Union Primary Elections - November 12, 2008Union Run-off Elections - December 3, 2008

OHB 6a.m. to 2 p.m., RCL 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other facilities 4 a.m. TO 5 p.m.

Every three years, members of our local union elect our four full-timeofficers and Executive Board members. In order to be nominated toserve on the Executive Board, a person must have been a member ingood standing of the local for a period of two years. Nominations wereheld at the September union membership meetings.

If only one person has been nominated for any position, the person isdeclared the winner at the October membership meeting. The unopposedcandidates are listed later in the October meeting minutes.

In our union primary system, if there are two candidates for the sameposition, the person with the most votes in the primary wins. Wherethere are more than two candidates, if one candidate receives 50% plus

The 1005 LineThe 1005 LineNovember / December 2008

The news and information publication of

ATU Local 1005 Prepared and

distributed by the EducationCommittee

"What does labor want? Wewant more schoolhouses andless jails, more books and lessarsenals, more learning andless vice, more constant workand less crime, more leisureand less greed, more justiceand less revenge. In fact moreof the opportunities to cultivateour better natures, to makemanhood more noble, woman-hood more beautiful and child-hood more happy and bright."

- Samuel Gompers

What’s Inside...

Officer’s Cornerpage 2

Union Meeting Highlights page 3

Transit Safety & Security page 4

Retirement page 7

Financial Healthpage 12

The Economic Crisispage 13

Obituarypage 15

For The People Who Know Where They Are Going

Don't Relax YetWe're not Done Voting

Nominations for all contested union offices were made as follows:

Continued on page 15

President/Business AgentPeter Huston #9974Michelle Sommers #9349

Vice-PresidentMcKinley Bogan #7663Curt Botner #2089Dorothy Maki #9082Mike Qualy #293Steve Schurmeier #5242

Rec. Sec’y./Asst. BusinessAgentDan Abramowicz #6225Lisa Callahan #6716

Fin. Sec’y./TreasurerTommy Bellfield #9130Chuck Gudknecht #3809

Light Rail Op’s./Disp.Shem Abdullah #9847Dave Rogers #9065

Light Rail MaintenanceBob Boyle #5410Clarence Maloney #9877

MJR MaintenanceDave Hopwood #8824Howard Tappe #5333

Nicollet Op’s./Disp.Cliff Bolden #2473Gwendolyn Lee #950Debbie Sievers #6422Ryan Timlin #66279

Nicollet MaintenanceCase Braam #5471John Zapata #5570

South Op’s./Disp.Mark Lawson #6986Tom Loehlein #9794

OFFICER’SCORNER

Page 2

LOCAL 1005OFFICERS

President/BusinessAgentMichelleSommers

Vice-PresidentJerry Ewald

RecordingSecretary/Asst.Business AgentScott Tollin

FinancialSecretary/TreasurerChuckGudknecht

CalendarEducation Commit-tee Meetings - 2:30 pmNovember 18th December 16th atthe Union Office

Executive Board& Union MeetingsNovember 25th - St. Paul December 16th - Mpls.10:00 AM / 7:00 PM(New pm start time)

Union Office Phone612-379-2914email:office@atu1005.comwebsite:www.atu1005.com

Jerry Ewald Vice-President

RetirementRetirement is a goal that we all hope to achieve some day. With hard

work and careful planning, you can have a successful retirement. Thereare currently 561 retiree members of ATU Local 1005.

Notice: When you apply for an MSRS retirement, and if you aremarried, you will be required to pick an option for your benefits. Theoptions are 100%, 75% and 50%. If you pick the 100% option, you willreceive a lower monthly pension, but if you pass away, your spouse willcontinue to collect the same amount until he/she passes away. Same withthe other options: The spouse would receive either 75% or 50% at thetime of the employee's death. The important thing to know is that, start-ing January 1st, 2009, you will be required to have your spouse sign offas to which option you choose. This will be mandatory.

When you retire, you can remain a Local 1005 retired member. Thedues are $49.80 per year or $4.15 per month. As a retired member of theATU, you can stay involved and still attend union meetings. The ATUInternational has a $1,000 death benefit. You can also vote in the electionof the full-time Union Officers. Remaining a member allows you toattend the various functions such as the union picnic, contract ratificationvotes, etc. Overall, it is a great way to keep in touch with friends youhave worked with over the years.

There are several retiree groups that meet on a monthly basis:

St. Paul Retiree Lunch ClubMeets 12:00 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Mattie’s (FormerlyWells Lanes) South Concord St. in South St. Paul 55075

North Side Breakfast ClubMeets 8:30 a.m. the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Barnacle Bill’s, ShingleCreek Parkway and Freeway Blvd. in Brooklyn Center

South Side Breakfast ClubMeets 8:00 a.m. the 1st and 4th Thursday of each month at the VFWPost, 67th St. & Lyndale Ave in Richfield

Metro Transit Mechanic TeammateMeets 12:00 p.m. the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Old CountryBuffet, 2000 So. Robert St. in West St. Paul

Fraternally,Jerry Ewald and Scott Tollin

Scott TollinRecording

Secretary/Asst.Business Agent

Page 3

Education Committee

AdvisorScott Tollin

Chair Members Rotate

SouthLiz Goldberg

Vice Chair

Heywood OfficeIlona LaDouceur

NicolletMelanie BensonAlec JohnsonRyan TimlinStephen Babcock

Layout

Overhaul BaseOpen

RuterScott Lindquist

East MetroPhilip Jarosz

Heywood GarageDorothy Maki

LRTMargo Trujillo

725 Bldg.Open

Editorial BoardKen DolneyDan AbramowiczChuck Feucht

Union Meeting Highlights

September 2008 MeetingU of M LES Instructor, Tony DeAngelis briefly spoke to our mem-

bers about classes available for union members. (See back page.)

