In the second segment (of four) of our conversation with TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane, we cover the status of TriMet’s contract with ATU (Amalgamated Transit Union). A transcript of the interview, prepared by EngineerScotty, is after the jump.

Things don’t appear to going well for TriMet in its ongoing labor dispute–at all. In a blistering 8-page order, the state Employee Relations Board (ERB) once again ruled that TriMet’s recent offer in the ongoing contract negotiations constitutes an attempt to introduce a new issue into the bargaining process at the last minute, and as…

Michael at Portland Foot is reporting that TriMet is looking to undo the current Oregon law which treats transit workers as essential (similar to police and firefighters), a designation which prevents labor stoppages (strikes or lockouts) and forces labor disputes into binding arbitration. Hints were dropped about the earlier this month, in particular with Lynn…