Charlie Goodyear, SFMTA's hired gun PR guy, announced yesterday that the agency reached a tentative agreement with the Muni Operators Union. As pretty much everybody reports, the deal will save the agency $21.3 million over three years by freezing operator pay, allowing for part-time operators, changing the overtime pay scheme and taking unlicensed operators off the payroll. Although the MTA seems pleased with the results of the past few months of negotiations, the prickly Transit Workers Union is already miffed that Goodyear and company released the details of the deal before they've had a chance to vote on it.
In a statement, Union Pres. Rafael Cabrera expressed disappointment with Goodyear for releasing what he called a "detailed and inaccurate press release", although the union board won't derail the deal just yet. They are currently advising members to vote in favor of the matter when it is put before them on June 8th. But, as the Chronicle reminds us, union members twice voted against the board's advice when they stuck riders with those painful service cuts last year.
Because the tenuous/tentative agreement seems like it could just as easily fall apart as it could come together with next week's vote, the details of the contract are pretty much all we have to go on at the moment. Luckily, Streetsblog has rounded up those details nicely:
The hiring of part-time operators at a rate equal to 15 percent of the total budgeted operator positions at the Agency. Redefinition of overtime as work performed in excess of eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. Clear contract language that states management’s right to schedule Muni service “consistent with the transit needs of the City and County of San Francisco.” Extending the amount of time the Agency may take to conduct an investigation relating to discipline and grievance procedures from 14 calendar days to 42 business days. Eliminating the costly joint management-union Accident Review Board and allowing the Agency’s Chief Safety Officer to appoint a transit safety investigator to determine whether specific Muni accidents were preventable. Eliminating the current contract provision that allows non-licensed Muni operators to remain on the payroll.