Arbitration RequestsAn East Metro Operator is grieving his termination after an alterca-

tion on the job. After an explanation in which he appeared, a secret ballotwas cast. This case will proceed to arbitration.

RCL employees affected by loss of overtime pay when taking a vaca-tion or other paid leave have requested arbitration. After an explanationin which Dave Gosha reported, a secret ballot was cast. This case willproceed to arbitration.

President's ReportOn the RCL contract - When we negotiate, it is not our responsibility

to point out the company's mistakes. It is our job to get the best contractwe can. RCL is mad now that their chief negotiator made a mistake, andare once again being untruthful. We have T.A.'s that prove our case withregard to the grievance heard here today.

On Northstar Commuter Rail - We are going to get the maintenancejobs and are trying to negotiate an implementation agreement. Themechanical board members helped to work out details, then the fullExecutive Board met. There are controversial issues, and the debate hasbeen spirited. We need to do this right and even though they are in ahurry to get this done we cannot be rushed into this. They want thesejobs yesterday. We will be rather unique as a Local of the ATU. Thereare very, very few Locals that have bus, light rail, commuter rail, publicemployees, and private employees. We have had much debate among themechanical board members, and that debate is a good thing in order toarrive at the best decisions. We will have the maintenance only for theBig Lake Station, the Downtown area and the platforms. There are alsofederal regulations that come into play here that are new to us.

On the "bad boy list" - We met yesterday with the driver board mem-bers and management about the "bad boy list" which consists of about 40or 50 operators with large numbers of customer complains. Every driverboard member and the garage managers need to sit down and verify thelist now. We need to make sure commendations are not being listed asnegatives; and some items are included to look for a pattern even thoughthey’re not logged or filed. This is the first time we have gotten manage-ment to sit down with us to look at the policy, and we need to keep aneye on it. Keep in mind: about 400 certificates of recognition wereawarded, and only about 40 Operators were on this “bad boy” list.

On route training - We have received calls from Nicollet and FTHabout route training being cut short. We are dealing with Sam on this.Let us know if you do not get adequate training or get a complaint as aresult of inadequate training.

Continued on Page 8

For complete details please seethe Safety and Security Boardlocated in every garage.

Transit Safety and Security CommitteeMembers:David Hanson, ManagementAdvisor, Street Supervisor David Rogers, Chair, Rail Op.Curt Botner, Nicollet Op.Michael Craven, MJR Op.Allen Juaire, East Metro Op.Jeffrey Thompson, Hey. Op.Mary Vasterling, South Op.Pamela Hamlow, MJR Op.

OctoberOthers in Attendance

Mike Robeck, TCCScott Tollin, ATUPhil Walljasper, RiskArthur Hart, Metro Transit PoliceSam Jacobs, Director - BusOperationsJanie Whim, Street OpsBrian Motari, SafetyEmily Anleu, Secretary

please direct them to Admin.Lieutenant Jim Franklin.

SAFETY- Brain Motari in atten-dance: Nothing to report.

LRT REPORT- No LRT Report

RISK MANAGEMENT- PhilWalljasper in attendance: Volumeof accidents is going down.Accidents per 100,000 miles 8%reduction YTD. Collisions withvehicles down 19%. Collisionswith fixed objects down 17%.Increase in people getting injured6%. Bicycle accidents: 5 in 2007and 7 in 2008 . The reserveamount that we have to spend onaccidents has been the lowestsince 2003. Top locations:Garages generate most accidents,but not the most amounts paidout. Risk is going out to garagesto talk about the types of acci-dents. At Nicollet they have theUptown Transit Center as themost frequent.

Accidents happen when a bus isstopped and another bus is pullingaround the parked bus and theyclip mirrors. Mirrors are wider onnew buses. New mirror issueswere discussed. Mirror arms areable to be repositioned, but themirror house is very hard tomove. Maintenance should be incharge of putting the mirror backin place in the morning, after awash, etc. Bicycles on the Mallwas discussed again, public cam-paign/outreach, ticketing, increasethe penalties for cyclists

TCC REPORT- Mike Robeck,MDT: Some of the new MDT'sare showing the driver’s names.This has been fixed. Operatorshave been calling on the phone

instead of waiting for their call tobe answered on the radio. Thisdisturbs the line of calls. Pleasealways use the radio. If it is a pri-ority then you should upgrade,which will push you to the frontof the line. If you have customersthat have questions you shouldgive them the customer servicenumber. They can help the cus-tomer better then we can. Callsare coming in as priority, whenthey should come in as routine. Isthere something we can do to fixthis problem? Once you hit thetalk button the screen changes andthe talk button becomes the priori-ty button.

Mike will check to see how theMDT can be changed/repro-grammed. Police response timeswere discussed: Mike spoke to theChief of Police and they don'twant a report generated. If driverswant specific response times theyshould ask their manager orSafety and Security representa-tive. Concerns were addressedregarding LRT and PoliceDepartments not sending repre-sentatives.

