TriMet union employees protesting labor decision with defiant bumper stickers: Commuter roundup

It?s no secret that TriMet?s unionized drivers, mechanics and support staff are miffed about a third-party arbitrator's recent ruling requiring them to pay more for their health care benefits.

In fact, one union member has apparently decided to make a little extra cash to help cover those new costs by producing and selling bumper stickers reading, ?The TriMet Way: Screwing Our Employees is How We Roll.?

Ouch!

The $2 stickers are selling. In fact, a few employees have gone as far as placing them on the TriMet vehicles they drive.

Double ouch!

On Twitter, someone going by ?HowWeRoll3? posted a photo of one of the stickers slapped onto the back of what looks like one of the agency?s a publicly-owned support vehicles. The tweet read: ?Saw this sticker on a TriMet vehicle. I guess TriMet employees are getting tired of the lies news media.?

Veteran TriMet driver Dan Christensen said he has also seen the bumper sticker on the back of a few buses. ?It?s bad over here,? Christensen said, adding that he has received a text about the stickers but hasn?t purchased one. ?I?ve never worked in a place where people are so unhappy. They love to drive, they love the job, but they?re fed up.?

Still, Christensen doesn?t agree with employees putting the adhesive protests on buses. ?I wouldn?t do it,? he said. ?I?m frustrated. But I respect the job enough to know the buses I drive belong to the people.?

After the July 13 arbitration ruling siding with TriMet in its long labor fight with Amalgamated Transit Union 757, the transit agency is trying to figure out how to implement the new contract.

The arbitrator?s decision was retroactive to November 2009, when the last contract ended. Agency officials say they have to find a way to retroactively charge union employees for the increased costs of health insurance.

Even with the increased benefits costs, TriMet?s union workers have the best public-employee health care plan in the state.

Last week, however, ATU 757 posted a message on its website, telling members not to cooperate with any TriMet attempts to garner back premium costs for their paychecks.

The notice reads:

?According to TriMet's Last Best Offer, implementation will be the first of the month following the arbitrator's order. The Union has informed TriMet that such implementation is extremely unwise given all the illegal aspects of the award noted by the arbitrator himself.
As for the reimbursement of the medical premiums, we continue to believe going back three years is illegal. ATU's attorney has written a letter to TriMet's attorney indicating that we will instruct our members not to authorize any payroll deductions from TriMet for this expense. It is also illegal for an employer to make threats to get you to sign such an authorization.?

Under law, the arbitrator?s decision is supposed to be binding. On Friday night, however, ATU President Bruce Hansen said the decision was illegal and likely leaves room for a labor challenge.

TriMet hasn?t responded to questions about the bumper stickers or potential union challenge to the arbitrator?s decision.

Stay tuned.

In other headlines:

• Dashboard cameras are big in Russia, whihc is why we?re seeing a lot of crazy traffic videos from that country popping up on the Interwebs. I?m not sure who the hero and the villain is in this road rage incident. Frankly, both drivers are acting like jerks.

-- Joseph Rose

Source: http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/07/trimet_union_employees_protest.html

incendiary floyd mayweather winter solstice x factor finale pro bowl voting kindle fire update pasco county