Tentative Transit Agreement Reached
A tentative contract agreement that could prevent Port Authority service cuts has been reached.
The Port Authority, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 and Allegheny County have reached a tentative contract agreement.
If approved, the agreement is the first step in preventing the 35 percent service cuts, resulting in layoffs and closing of the Collier Garage and various park and ride lots around the area. The cuts were scheduled to take effect in September.
That agreement will be considered by the Local 85 membership on Aug. 19 and the Port Authority Board, which will meet in the days following the union vote. Details will be made public at that time.
Continue to follow Patch as details become available.
andy
3:28 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
I really hope this is an agreement that solves the public transportation system's problems in Allegheny County for the long run. You can't call yourself America's Most Livable City without a viable and dependable mass transit system that serves all of the public, especially those who don't drive or can't afford to drive. Pittsburgh needs to look at Portland, OR for ways to improve its transit system.
cc
6:36 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
From what my neighbor said that is a bus driver this is only a 6-12 month fix.
Mike Jones
7:51 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
@cc... It will always be a temporary fix unless our elected leaders at the state level find a dedicated revenue source for transit. That includes public transportation and road infrastructure improvements. That's what Act 44 of 2007 was supposed to do, but the big revenue item -- either tolling I-80 or leasing the PA Turnpike -- was never ratified by the state.
cc
10:00 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Mike I agree there, my neighbor said that Port Authority wanted many cuts and the drivers union isn't budging that much as it is their right to make the money and have their heathcare paid in full when they retire. My neighbor is 52 and retiring at the end of the year and will get free healthcare and full pension the rest of his life. He says his pension comes out to be 3/4 of his pay. That is a nice perk that few companies provide, in fact it is better than a military pension.
Ed M
6:55 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
Our elected leaders can find all the funding they want but until PAT is either privatized or the management improves, it's like tossing money in a black hole.
Billee
6:56 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
Some patch is better than no patch at all. Here today... gone tomorrow. Daily bread is all we are promised.
sheridan edmondson
6:54 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Thank you to everyone who put in the hard work to get this first step in place. I hope everything else goes smoothly and we are able to keep our transit system intact.
Roger
7:33 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Quoting, "I hope ... we are able to keep our transit system intact ...."
That may be an admirable hope, but recent history has shown the present system is not sustainable. This is the problem. Nobody wants to make changes so that it will survive and have longevity. Just "keep ... intact" only prolongs the problem. I think the Wash DC phrase, "Kick the can down the road."
From what I can discern, major changes are needed, not just keeping things the way the have been in the recent past.
Patrick
9:15 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
I believe the current approach of raising rates and cutting routes doesn't make sense. I am all for a livable wage but when port authority bus drivers make 80k - 130k, I think there needs to be a serious look at what are competitive wages for this job versus what is taking advantage of the system and the people trying to fund it.
cc
9:44 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
Patrick don't forget the bus drivers don't put much towards their health insurance, comes out to 30 a month, they get awesome pensions that they don't contribute to but can also put money in a 401 K if they choose to. Bus drivers are the cream of the crop with benefits and retirement.
Outraged Citizen
9:35 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
I realize this is being completely selfish on my part, but I was looking forward to the cuts. I hate waiting behinds these behemoths that clog the roads and make my little Village a little less special. Oh well, we can’t always get what we want.
Sandra
9:57 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
Too bad they won't bring back the routes that were previously cut.
Patrick
10:05 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
I would rather some behemoth buses on the road rather than the people in it all driving vehicles and clogging the roads more.
cc
9:48 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
I sometimes with I could take a bus to work but since the buses where cut i'm stuck driving every day. I use to enjoy spending an hour reading instead of sitting in traffic.
b smith
7:54 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
What do you mean Roger.... someone out there having to make some real cuts and pay drivers a realistic salary.... that is crazy talk!!!!! Holy shi¡p I should have been a bus driver I could retire before I got grey hair too!!!
How about privatizing the buses and T. No one else finds it obsurd that the T only serves the south hills. NYC Boston you can ride all over the place at almost any hour. How much would that help with the traffic into and out of town. Plus eliminate the stops every block, its worse then a school bus. Oh yeah how hard is it to drive that subway car, its easier then nascar. At least mascara has to make left hand turns....
Ed M
10:56 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
The trolley's use to go all over the city! West End, Oakland but PAT eliminated those routes decades ago, They kept the trolley routes where the population boom was - the South Hills. Remember, NYC and Boston have had a subway system in place for decades. Comparing Pittsburgh's T to NYC & Boston is apples to oranges.
Did you ever drive a subway car??? If you answer is no, then you have no idea what it takes to drive one.