STREET OPERATIONS- JanieWhim: Thanks to everyone forworking so hard during the StateFair and the RNC. You had somuch going on and we think youdid a wonderful job. We didn'teven know where you were sup-posed to go, but you did it! 2ndand Marquette are closed. Rideralerts are posted on the closedstreets. Information is availableonline and from the TCC and TIC.Janie will look into more signageand into ways to help out the cus-tomers during this time. 4th and3rd will be closed for a couple of

POLICE REPORT- Arthur Hart:Nothing to report. Any questions?Bicycles on Nicollet Mall. Thereare signs that say "No bikes from6am to 6pm", yet there are stillbikes on Nicollet Mall . Art:Those aren't official traffic controlsigns and we can't enforce them.If we give someone a ticket andthey take it to court those signswon't hold up in court. They don'tlook like any of the other trafficsigns. “No Bikes on the Mall” isa law, but it can't be enforced dueto the outdated signs. CaptainElmers is looking into the update.Dave Hanson will follow up withCaptain Elmers.Any other questions or concerns

Page 4

Page 5hours next week. The bridge isopen now and traffic is better.

MAINTENANCE REPORT-Chuck Wurzinger: 40-foot busesare coming in through the end ofOctober. South and MJR will getnew buses soon. Issues with newbuses: Squeaky brakes. Brake bal-ance problem. Brakes are stillsafe. Please write up buses withthe problem. Interior mirror:Gillig started installing them thisweek. They are retrofitting aswell. Less then 30 or 40 withoutthem. All should have them in afew weeks. Light grey floor iscasting a glare on windshield inlow light. Not sure how toresolve it, it'll be an engineeringissue. Grey was chosen to com-plement the interior décor. Willlook into options for reducingglare.

Follow up on bike rack issue. Noneed for the convex mirror, youcan see if the bike rack is down ornot on the Gillig BRT Buses (ie,1100's and the newer 7100's)Follow up on spit shield; 40 footbuses don't have anything . Gilligdoesn't have anything they willinstall except for the full swingingdoor. They are concerned with thelimited space that anything elsewould provide.

David Hanson: It has beenbrought to my attention, after sev-eral conversations with garagereps & operators, that it appearsthat we as an organization aregoing backwards with regards tothe partial shields. The committeeis not against the shields. TheCommittee needs to make a for-mal motion requesting action topursue the partial shields thatwere once standard equipment onbuses but, now due to designissues have gone by the wayside.Follow up: Can we have Gillig

here? Chuck Wurzinger: Willinvite local rep. Dave H: Beforethe next meeting please ask youroperators what they would preferin regards to a the partial shield(spit shield) and/or partial enclo-sure of the operator compartment.

OTHER- Sam: Chicago's resultsfor spit shield experiment. (get hisnotes) This spring 24 buses wereretrofitted with a prototype. Thefirst prototype was a swingingdoor and it seemed to be too con-fining. Second prototype was amodesty panel. Third prototype,which they decided upon, was amodesty panel that slants down.Attaches to existing sucker punchpanel then to farebox. Theyordered 200 panels at $680/eachand it takes maintenance 30 min-utes to install. On 9/23 theyordered 500-600 more shields.Hope to have 876 by March. Bythe end of 2009 hope to have all2070 buses equipped with theshield. Still doing research onpublic perception. Operators likeit. Must drive with it closed, notan option to have it opened. Thisworks on their New flyers, buthad to come up with somethingslightly different for their otherbuses. This works for them, but itmight not be the same design forus. Sam and Phil will get photosfrom Gillig and Chicago to com-pare and bring to the next meet-ing.

ATU- Q: 1100's sun visor blocksthe rearview mirror. A: ChuckWurzinger has done some person-al research and isn't sure it there isanything we can do about it.Gillig has said they tried to placethe mirror in a position that willaccommodate the most drivers.Options were discussed to remedythe issue. Chuck Wurzinger willtalk to Gillig about it further

Are isles too narrow for wheel-chairs? Gillig buses have passedthe tests required. No FTA regu-lation about the distance requiredfor wheelchairs to get to thesecurement area. Curbside mirrorstick out too far and other mirrorsare too low. A: The safety advan-tages out weigh the disadvantages.

An operator described to him atime when the Gillig BRT lowfloor back doors wouldn't close.TCC told the operator to flip thedoor control switch. However, it'sin a compartment and you need atool to open it and the tool is yourfront door handle. Allen passedout a document with instructionson what to do in the event thatyour back door sticks on theGillig BRT buses. Secure yourbus, move the door handle to thefront door only position, pull outdoor handle and use the end toopen the compartment with thefront door camera on it, the inter-lock switch is in the upper leftcorner. Mike Robeck will getinformation to the TCC staff sothey can provide better informa-tion to operators.

Congrats to the Roadeo winners.

Stroller Policy- Why is CustomerService telling passengers thatthey can fold up strollers oncethey get on the bus?Our policy states prior to board-ing. State in a polite way the poli-cy, but if circumstances don'tallow for them to fold it prior,then they can fold it when theyget on the bus. Inform, notenforce.

Contact us by email if you haveissues that you would like us toaddress.David.Hanson@metc.state.mn.us

Page 6

Summary of ATU Commuter Rail Implementation Agreement

betweenAmalgamated Transit Union, Local #1005

andMetropolitan Council, Metro Transit Division

IntroductionThe purpose of this implementation agreement is to identify the additional provisions to the existing agree-

ment with the Met Council due to the expansion of commuter rail service to Big Lake. It is understood that there may be some issues in the Collective Bargaining Agreement which were over-

looked. Article 43 shall apply (This is the article dealing with LRT. Crossover positions are exempt from thenext three highlighted items).

