Very proud of our union right now. They have taken the lead in fighting government corruption and secrecy. I know that people like John Charles has been fighting for years to open up these 'secret' negotiations.

So what is it that Trimet executives are so scared of I ask you?

They wanted their security to check everyone before entering. That's something Stephen Colbert would cover. Maybe I should send it to him.

Trimet is in pure panic at the thought of the public being witness to their process.

LONG LIVE THE UNION!

They have exposed TRIMET management for the liars and secrecy advocates that they are in one swoop!

And if somehow the fat cats gorging themselves on the public teat somehow convince a corrupt judge that they are allowed to have secrecy, its too late for them.

They are outed for who they really are.

A gang of liars and thieves who operate in the shadows.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: TriMet has some generous benefits. I've never been more outraged than being a thrice unemployed (counting post college graduation) person since 2009 after seeing how much they make and seeing how few people TriMet can hire in the first place because the pay and benefits are so high as stipulated by the union.

And yes, they have some overpaid managers as well and they need to rethink their capital expenditures heavily.

I ask this simple question though:

Can a potential or current employee opt out of the union? And why not?

TriMet has some generous benefits.

I am so sick of hearing this I need a bucket right now.

I know I know, Americans are not entitled to decent health benefits and the race to the bottom is real and the citizens that don't have decent health care resent anyone who does and can't wait to drag them down with them. I know all that.

But generous benefits? Ya like the HOSTESS CEO who gave himself $1,000,000 before going bankrupt?

Or maybe you mean that sports guy that is drawing $400k a year PERS, we have as good as that?

Or maybe you mean every single member of congress that retires even after one term, WE HAVE AS GOOD AS THAT?

Or maybe you mean FORMER GM FRED HANSEN, who is getting $15,500 a month retirement from TRIMET while making god knows how much as a 'thinker in residence' in Australia? All of us who retire from Trimet get that huh?

We have just as good benefits as them huh?

ws,

Oregon is not a "right-to-work" state, so in general--no. An employee can refuse to participate in union activities, but since any operator who does so would still be covered under the contract (TriMet cannot hire non-union drivers at lower pay/benefits so long as a valid contract is in place), he would still have to pay "fair share" dues to the union to cover the "costs" of negotiating the benefits he enjoys.

And since Al likes to sing the praises of John Charles, I should point out that the Cascade Policy Institute has long advocated making Oregon a right-to-work state. While Steve Buckstein and not Charles is the lead lobbyist at CPI for labor issues, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Al: Cascade Policy Institute is not your friend. You may have a common adversary in TriMet, but the US and the Taliban were once allied against the Soviets, and we all know how that turned out.

I never said Cascade was my pal, I just said they wanted to open these 'secret' negotiations.

Ever heard the saying the enemy of my enemy is my friend

Right now we have a common enemy, after we defeat that enemy we can deal with our differences

And yes I do know that John Charles is no pal to the unions but in this one case he gave the most articulate and accurate statement as to the REAL TRUTH to the Trimet financial problems. As he says, the union is 1/2 the problem, there is another problem that the liars in charge of Trimess just refuse to acknowledge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6UUd_40w6Y

Washington Post video about the cardboard bike developed by an Israeli entrepreneur:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/video/thefold/a-new-kind-of-wheels-cardboard-bikes/2012/11/28/4cd5e6d4-3996-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_video.html

[Yes - it's waterproofed]

One of the truly great advocates for the disabled in Portland is apparently having to give up his advocacy Michael Levine

If Zefwagner goes to Seattle during the holidays, how about doing a report on the Community Transit "Double Tall" express bus system while you're up there? See how it compares to the Sounder.

PBOT holding open house on N Fessenden freight traffic

Al, I can't find anything on your blog about Michael Levine beyond the video. Can you expand on your comment?

Bike Portland reports on a new pay-per-mileage auto insurance company operating in Oregon.

Joe Rose tries to not offending those who hate art: OregonLive

So, people hate art, and bikes show blink more. Are the comments on OregonLive even relevant anymore?

Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers - Development myths drive streetcar

Jeff F Says:

Al, I can't find anything on your blog about Michael Levine beyond the video. Can you expand on your comment?

~~~> Michael Levine worked like a dog to keep disability rights in the fore front of Trimet's mind.
I had tremendous respect for his tenacity and his dedication.
He was also a good pal of mine and we used to get drunk together.

Sorry, Al, my question was badly phrased. I am certainly aware of Michael and his work. Your comment makes it sound as though he had died, and this I hadn't heard previously. Is that true?

Michael has terminal cancer

NO he has not died....as jason says he has terminal cancer

No American city made the SUSTAINABLE TRANSIT AWARD list.

Not surprising of course since none of America's transit is sustainable.

http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=50265&a=426038

Sam's going to put in a few more traffic signals in NW Portland before leaving office - at least 3 of these could be repurposed for the burnside/couch west side couplet in the future

I know this has been mentioned here previously.
But it is interesting in any event.
We all live in a highly bureaucratized country, each level takes off its 'cut' from these projects.

US Rail Construction Costs | Pedestrian Observations

THIS is an excellent article about the rail vs bus debate!

Everybody gone on vacation or something?
Bus Lanes Catch On Across Asia -- Could They Work in Your City? - Driver's Seat - WSJ

We've been celebrating Xmas.

That said, TriMet wishes to remind you to use your old tickets by the end of the year. This means any 1-2 zone tickets, or any tickets without a foil strip--neither will be accepted starting on New Year's Day.

Seventh National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways May 20-22, 2013, Oakland, CA (Assuming Oakland is still there :)
http://www.7nsc.info/

I wonder what they would say about the CRC design. In previous California quakes the metal bridges have done pretty well----Oakland-Bay Bridge had one roadway section that fell down. However the 1.6 mi. Cypress Viaduct in the east bay collapsed. It was concrete. I know...those were old standards, but I still wonder. What would they say about the I-5 bridges versus the new CRC design? Would be interesting to find out.

As I recall the cost of a seismic retrofit on the existing spans is about the same as the cost of removal.

This is a good article about really REALLY good transit in Korea:
Seoul's Transit System Serves as a Model for America
It's really obvious how pathetic most American cities are, especially Mikey Mouse Town.

Last post was supposed to go into this folder, sorry.

But here is another piece of news, it turns out that transit FIGHTS CRIME not cause crime.

The Oakland Bay bridge had a 55 foot long section of four lanes that fell down on one end. No one was killed in the original collapse, but a driver did drive into the hole and did not live, before others became aware that there was a problem On the other hand the 1.3 mile section of the Cypress freeway collapsed; killing 42.
Here's photos of damage from the Northridge quake; numerous reinforced concrete structures destroyed. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/94summer/p94su26.cfm
Five metal bridges nearby were damaged but that was normally in the concrete reinforced piers, with insufficient (for the risk) connections. These were easily repaired. But the damaged reinforced concrete freeway sections took a long time, with traffic detours for months.

I think we should ask an expert if the reinforced concrete Columbia River Crossing bridge is a sensible project and here is the guy who would probably have the most expertise:
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~astaneh/
Adbelhassan Astaneh-Ehl
781 Davis Hall
University of California, Berkley
Berkley, CA 94270-1710
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~astaneh/Astaneh-Textbook-.pdf

"As I recall the cost of a seismic retrofit on the existing spans is about the same as the cost of removal." I think ODOT should form a rapid response strategy instead. This money could be used for something else----perhaps even bike trails for ya. If a megathrust quake ever hit the coast of Oregon it would be impossible to know where all the damage would be. Being able to airlift materials and equipment in as quickly as possible would restore service until permanent repairs could be made. Structures that have obvious deterioration and insufficiency should be addressed and landslide areas mitigated anyway, but there is no way to predict what could happen in a Cascacdian subduction quake so there would be the risk that a huge amount of upgrading investment would be useless..
Why throw our money down the drain? Sure they say that it will be better than earlier concrete structures, but is it guaranteed against Richter 9? Richter 9 megathrust quake likely will not happen for a few more centuries (they are several hundred years on average, not three hundred) so why spend billions for something that never happens, when our current bridge have never suffered earthquake damage?The only other quakes we have have been 6.8 or less, with no damage to any of our bridges.