Policy
Opinion: The T must succeed
Commonwealth Magazine | By Tony Dutzik and Kristina Egan | Mar 20, 2015 THIS WINTER’S MBTA debacle has focused attention – as it should – on how the T does business. But it is important not to lose sight of why the T does business: to spark and support economic development, ensure equitable access to…
Read MoreLocal 589 Testifies At Winter Storm Hearing
On Tuesday, the executive board of the Boston Carmen’s Union, Local 589, was invited to testify at a legislative winter storm oversight hearing held by the Joint Committee on Transportation. Also joining the executive board was Tom Roth, an economist and negotiator for Local 589 as well as the president of The Labor Bureau, Inc.…
Read MoreATU International President Larry Hanley Reacts to State of the Union
“The progressive plans proposed by President Obama in his State of the Union will do nothing to help the poor or the middle class if ‘fast track’ legislation and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal are passed by Congress.” “While the president has put forth very laudatory goals, he and Congressional leaders in both…
Read MoreState House Update
On Thursday, September 1, MBTA leadership submitted this annual procurement report to the Massachusetts House and Massachusetts Senate, pursuant to the transportation reform law passed in 2015. This report continues to use the same flawed logic that has shaped the MBTA reform debate for months – that outsourcing will somehow fix decades of neglect, woefully…
Read MoreMBTA moves toward privatizing some bus routes
Boston Globe | By Nicole Dungca | August 20, 2015 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is exploring the privatization of more than two dozen bus routes, a move that the president of the T’s largest union says amounts to a “betrayal” from Governor Charlie Baker’s administration. James O’Brien, the president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, said…
Read MoreRecap of Last Night’s Union Meeting (8/18/15)
Dear brothers and sisters, As you may have heard, last night’s regular meeting of the membership was standing room only (click here to see more photos). President O’Brien went over the recent legislative and privatization update, and then informed the membership of a meeting with the new MBTA chief administrator, Brian Shortsleeve, who is a…
Read MoreLegislative & Privatization Update
Dear members, Effective July 7, 2015, Governor Baker signed a $38 billion dollar budget in law, which included the relaxation of the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA), otherwise known as the Pacheco Law, for three years. For those who were not able to attend our most recent membership meeting on Thursday, July 21, 2015, below is…
Read MoreUnions sensing budget betrayal by House Top Democrats could be target for challenge
Boston Globe | By Jim O’Sullivan | July 17, 2015 AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman spoke at an MBTA union workers rally at the State House in May. Labor unions, stung by legislative maneuvering to ease privatization at the MBTA, are targeting top House Democrats, meeting privately to strategize, and discussing the possibility of running more pro-union candidates…
Read MoreThe Pioneer Institute does acrobatic logical twists re the Pacheco Law
COFAR Blog | By David Kassel | July 13, 2015 In what has been widely viewed as a setback for state employee unions in Massachusetts, state legislators last week approved a state budget for Fiscal Year 2016 that includes a provision freezing the Pacheco Law for three years with regard to the MBTA. The Pioneer Institute apparently…
Read MoreMassachusetts Legislature Puts Taxpayers at Risk
Yesterday, the Massachusetts legislature did a great disservice to working families, T riders, and taxpayers across the Commonwealth with the suspension of the Taxpayer Protection Act (or Pacheco Law) for the next three years. The goal of the Taxpayer Protection Act (or Pacheco Law) was to protect the Commonwealth from the waste, fraud, and abuse…
Read More