through with the negotiations.
Probably start in August or September.
Marianne DeMers and Nancy Venard,
Kitsap Transit – have had
ULPs and counter-ULPs, appeals and counter-appeals with the ATU for the
past 18 months. Unable to get to interest arbitration due to ULP
charges. Board has directed that the county do an investigation into
perjury charges brought forward by the ATU.
Debra Hughes, Ben Franklin
Transit – Had very few grievances and 1 arbitration. But recently
received three grievances and two more coming. Issue is over employee’s
completion of training before they are start probation.
Chris Baldini, Spokane Transit
– Have a 3.4% wage increase. Supervisors also union and get a 3.4%
increase.
Starting negotiations with paratransit staff.
Julie DeBoever, C-TRAN – The
IAM has started out adversarial.
Looking to start negotiations soon. They want everything the ATU
has. ATU settled last fall. The board is looking to cost share benefits.
Non-represented and ATU took on 5%, IAM has 100% of everything.
Mary Adams, Lane Transit –
Using Echo NW to do an economic study of comparables. Expect to be
bargaining pension costs and health care costs.
Tina Guzinski, Community Transit
– All settled except ATU. In interest arbitration with ATU for 62 items.
They want 3% for 3 years, full medical and eliminate part time.
Video Camera on Buses: our experiences; accidents, union issues and
disciplines: Ed Ruttledge and Roy Burns
Ed and Roy presented a quick review of issues regarding on-board video
systems. The reasons for installing video are a) risk mitigation from
on-board incidents; b) risk mitigation in accidents; c) reduce
vandalism; d) remove doubt.
They showed videos of certain incidents when the video came in handy for
investigations. Videos can
be used for accident/safety analysis, counseling/training and
disciplinary incidents.
PERC has spoken! Decision and impact of installing video systems is not
subject to bargaining UNLESS “camera used for discipline, directly
impacted the terms and conditions of employment and the employer was
required to bargain both the decision and effective of…the use
of…cameras” King County-PERC
9495-A (2008): “If you are
going to use cameras for discipline, you have to bargain the decision
and effects.” Cathy Callahan,
PERC Executive Director May 28, 2009
Intercity Transit involved the operators during the process. They were
on the procurement team, listened to operators from other agencies,
helped develop policy and procedures, and secured initial Memorandum of
Agreement.
There are issues that continue with contract negotiations on discipline
in ‘self reporting’ and discipline must be related to “specific
incident.’ On the 2009 Grievance
Settlement items were the repositioning of cameras to prevent viewing of
drivers’ compartment and management must contact business agent or
potential discipline.
Other issues are the issue of public records request. The videos are
considered “records.” It takes a lot of time from staff to view videos
for records request and investigations. Right now the only charge for
public request is the cost of the video.
What Intercity Transit did right:
Involved operators from the beginning of the process, use the video for
counseling and training, and use the video to resolve spurious
complaints. What Intercity
Transit did not do right: Operations Director commented that the
error was not involving Human Resources from the beginning. The union
was not involved and felt that Human Resources would have reminded them
of the importance of that.
Legislative Update: Michelle Parvinen, WSTA
Have hired a lobbyist. Having a union member on the transit systems’
board was killed by amendment. Senate bill 5180 (flag stop bill) sailed
through, passing successfully. Unlawful action transit bill was worked
through. High Transit Corridor (taxing authority) helped C-Tran and
Spokane Transit. Bill 1225 (Sales tax exemption bill) passed. Bill 5433
($20 Local option tax bill) was vetoed at the last minute by the
Governor. Asked if the $20 local option bill would get resurrected, told
would probably be reintroduced in the Joint Transportation Committee.
WSTA asked to pick up and publish the 6 month economic data information
that is now being done by DOT only every two years.
The 6 month data is very beneficial.
Drug and Alcohol Testing Program Update: D&A Subcommittee
Christine provided update on status of DOT’s mandatory observed
collection procedures for return to duty and follow-up testing. Some
unions opposed the “observed collection process for "return to duty and
follow-up tests.” The US Court of Appeals recently ruled it is
not unconstitutional. We are
waiting for FTA’s response.
Mandatory collection sites can not make employees of the agency
be the observer. Christine has more information for those interested.
Alberto suggested that in the future if we need to, we could tap
into the procedures that Department of Corrections is using for observed
collections, as they have been doing observed collections for years.
Ergometrics Testing
Kimberly Somers, Whatcom Transportation – They have noticed that those
with English as a second language (ESL) had difficulty with the
ERGOMETRIC test.
Alberto Lara, Pierce Transit – Asked what others do where there is a
large ESL population –
WSTTC Training Coalition
Christine report that Stephanie from Pierce stepped down and Christine
has taken her place on the Board.
Christine noted that compliance training for DAPM’s should be
yearly or at least every two years. The next training will be at the end
of this year or early next year in
H1N1 Flue and Communicable Disease Issues:
Tabled until next meeting
Lane Transit’s Training: “Supervisor’s Role for Handling Employee
Reasonable Accommodation Requests
Mary Adams and David Collier gave an explanation of the ADA Supervisors
training. Was attended by
25 to 28 people; primarily for Operations Supervisors.
Training takes approximately 1.5
to 1.75 hours. Provides
good, interactive discussion. Handouts included slides, a couple of
quizzes, and a couple of case studies to discuss. A question was raised
about getting union involvement when an accommodation is requested by
union member.
Marianne DeMers, Kitsap Transit stated that one particular case was an
accommodation for a particular bus.
It was Ok’d but later taken away due to union bid process.
Considered ok because you don’t have to violate the union
contract for the accommodation.
Ed Ruttledge commented on the HRC and
Marianne DeMers stated they now have a new job description for new
employees so are currently working fewer than two sets of job
descriptions.
Cobra Subsidy Update
Long term Cobra is for “older workers” that are eligible for Cobra
benefits until they are Medicare eligible or they secure coverage
through subsequent employer. Long term Cobra is NOT subsidized by
employer. An older worker would be an employee that worked 10 or more
years for employer or age 55 or older.
Outsourcing Reference Checks; Your Experiences
– All Members
Marianne DeMers, Kitsap Transit
uses REXIS out of
Tina Guzinski, Community Transit
–AIR didn’t work.
Kimberly Somers, Whatcom
Transportation – Uses Pinnacle. Does limited checks. Does
multi-state calls. Very
pleased with them. Is a
woman-owned business. All but reference checks take 24 hours. Has
various plan rates. Basic is $45
- $55. Top $100.
Patti Carlin,
Lori Dougherty, Mason
Debra Hughes, Ben Franklin
Transit –Had bad experiences on reference checks by Background
Source out of
David Collier, Lane Transit
– Use “Open On-Line”, does nation-wide search for $18.00 a record. May
be a delay for results. All
on-line. They do reference
checks in-house.
Tina Guzinski, Community Transit
– Uses “Regis E-degree”. Does a nation-wide search. Cost $18.00 per
record. The perspective employee send out to references and the former
employer sends it back. Problem is you don’t know which reference sent
back what.
Julie DeBoever and Sandi Free,
C-TRAN – Uses WA ST Patrol for criminal background checks. Reference
checks done in-house. E-verify for SSN.
Next Meeting:
Next meeting will be held Friday,
October 2nd
hosted by Community Transit and Skagit Transit; exact location TBD
Proposed agenda ideas:
Announcements: SHRM Conference in
WSTA Leadership Retreat in
PLS NOTE:
If you have ideas for future agenda items, pls. forward them to
Tina at Community or Mary at
Prepared by Intercity Transit |
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