Overtime PayUntil revenue service begins, the provision of Article 19, section 1 (d) shall not apply. All employees will be

subject to shift and hour changes as determined by Metro Transit.

VacationEmployees are encouraged to take their vacation prior to their transfer to Commuter Rail. Vacation time not

taken prior to December 31st of each year during activation and start up will be paid out.

Rail Maintenance Employees who have Dual SeniorityJobs will be posted on NEO Gov. Employees shall be required to meet standards of the Transfer Policy

(dated July 2, 1987) and pass required testing to qualify in the following order to be qualified candidates: Busand Light Rail Maintenance employees by maintenance seniority, all other Metro Transit employees by ATUseniority. There is a two-year commitment to Commuter Rail and at the end of that period a 30-day notice ofintention to transfer must be given prior to a pick. There is a limit of two people being able to transfer in eachof the following classifications; Commuter Rail Mechanic, and Cleaner; and one transfer allowed in the follow-ing classifications: Track Maintainer; SCADA Communications Technician.

There will be working forepersons and within each classification the shift choice will be based on CommuterRail Seniority. Overtime will be rotated by seniority in that classification. Employee will maintain dual senioritywith commuter rail and their previous division of Light Rail or Bus Maintenance. If you leave, you give upyour Commuter Service seniority.

Crossover PositionsMaster Electrician, Licensed Electrician, Apprentice Electrician, Facilities Technician Worker, Lead Janitor,

Farebox Technician, Stockkeeper, Head Stockkeeper, Data Collector, Office/Clerical are all crossover positions.You maintain your seniority within your respective departments. There is still the two-year commitment. Allpositions requiring a time commitment will receive full pay through November 2011. In the event fundingbecomes available, Metro Transit agrees to meet and negotiate an Apprenticeship Program by October 2014.For copies and/or additional information, please contact your Board member.

Page 7

What an Experience!Ilona LaDouceur

In my nearly 30 years of being employed, I had never had a jobwhere I belonged to a union. So, after working about two years in theTransit Information Center, I talked to my union rep Gary Bier andasked him about volunteer opportunities with our union. He put me intouch with Scott Tollin, and that is when I became part of the EducationCommittee. I have really enjoyed this experience and have learnedabout the union from our committee meetings, attending union meetingsand talking with other union members.

So it was really exciting for me the first week of August when I was approached by Scott and told of aopportunity possibly coming up in the very near future. And what I mean by very near future was the nextMonday. I was flattered that I had been thought of and excited that this would be a chance for me to really getinvolved with my union….to really get involved. I had no idea what was to be, other than it would be workingin some capacity with the election and working to get the union-endorsed candidates elected on November 4th.The next morning, I got a call from our President Michelle who gave me my contact at the St. Paul RegionalLabor Federation/AFL -CIO.

So I called Jeanette Reber from the SPRLF and she told me basically I would be doing door knocking andphone banking for Labor's endorsed candidates for the next three months…eventually running these events atdifferent satellite offices and attending different events/rallies as needed. She said it was far from glamorousbut it was very important. I was to come in on Monday August 6th for orientation. "Wow," I was thinking. Iwas okay with the phone banking part of it…I am on phones eight hours a day at TIC… but the door knockingpiece kind of freaked me out. I am far from being a shy wallflower but actually going to union members' doorsand asking to speak to them about politics? What had I gotten myself into?

On Monday I was at 411 Main Street ready (or as ready as I was going to be) to get started. I met RickSteffels, a driver out of East Metro who had done this before. I also met some other union people: JulieHolmen, Larry Koenck, and Alice Faribault from Education Minnesota/Retired Teachers; Gary Struss and BobRyan/Sheet Metal Workers and my partner for the next few weeks would be Kay Woinarowicz/SEIU. We hadsome training on the phones and the system and door knocking. I was completely overwhelmed by my lack ofexperience and lack of political savvy. The great thing was, everybody was totally understanding of this and sovery helpful.

My first few days I just basically tagged along with other volunteers and watched and listened to them. Ilearned so much from them and what they said. I got online and looked at our candidates' websites and learnedwhat each of their agendas are. I realized that when they are talking to our union members or their families,they expressed what was important to them. It was only a matter of a few days when I began to engage in andfeel confident in conversing to our members.

The SPRLF targets four counties: Ramsey, Chisago, Washington and Dakota. I have done phone bankingand door knocking in all of these. Some occasions were very positive and rewarding such as Oakdale, where Iknocked on the door of the former president of the AFL-CIO, Mr. Bernie Brommer and his wife who were verygrateful for all our time and hard work…. to somewhat concerning and frustrating such as South St. Paul, whereI knocked on a door of a former city councilman of 20 years who stated he would never vote for a black man.As of October 17th we estimate I have knocked on about 1600 doors….with three weeks to go. As a whole, theSPRLF had done about 64,000 phone dials and 16,000 doors by the same date. On Thursday nights I ran thephone bank of the Sheet Metal Union Hall in Maplewood.

Since I began this, I have learned so much about politics and the issues that matter to our members; aboutlabor and its history; and I have met tons of awesome people from many unions…people I definitely intend tostay in touch with. This has been an incredible experience and opportunity for me. And I will do it again, with-out hesitation. I do intend on furthering my education by looking at and attending the Sheila Wellstone Instituteand the U of M Labor Education courses.

