2005_April_May

Metro Faces Massive Cuts70% Of Routes Tagged

Transit Cuts Continued on Page 4

Faced with a $60 million budget shortfall, rising health carecosts and fuel prices, on March 14 the Met CouncilTransportation Committee proposed widespread cuts to busservice and a fare hike.

The proposal calls for a reduction of 260,000 service hours,about 10% of Metro Transit's total operating hours, with 28routes completely eliminated and service on 78 routesreduced. Forty-seven routes remain unchanged under theplan.

Impact to customers is staggering. About 2.5 million ridesare expected to be lost because of the service cuts alone.An additional 1.7 million passengers could be lost due tothe fare hike. That's 4.2 million rides lost, equivalent toMinnesota's population, and costing $5,250,000 in lostannual revenue.

Granted, $6 million could be raised with the fare increaseproposal, at the cost of leaving customers stranded withreduced service or no service at all. The $0.25 fare hike toall base fares on Metro Transit and regional buses will notapply to Senior, Youth and Downtown fares, which remainat $0.50. Metro Mobility fares will increase $0.25 non-rushand $0.50 rush hours.

The shortfall stems from Governor Jesse Ventura's adminis-tration, when transit funding was switched from stableproperty taxes to shaky motor vehicle sales taxes. Motorvehicle taxes are projected to be down $30 million each ofthe next two years, resulting in a $60 million shortfall. TheMinnesota House and Senate have repeatedly failed to passa dedicated transit-funding bill the last several years.

No matter who is to blame and for what reason, public tran-sit in the Twin Cities is going backward, not forward.

"Our guiding principal is if we have to make reductions, westay in a position to grow again. Taking 10 percent, it doesput us a little out of balance," said Brian Lamb to thePioneer Press.

Union Office Phone612-379-2914

e-mail:[email protected]

website:www.atu1005.com

THE

PRESIDENT’SCORNER

ATU Local 1005President–Business Agent

Ron Lloyd

ATU members are in the General Employees Retirement Plan. That ispart of the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS). Pending legisla-tion proposes to increase contribution rates to ensure that funds will beable to meet retirement needs of all current and future generations.

For several years, Plan contributions have not met benefit costs. In thepast when all of the plans were over 100 percent funded, MSRS coulduse the reserves to keep contribution rates low. Currently not all of theplans are fully funded. Contributions need to be increased. This issueneeds to be corrected now; it will only become more expensive to correctin the future.

The legislation for the general plan proposes to increase contributionrates for both employee and employer in one-quarter of one percentsteps, beginning July 1, 2007 and ending July 1, 2010 for a total of a 1percent increase for employer and employee.

Currently, employees contribute 4 percent of their wages and the employ-er contributes 4 percent to pay for monthly retirement, survivor and dis-ability benefits. If the legislation is fully implemented the employee andemployer contribution rate will be 5 percent.

Related Note

MSRS is carrying a proposal to the Legislature on behalf of 1005 toauthorize interested members to 'buy-back' pension credit for timelost due to the 2004 strike. If approved, this pension buy-back wouldcost each member approximately $500, depending on wage class.

Pension Contribution Increase?

