WBUR NEWS | APRIL 10, 2015 | By ZENINJOR ENWEMEKA BOSTON A scathing report on the MBTA, released Wednesday by an advisory panel appointed by the governor, blasts the management of the beleaguered transit system and calls for widespread reforms. But there are still some lingering questions about the report’s findings. Here are a few of those…
CommonWealth Magazine | By James Aloisi | Wednesday, April, 8, 2015 IN THE AFTERMATH of the drip drip drip of a series of strategically placed leaks, the governor’s special commission on the MBTA has finally issued its report. It is a disappointing document that fails to address the MBTA’s real state-of-good-repair and capacity needs, fails…
Commonwealth Magazine | James Aloisi | Apr 6, 2015 I KNOW SOMETHING about trial balloons. I launched a few myself when I was state transportation secretary. It’s a tried and true way for public officials to test whether there will be any meaningful push back to a decision before the decision is actually made. If…
Frontier Group | Tony Dutzik | 04/07/2015 As Gov. Baker’s special panel on the MBTA prepares to release its recommendations for the future of transit in the Boston area, it is important that its conclusions be based on accurate information. Writing in CommonWealth yesterday, former state Transportation Secretary James Aloisi raised important questions about the…
Dear brothers and sisters, As you may know, April 2nd was Union Lobby Day at the Massachusetts State House. Members of Local 589 and unions all across the state came together educate our legislators and let them know we oppose Governor Baker’s proposed health insurance increase on state workers. As a follow up to Lobby Day,…
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…
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.…
Join us for union lobby day to oppose Governor Baker’s proposed health insurance increase on state workers on Thursday, April 2nd, 9:30 AM at the State House in Gardner Auditorium.
Boston Globe – March 19, 2015 ALTHOUGH I agree with Scot Lehigh on many issues, I disagree with his repeated take on the Taxpayer Protection Act, or the “Pacheco Law” (“State should seize control of T,” Op-ed, March 13). Lehigh and others in the media say the law hinders privatization of state contracts or encumbers…
Boston Globe | By Steve Annear | March 19, 2015 It had been more than a year since State Representative Marjorie Decker took the Red Line to work, but as she boarded a crowded train at Harvard Square before 9 a.m. Thursday, it all came back to her. “It’s like riding a bike,” she said.…
It is with great pleasure the Executive Board and Membership of the Boston Carmen’s Union, Local 589, announce the endorsement of Adrian Madaro for the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1st Suffolk District. Election is March 31, 2015. We encourage all our members and their families to support Adrian. For more information about Adrian or how to…
WBUR | By ZENINJOR ENWEMEKA | March 10, 2015 BOSTON, MA—With increased rides on the subway, buses and the commuter rail, the MBTA had a record 400.8 million trips last year — putting the transit system in line with a nationwide trend in which more and more people are using public transportation. A new report…
International Business Times | By Cole Stangler | March 1, 2015 One afternoon during the summer of 2000, her first year as a bus driver in Oregon’s Portland, Hope Okazaki had a troubling episode of gastrointestinal distress while on the job. She had just finished an almost two-hour tour through the east side of town, and…
Opinion: Boston Globe | By Kristina Egan | FEBRUARY 27, 2015 The MBTA’s performance in the record snow and cold temperatures gives us a glimpse of a possible future — one in which our transportation system completely fails us. When the T shuts down, businesses and workers lose millions of dollars. The torturous driving commutes…
Sandra Larson | Bay State Banner | 2/25/2015 In the aftermath of the historic January and February snowstorms in Boston that led to transit shutdowns, stuck trains, borrowed shuttle buses and frustrating delays at frigid platforms, the MBTA announced it could be another 30 days before full service resumes on its rail lines. If the…