Page 8On the Payroll issue - We are processing this to court unless we get all the positions now. We had been

offered most of the positions and would have to work out the details with AFSCME. We suggested they fightwith AFSCME instead of us. They are considering.

Maintenance issues - The posting of jobs and ASE are moving forward. On wage increases - This is just a reminder that the bus operator shift differential and wage class increases

are effective Jan. 1st, 2009.

Financial Secretary's ReportMembers stood for a moment of silence for retirees Milton Gummer and Peter Stapich, who passed away

this month.

Vice President's ReportThere are scholarships available from the ATU International: five for $5,000 and one for $2000. Forms are

available from the Executive Board members.

Delegate ReportsLisa Callahan related her experience at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Convention held in Duluth in September,

and the messages spoken by U.S. Rep. Oberstar and U.S. Senator Klobuchar. Dorothy Maki (who attended the State AFL-CIO Convention in place of retiree Rossini) made some com-

ments.Ilona LaDouceur reported that volunteers are still needed to phone bank. Volunteers will be fed and enter-

tained. There is also a doorknock on Saturday from 10-2 with her "other half" Rick Steffels.

New BusinessNominations: See boxes on front page and page 9.In response to a comment from Ron Tucker, President Sommers suggested a class-action grievance be filed

on DSL's being unavailable to Operators.

October 2008 MeetingThe regular order of business was suspended for the presentation and vote on the negotiated Northstar

Agreement (see page 6). The proposed agreement, after votes were totaled between the morning and eveningmeetings, passed with 94% voting yes and 6% voting no.

Arbitration RequestAn MJR operator is requesting arbitration after being discharged for Falsification and Overall Record. After

an explanation and discussion during which the operator had the opportunity to speak, a vote was taken. Thiscase will proceed to arbitration.

Financial Secretary's ReportChuck Gudknecht read the names of five retirees who had died, and members stood for a moment of silence.

Three were 50-year members whose deaths hadn't been called to the attention of the union until recently: FrankBartelt (died 1/15/2005), Walter Fick (died 1/1/2001) and Gerald Miller (died 7/15/2001). Clayton Moengendied September 22, 2008.

President's ReportWith everything that's been going on with the economy, many of our members have lots of questions about

our savings, pension plans and retirement funds. The phone at the Minnesota State Retirement System has beenringing off the hook with people calling to see how it's doing. The MSRS website has information. Currently,it's funded at 79.5% instead of the previous 90%. There are no cuts in benefits, and pensions are very secure.There is also a new MSRS policy that will take effect January 1, 2009: After that date, a member choosing aparticular kind of pension plan that affects a spouse must have a notarized signature of the spouse showing thathe/she knows which option has been chosen.

Any member interested in submitting a By-Law proposal concerning the functioning of our local union

Union Meeting Notes Continued from page 3

Page 9should look for the notice on union bulletin boards. The deadline for submitting proposals is the second week ofJanuary, and the By-Laws are voted on at the February union meeting.

Metro Transit has introduced a new policy regarding donated sick leave which would give Human Resourcesinstead of a member's own doctor the power to decide who is eligible for the donated sick leave.

A supervisor was recently discharged for lying. The union has long maintained that the same standardsshould be applied to management as are applied to union members.

The union has not given up fighting for improvements in working conditions even after the contract has beensettled. Customer service representatives will now receive an extra $1 per hour of pay while engaged in train-ing. There will also be a six-month trial of an improvement in the way sick pay is allocated for partial days forfull-time drivers.

A safety concern was called to the union's attention regarding the portable bus hoist at the 725 Building.These hoists are also located at East Metro, South and Nicollet. There's a lot of rocking movement of the bus(especially the top-heavy hybrids) as the bus descends. A safety sticker on the side of the lift cautions against afalling bus. The union is working with the Safety Department.

Members were encouraged to vote their conscience and for their kids' future in the upcoming November 4elections. Minnesota has the highest voter turnout in the nation. And ATU Local 1005 has the largest voterturnout of any ATU local in the country. The Employee Free Choice Act is important for working people.

Vice President's Report Scholarships available for union members' children were listed (see page 15). Please check the union website

for more information.

Delegates' ReportsMarlin Jensen thanked the members for sending him

to the Latino Caucus Conference, where there were anumber of good speakers. One speaker, who works inAlcohol/Chemical Dependency counseling, cautionedthat there may be more intrusive testing on a second pos-itive test result.

New BusinessThe nominees for uncontested union positions were

declared winners. (See the box to the right)

Union Meeting notes Continued

John Christensen (alias JC) retired Oct 31. John started on May 3rd, 1971 and retires with 37+ years,all in the Material Management Department. One of Metro Transit’s largest retirement parties took place onHalloween, Friday, October 31st. John looks forward to enjoying life with his family and keeping busy with hiseight grandchildren.

John lines up with other recent retirees at a cook-out that was held before the retirement ceremony.Chances are that if we check in on John in anoth-er ten years, he will still have a beard.

Lucky Retires!

1971 2008

The following canidates were unopposed:East Metro Ops/Disp. Ken Dolney #2641East Metro Maint. Chuck Feucht #5355FTH Ops/Disp. Russ DixonFTH Maint. Greg Stowe #5123MJR Ops/Disp. Maria Hennes-StaplesOffice Employees Gary BierOHB Brian LaRoueSouth Maintenance Tim Dixon #5510RCL Dave Gosha #536

Minnesota AFL-CIO49th Constitutional Convention September 14-16, 2008

Duluth, Minnesota

Page 10

U.S. Senator AmyKlobuchar and AlFranken - U.S.Senatorial candidate

(Above) Representative TonySertich spoke for BarackObama.