LOCAL 1005OFFICERS

PRESIDENT/BUSINESSAGENT

RON LLOYD

VICE-PRESIDENT

MICHELLESOMMERS

RECORDINGSECRETARY & ASST.BUSINESS AGENT

KELLIE MILLER

FINANCIAL SECRETARYTREASURER

JERRY EWALD

Calendar

EDUCATIONCOMMITTEE - 2:00 PMAPRIL 19 MAY 17

EXECUTIVE BOARDAPRIL 26 MAY 24

UNION MEETINGAPRIL 26 - MPLS.MAY 24 - ST. PAUL10:00 AM / 7:30 PM

UNION OFFICE PHONE612-379-2914EMAIL:[email protected]:WWW.ATU1005.COM

Education Committee

MICHELLE SOMMERSADVISOR

CHAIRMEMBERS ROTATE

OVERHAUL BASETOM CAMPBELL

VICE CHAIR

RECORDERVACANT

NICOLLETSTEPHEN BABCOCK

LAYOUTTHERESA COLLINS

SOUTHFRANK COLLINSLIZ GOLDBERGRAY VANDER WYST

RUTERSCOTT LINDQUIST

EAST METROK.H. RICESCOTT STONE

HEYWOOD OFFICECECILE CLOUTIER

HEYWOOD GARAGEJOHN SUTTLES

EDITORIAL BOARDSHEILA MILLERDELROY SCHAFERKEN DOLNEY

THE AMALGAMATEDTRANSIT UNIONOUR STORY…OUR HISTORY

By Scott Lindquist

Friday July 22nd, 1938Car and Bus Workers Gain in AwardWeek Vacation Paid and Wage Raise GainedMany Improvements in Working Conditions

Howard Y. Williams Praises Arbitration for Ironing Out Differences

Announcement of the award in the streetcar arbitration is the newsfor which more than two thousand members of Local division No. 1005Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor CoachEmployees of America and their families and all organized labor havebeen anxiously waiting.

The award signed by arbitrators federal judge Matthew M. Joyce,chairman, and Howard Y. Williams, arbitrator for the union, brings notonly wage increases of a third of a million dollars, but also a pricelessweek's vacation with pay.

B. B. Noah, arbitrator for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, didnot sign the award. It is just as binding, however, as though his signaturewas attached.

The vacation with pay will be enjoyed by all employees who havebeen with the company eighteen months or longer on the date of theaward and involves an expenditure by the company of $68,000.00

Many other improvements in working conditions are gained throughthe award and are detailed in the award which is printed herewith in full.The award is retroactive from Nov. 1, 1937, and expires Nov. 1, 1938,and if vacations are not had the employees will receive the extra pay, butthere is no choice of pay in lieu of vacation.

Officials and committees of the Union put much work into the prepa-ration of the case that is rewarded with a distinct advance. While theaward does not bring to reality all the hopes of the organization it repre-sents gains which may well bring satisfaction to the officers and mem-bers of the organization.

Working conditions for the men are generally improved, granting asix-day work week for extra men in place of the seven-day week now invogue, the making up of many more regular runs for extra men givingthem greater regularity of home life, and the establishment of a minimum

From the Minneapolis Labor Review Magazine online archivesthis is an early example of arbitration in Minnesota.Amalgamated members get a week of paid vacation for thefirst time.

Continued on Page 8

Transit Cuts Continued from Page 1

AT THE GARAGESOUTH

Contact Liz Goldberg

Rondo Food Shelf Results

The success of February's"Southsiders Pot Luck Event" raised $300.00 for the RondoArea Food Shelf. A big thanks toevent coordinator MaryVasterline for another successfulbenefit.

The Safety and Security Forum and Pot Luck

Held at South March 31, theforum included speakers fromthe Metro Transit PoliceDepartment and GeneralManager Brian Lamb. Apotluck and raffle accompaniedthis popular system-wide event.

U of M Study

A federal grant was recentlyawarded to the University ofMinnesota to be used to studyhealth issues of bus drivers.Driver interviews have beenconducted with possible ride-alongs planned to assist in thegathering of information. Theservice facilities involved in thestudy are South, East Metro andM.J.R.

Reminder to Airport Route Drivers

You must sign out the"Clickers" which are the prop-erty of MAC from dispatch andthey must be signed in againwith dispatch following yourcompletion of work. Disciplineaction is promised for non-com-pliance.

The timing of these proposals does seem curious, given upcoming con-tract negotiations between Metro Transit and ATU 1005. Is Metro Transitstarting the big PR machine in an attempt to sway public opinion or tojustify privatization?

Metro Transit did not respond to these questions in time for publication.

