US capitalism : what is the contract ?

The AC Contract: Just Saying “No” Isn’t Enough

After months of negotiations union representatives for AC Transit workers and AC management have come up with a tentative agreement. They claim this is a real gain for the workers. Of course some of the truly insane demands put on the table by management were discarded. But this is part of the normal bargaining process. Some of the so-called gains merely restore what was taken away in the last contract. In addition the union officials say that there aren’t any takeaways. Unfortunately this is not true. There are takeaways.

Wages and Benefits

First of all, the contract doesn’t restore the losses from the last contract. Three years of a wage freeze with no Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) was a huge loss. Small wage increases totaling 9.5% over three years with no COLA barely keeps up with the basic cost of living in the Bay Area. The last contract imposed payment on medical benefits as a percentage of our wage. Under the new contract it is a fixed amount – still this is a takeaway – and a big one for low seniority workers, who have to wait four years until they reach the full rate. This is six months more than the previous contract. And there is a re-opener on pensions.

Attendance

The District’s policy is an insult to workers. Despite the picture presented to the public, driving and maintaining buses is not a picnic. So when people take time off it isn’t without a reason. People sometimes need an extra day or two to recover from long hours of driving, nerve-wracking encounters with passengers, or working in the yard with substandard equipment. In addition, as adults there are responsibilities that we need to deal with.

The discipline schedule for taking time off has been stepped up, with firing occurring after nine instead of ten absences over a year’s time.

Working Conditions – Scheduling and Breaks

The problem drivers face of NO guaranteed breaks and NO break rooms remains. Supposedly this was addressed in the last contract and nothing was done. Words on paper are no guarantee.

Drivers on some runs face impossible schedules. It is difficult to impossible to maintain them without speeding. And often drivers have to choose between eating, using the restroom or just taking a break and keeping on schedule. Unfortunately some drivers feel pushed and neglect their health rather than keep passengers waiting. This is NOT addressed in the contract.

And what about breaks, and lack of proper equipment that mechanics and service workers face? How is that addressed?

Dangling a few much-needed dollars in front of people doesn’t deal with the daily assaults on people’s health and safety. It doesn’t show respect.

A “No” Vote Is Only A Protest

These are just a few of the takeaways and problems we confront. A number of workers will vote NO on the contract because they are disgusted and angry. But to get a real change, just saying “NO” isn’t enough. Sending the bargaining team back to face off with management isn’t enough. How could they come back with anything different? And if it is sent to binding arbitration it could even result in something worse.

To get the respect we need reflected in wages, benefits and working conditions, AC workers are going to have to be organized to stand up for what we need. It would mean being prepared to use everything we have to show management that we are serious and there WILL be consequences if they keep disrespecting us like this.

It would mean reaching out to riders. As workers they can understand that when one group of workers is successful in their struggle, it sets an example and can help set a new standard for everyone, instead of us all sinking to the lowest level.

If we aren’t prepared to make the fight at this time, it isn’t over. We can begin to organize now for a fight later. Nothing will change from wishing and hoping and putting our faith in what others can do for us. Our future will only change when we decide to create it ourselves.

The BART Contract: Who Will Decide The Outcome?

Governor Jerry Brown has told the courts to order a 60-day cooling off period to settle the BART contract. The news media is making it sound like the governor is the neutral force who can bring the two sides together and come up with a reasonable contract solution. But what does this really mean? Jerry Brown as governor has made repeated attacks against state workers, pushing concessions, furloughs and making workers pay for their pensions. He is no friend of the BART workers. And basically he and his mediators have been involved behind the scenes in the BART dispute for months with what result? Why would BART workers look to him for a solution?

Ever since the spring, the BART management has made its attitude clear. It hired Hock, a known union buster who has financial interests in privatizing transit, as its lead negotiator. Then it waited as long as possible to start the negotiations and basically refused to bargain seriously on any major issues, while issuing press statements attacking BART workers.

Management pushed the BART unions into calling a strike by its inaction. And then it used the news media to encourage and showcase negative reactions of commuters unable to get around, to put more pressure on the unions to give in and accept takeaways. Over a month later, the BART management is still refusing to bargain seriously. So why would anyone believe that a two-month cooling off period will change management’s attitude?

The issues for the workers are clear. After years of giving up wages and benefits of $100 million, BART workers want and need to catch up. The Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live and workers want a contract that allows them to provide for their families, afford decent health care and know that when they retire they will be able to support themselves after decades of work. They want safe conditions so that they don’t have to be afraid to be alone in their stations.

The money is there. Rider-ship is up and that means a big increase in revenue. All the big corporations benefit from BART taking workers to their door. Let them pay more taxes to modernize the BART system. Let them pay if they want a BART extension. In no case should the workers have to sacrifice another cent.

But this is not what the BART management wants. They want to spend the taxpayers’ money paying themselves huge salaries, enriching their construction partners and the companies that manufacture the BART cars. They want to hold the line for all the Bay area bosses who don’t want their profits touched by having to pay their workers higher wages and benefits.

If BART workers keep depending on the Jerry Browns or the Gavin Newsoms or the other politicians, there is little reason to hope that BART workers will get the contract that they want and deserve. These politicians have showed over and over again that they are the servants of the bosses not the workers. And if the workers keep hoping that somehow the union officials will be able to talk their way into a good contract behind closed doors, how many times do we have to see this fail to know it isn’t a good choice? No – waiting on others will just mean being disappointed.

But there is a considerable force that BART workers can count on – themselves. The strike in July showed how much power transit workers have – how important their work is in the Bay Area. And imagine if the AC Transit workers had joined in the strike as well? But to use this power effectively, workers can’t just go out on an official strike for a few days. Workers would need to really get active and organize themselves.

If BART workers organized teams and went to every BART station with leaflets they wrote explaining the issues involved, and talked to riders and let other workers know the real issues – what a difference that would make! What happens to the BART workers affects all workers in the Bay area. And all workers have an interest in seeing the BART workers win.

If BART workers want a different outcome, they will have to decide to organize a fight themselves. What happens next is still to be decided.