MinnesotaAFL-CIOPresident RayWaldron andPresident ofAFL-CIOJohn Sweeney

(Above) Lawyer Harry Sieben ofSieben, Grose, Von Holtum andCary. His firm does a wide varietyof union cases and has a wealth ofknowledge of claims.

(Below) Representative JamesOberstar, a dynamic speaker, spokeabout Social Security and Medicare,how they passed with only oneRepublican vote.

Delegates for this convention were (L-R): Lisa Callahan, Scott Tollin,Michelle Sommers, Jerry Ewald, Tommy Crooks, Chuck Gudknecht,Dorothy Maki

Page 11

Beautiful weather and dryconditions were NOT what wehad……until the lastday……when it was time toleave this beautiful town. So Idecided to take my time the lastday and walk down to LakeSuperior and take in the awe-some view.

I was walking on the lift bridge when the alarms blared and we weretold to quickly get off. There is an operator at the controls and whenlarge ships and boats approach, he raises the bridge. The massive chainswork with a weight system of giant bricks of cement.

There are manyunique sculpturesalong Canal Street.Lots of fish, fisher-men, ships…..

Doug McKensie (retired Dispatcher out of Nicollet) volunteers at the TrainDepot. I stopped at the depot but it was his day off. He is an avid historian andexpert on trains. I will catch him next time.

Did you know Duluth is one of the highest union represented cities in theUnited States? Duluth has a Casino (Fond Du Lac) in their downtown area?Did you know that if you hit the slotmachines with the exploding volcanoesand hear a lot of "Beni" on the pennymachine you could win big?! [“Beni” has some historical meaning -but I'm not Doug McKensie so I don't

know what!] (smile)

AFL-CIO ConventionDuluth, Minnesota

Delegate ReportDorothy Maki

Page 12

SavingsYes, I think we have all thought about stuffing our mattress-

es lately!

Here at Metro Transit, we have ourown Credit Union. It is run by two finewomen. Erin Huttner is our MSB(Member Service Representative) andJoAnn Schultz is President of our CreditUnion. Swing by and talk with them.They have good suggestions to offer.

The Credit Union is located at 725 N.7th St. (same building as Instruction Center, ShelterMaintenance and Farebox).

They have forms available to help you save your money.Example: In 2002/2003 there were 30 of us throughout the company that decided to go on a cruise in February2005. We filled out paperwork at the Credit Union for our vacation fund. Money was set aside every paycheckand when February of 2005 came around, our trip was paid for…..including spending money!!!

Financial Healthby Dorothy Maki

dmsilva9082@aol.com

Pension - MSRS

DeferredCompensation

Health Care SavingsPlan

LoansSavingsFlex-SpendingChecking

CRYPTOEach letter stands for another. If you think X=O, for exam-ple, it would equal O throughout the puzzle. Clue: Y=T (Answer on page 15 ) Submitted by

“Qrypto Man” - Pat Kelehan

Z A Y B X C W D V X E U

Y W V X W T X Y E S

Y E W F U Z Y G H U Y S Y B X

Q S T X, Z U

Y B W Y W E Z J W K

W E E Z J W K?

Page 13

The Economic CrisisUnions need to lead a fight-back

By Ryan Timlin

The corporate criminals on Wall Street are pushing us into the worst economic crisis since the GreatDepression, but they want working people to pay the price. Unless the labor movement organizes a powerfulfight-back, we're facing some real tough times ahead.

Of course, business and government will say we all have to tighten our belts, but they have no problem hand-ing out hundreds of billions to bail out the Wall Street elite. A week after AIG received $85 billion of taxpayers'money, their top executives went off to a luxury resort. They spent $200,000 on rooms, $150,000 for meals, and$23,000 on spa charges!

Between 1979 and 2006, the incomes of the richest 0.01% of Americans saw their incomes rise by 324%while the bottom 90% of workers saw their wages (adjusted for inflation) stagnate or fall. For example, our newcontract gives us a 2% raise a year even though inflation is at 4% locally! Meanwhile, the corporate-backedpoliticians say there isn't enough money for our deteriorating schools, for healthcare, to keep our roads andbridges maintained, for public transit, or other vital social services.

Every day new budget cuts or layoffs are announced. Economists say official unemployment could be 10%by this time next year, but real jobless rates could be double that. The $700 billion bailout Congress just passedcould be used to create five million new jobs as part of a massive public works program to develop renewableenergy and end our dependence on oil (apolloalliance.org). Health care could be provided for over 20 millionuninsured for 10 years. New Orleans and the Gulf Coast could be rebuilt three and a half times over. Or theycould just give every working American a $5,000 bonus check!

We have seen that the corporate politicians in Washington are not going to help working people out. If wewant to defend our living standards, we have no choice but to organize a fight-back. Unions should take the leadby organizing protests and campaigns against layoffs, budget cuts, and bailouts for the rich. Labor Councilsshould organize conferences in every major city, inviting community organizations and activists together to workout demands and a plan of action to respond to the economic crisis.

Jobs Programs, Not Layoffs - Tax the Rich and Big BusinessWorking people already pay too much to the government while corporations get bailouts and evade taxes.

We should tax the rich to pay for the massive public works programs that create millions of living wage jobs tobuild schools, hospitals, clean energy infrastructure (including public transit) and other social needs.

Defend Social Services and JobsAs long as corporations evade taxes and the super-rich get salaries hundreds of times that of the average

worker, we should not accept a single layoff, a single wage or benefit cut, or any attacks on our social services.Our union should take a stand against any future fare hikes or cutbacks in transit service, and demand that thepoliticians in St. Paul tax the wealthy rather than forcing more wage and benefit cuts down our throats.Stop Foreclosures

The government should declare an emergency moratorium on home foreclosures, and renegotiate the debts ofhomeowners victimized by loan sharks. Those home buyers who cannot meet their mortgage repayments shouldhave the right to rent the property at affordable prices.

Submissions for Letters to the Editor are subject to approval of theEditorial Board and space considerations. Letters to the Editor aresolely the opinion of the author and do not represent endorsement byATU Local 1005 or the Education Committee. If you have an editori-al to submit, please contact a committee member or our advisor ScottTollin at: stollin@atu1005.com

LettersTo TheEditor

Continued on page 15

RetirementsCongratulations to August Retirees

08/12/08 Daniel Kadlec, Ruter Op. 6408808/25/08 Dennis McGee, 6622108/02/08 Rafael Rosario, EM Op. 51108/19/08 Robert Black, EM, 383708/02/08 Anthony Thomas, EM Maint. 545708/14/08 Willie White, Nic Op. 7036

Congratulations to September Retirees09/03/08 Donald Suerth, NIC Op. 25009/03/08 Richard Stephens, NIC Op. 50209/06/08 Joseph Kummrow, FTH Op. 401

Congratulations to employees celebratingAnniversaries

December 20085 YEARS 12/01/03 Edward Meyer, LRT Electro-Mech. Tech6309612/01/03 Curtis Poppen, LRT Electro-Mech. Tech,6309712/06/03 Nabell Khoury, EM Op. 6310112/06/03 Joseph Holley, FTH Op. 6310412/08/03 Christopher Cope, FTH Mech. 6309812/08/03 Laurie O'Connell, NIC Op. 6310612/08/03 Marilyn Rembert, EM Op. 6310812/08/03 Willie Beasley, NIC Op. 6310912/08/03 Byron Nolen, NIC Op. 6311212/08/03 Alemu Foluke, MJR Op. 6311312/08/03 James Krieger, NIC Op. 63114

10 YEARS 12/12/98 Michael Mize, MJR Helper III 556812/12/98 Maggie McEneny, SO Op. 786112/12/98 John Welch, FTH Op. 7867

15 YEARS12/06/93 Edward Ebert, EM Op. 636512/06/93 Jeffrey Nelson, EM Op. 636712/06/93 George Wilson, TIC, Sched. Dist. 636812/13/93 Kenneth Johnson, EM Op. 637512/13/93 Jeffrey Eidsvoog, MJR Op. 637612/13/93 Michael Johnson, FTH Op. 637712/13/93 Thomas Crooks, FTH Gen'l. Disp. 637812/27/93 Robert Ueeck, FTH Op. 6381

20 YEARS12/17/88 Ralph Mason, NIC Cleaner III , Maint. 338012/17/88 Timothy Thompson, EM Cleaner III, Maint.338112/27/88 Jovita Oghumah, Operator Inst. 1435

12/27/88 Melody Kavalauskas, FTH Op. 144212/27/88 Judith Gore, NIC Cleaner III, Maint. 3382

30 YEARS12/04/78 Anthony Taylor, NIC Op. 87712/05/78 Allen Potts, NIC Sr. Mech. 531412/08/78 Annamarie Moseng, Acct. Payable Cost Clerk318112/11/78 George Folea, Bldg Maint. Mechanic 5317

January 20095 YEARS01/05/04 Soua Moua, EM Op. 6400201/05/04 Rachael Willenbring, MJR Op. 6400301/05/04 Craig Pope, LRT Train Op. 6400401/05/04 John Ripley, EM Op. 6400501/05/04 Michael Carter, NIC Op. 6400806/29/00 Shoeb Behlim, LRT Train Op.208001/24/04 Russell Nelson, LRT Train Op. 6402301/24/04 Robert Davis, FTH Op. 6402401/24/04 Houa Vang, EM Op. 6402501/24/04 Ilya Tulchinsky, EM Op. 6403201/24/04 Valerie Behrens, FTH Op. 64033

10 YEARS01/04/99 Diane Nokk, FTH Op. 990001/11/99 Stephen Pinkosh, FTH Op. 990601/23/99 Brian Sparks, LRT Helper 556901/23/99 Ambe Funwi, FTH Mech. 990901/23/99 Michael Ruffin, FTH Op. 991301/23/99 Douglas Boyer, FTH Op. 991601/25/99 Frank Edwards, SO Op. 9918

15 YEARS01/10/94 Larry Roering, Operator Inst. 940201/10/94 Daniel Suggs, Foreperson, SCADASig/Comm, LRT Maint. 940301/10/94 George Bor, EM Op. 940401/11/94 Donald Mead, FTH Mech. 548001/19/94 Kevin Schmidt, OHB Sr. Mech. 548501/21/94 Craig Molde, FTH Mech. 548901/25/94 Daniel Holbeck, MJR Mech. 5494

20 YEARS01/07/89 Daniel Stearns, SO Op. 890401/07/89 John Geselius, NIC Op. 890501/11/89 Melvin Alvarez, SO Cleaner III, Maint. 338401/16/89 Bradley Larson, LRT Train Op. 891001/21/89 Thomas Hetland, FTH Helper III, Maint.891901/23/89 Jack Berner, FTH Op. 892701/30/89 Marcus Hagen, FTH Sr. Mech. 8929

25 YEARS01/16/84 Paul Kubic, SO Cleaner III, Maint. 137

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Page 15

01/16/84 Daniel Kringle, EM Op. 18701/16/84 John Moore, SO Op. 27501/18/84 Richard Finch, SO Mech. 329301/23/84 David Dehmer, EM Op. 38701/23/84 Edward Soltau, NIC Op. 41501/30/84 Edward Morgan, NIC Op. 445

30 YEARS01/08/79 Garry Endres, FTH Op. 34

35 YEARS01/02/74 Donald Wintheiser, EM Op. 901/07/74 Gregory Vaughn, Body/Paint Shop Sr. Mech.5365

Answer To CRYPTO:IF THE PACKERS TAKE A METRO TRANSIT BUS TO THEDOME, IS THAT A RIVAL ARRIVAL?

Did You Know?If you joined the ATU Education Committee andyou attended all 12 monthly meetings, you wouldreceive approximately $570 (depending on yourwage structure). This is for enticement and reim-bursement of lost time and expenses. Get involved!

Milton J. Gummer, retired, age 82, ofBloomington, on Sept. 19, 2008. Survived by lovingwife of 52 years, Marian; daughter, Joan Leistiko;grandchildren, Anne (Jason) Degering and Melissa(Gary) Thomas; great- grandchildren, Avery andAshton Degering, Evan and Joshua Thomas; broth-er, Robert (Kazia) Gummer of Mayville, ND; andmany nieces and nephews. Retired MTC City BusDriver, volunteered at several civic organizationsincluding VA Hospital, American Legion and hischurch.

In Memoriam

ScholarshipsOliver W. Green International(5) $5,000 and (1) $2,000Deadline is January 31st, 2009.

Affinity Plus Credit Union(4) $5,000Deadline is January 31st, 2009.

Transit Credit Union(2) $1,000 and (18) $500.00Deadline is February 2nd, 2009.

Minnesota AFL-CIO and ATU 1005scholarships will be available after the first of year.

More information is available on the union websiteor union bulletin board.

one of the vote total, that person wins. If none of thecandidates receives 50% plus one of the votes, onlythe top two candidates go on to the run-off election inDecember.

Let's educate ourselves about these candidates andwhat they envision for the future of our local union,and vote accordingly.

Continued from page 1 - Union Elections

Stop Inflation: Raise Wages and Cap PricesThe massive bailouts for the banks, on top of

hundreds of billions for the war and tax cuts for therich, are being paid for by huge deficit spending,which erodes the value of wages. On top of this,price gouging and speculation on commodities likefood and energy is causing inflation. Unions need todemand a living wage for all workers and indexingwages to rise with inflation, so working people arenot forced to pay for this crisis.

Some of the above demands are borrowed from:http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article12.php?id=940

Continued from page 13 - The Economic Crisis

From our family to yours, a Joyous and Happy Holiday Season!

Front Row: Chuck Gudknecht - Financial Secretary/Treasurer; Scott Tollin - Recording Secretary/Asst. Bus.Agent; Michelle Sommers - President/Business Agent; Jerry Ewald - Vice-President; Gary Bier -Office/Clerical.Second Row: Chuck Feucht - East Metro Maintenance; Greg Stowe - Heywood Maintenance; Clifton Bolden -Nicollet Operations; Ken Dolney - East Metro Operations; Steve Schurmeier - South Maintenance; RussellDixon - Heywood Operations. Back Row: Dave Gosha - Rochester City Lines; Brian LaRoue - Overhaul Base; Bob Boyle - LRTMaintenance; John Zapata - Nicollet Maintenance; Dan Abramowicz - MJR Operation; Howard Tappe - MJRMaintenance; Mark Ammend - LRT Operation; Mark Lawson - South Operations

DRUG TESTING RIGHTSIf you do not use the specific wording when you request results from a positive drug test, the agency has no obligation to comply.All they are required to do is give you a paper stating the results are positive. Every employee has the legal right to request, in writ-ing to the Medical Review Officiers (MRO), copies of: the Litigation Package* of the initial test. (this will tell you how your testturned up positive); the Confirmation (breaks results down into specific levels); the Threshold levels (baseline of all tests)

The Litigation Package can be nearly 100 pages of technical data, which cannot be analzed or understood by a layperson, includingunion officers. Professional interpetation is available at member’s expense, starting at about $50 minimum.

WEINGARTEN RIGHTS STATEMENTIf disciplinary action is suspected, read this statement to your foreman: I request to have a union representative present on my behalfduring this meeting because I believe it may lead to disciplinary action taken against me. If I am denied my right to have a unionrepresentative present, I will refuse to answer accusational questions and any I believe may lead to discipline.

Labor Studies Courses and Certificate ProgramUniversity of Minnesota Labor Education Service

The Labor Studies Certificate Program is a non-credited program that provides a strong foundation in coreareas of Labor Studies. Classes are offered both on-campus and an off-campus outreach component (classesoffered to a particular union). All classes are open to all working people. It is not neccessary to enroll in a cer-tificate program to take a course. Examples of courses: “Negotiating Health Care”, “FMLA and ADA”,“Advanced Steward Training”, and many more.

There is re-imbursement by our union, for more information talk to your Board member. To register, call612-624-5020 or go online to www.csom.umn.edu/page5956.aspx For questions about a course call TonyDeAngelis at 612-624-1604.