On Wednesday, March 23, the plan went before the full Met Council andpassed. Public hearings will be held to hear questions and concerns. It isimperative that bus drivers, rail operators, mechanics and any other ATUemployees make a presence at these meetings and are heard.

You must register in advance to speak at the public meetings. Call theMetropolitan Council Data Center at 651-602-1140.

Public hearing schedule is as follows:

West Metro: April 12 - 6:30 to 8:30pm Hopkins Center for the Arts 1111 Main St., Hopkins

Minneapolis: April 14 - 4:30 to 6:30pm Metro Transit-Heywood Chambers 560 Sixth Ave. N., Minneapolis

St. Paul: April 13 - 11:30am to 1:30pmMetropolitan Council Chambers230 East 5th St., Downtown St. Paul

Minneapolis: April 18- 11:30am to 1:30pmMinneapolis City Hall - Room 220350 South 5th St., Minneapolis

East Metro: April 18 - 6:30 to 8:30pm Maplewood Community Center2100 White Bear Ave., Maplewood

South Metro: April 20 - 5:00 to 7:00pmBurnsville City Hall, Lower Level100 Civic Center Pkwy., Burnsville

North Metro: April 19 - 6:30pm to 8:30pmFridley Community Center, Room 109 6085 Seventh St. NE., Fridley

Pending the vote on the 23rd of March, the fare hike will go into effecton July 1, and the service cuts are to coincide with the September andDecember picks.

Compiled By Raymond Vander Wyst

Sources: St. Paul Pioneer Press (Tuesday, March 15, 2005) andWWW.metrotransit.org/news/2005/news_491.htm

Transit Safety and Security CommitteeJanuary / February 2005 Summary

Members:Marshall Freeman, East Metro,ChairAmalio Perez, FTHTheresa Collins, NicolletJim Merkl, MJRMary Vasterling, SouthEric Isakson, TCC, ActingAdvisor

Continued on Page 14

Guests representing BusTransportation Administration,Garage Transportation, StreetOperations, Transit ControlCenter, Rail Operations, Safetyand Transit Police, and the ATU1005 also attended.

In regards to the committee's sug-gestion to post photos of TransitControl Center supervisors at thegarages, TCC supervisors preferto meet one on one with opera-tors, who are encouraged to stopin and tour the TCC. Supervisorsare also sometimes called upon todo anonymous observations.

TCC is still monitoring liftcycling; the number of reports hasdecreased significantly.Wheelchair lifts must be cycled aspart of the pre-trip inspection toidentify a bad-order lift. TCC isworking on the PO/PI issue tomake sure the info is accurate.

Theresa said the MDT's are diffi-cult to read at night because thescreen is not lit up; Eric will lookinto this.

TCC reminds operators to identifythemselves with route, bus, opera-tor, and run number. Dakin willwrite a bulletin regarding properradio protocol.

Lee Bennett said that a posting atWB Lake St & Hiawatha instructs

"Please pull head to the alley toallow room for 2 buses". Willcustomers understand that thismeans that their bus will pull 10feet beyond the sign? The Cityhas agreed to put up a permanentsign if it is more effective.

Lee reminds that there is no auto-matic notification for OCR resolu-tion; operators will need to log-in.The OCR author (usually garagecoordinator) receives an emailstating it has been "resolved".Discussed changing "resolved" toa more accurate term. Should theoperator badge number be refer-enced on the OCR? Additionalefforts must be made to ensurethat OCRs are being closed.

Steve Jaeger stated that 28% ofNicollet Garage's accidents occuron Lake Street; he asked whetherthis was taken into considerationwith the Lake Street reconstruc-tion. Christy Bailly said the LakeSt. Project Advisory Committeehas done considerable safetyanalysis for the Lake Street recon-struction plans.

Christy reported that two west-bound Lake/Chicago bus stopswere put in several years ago atthe request of Robert's Shoe Storebecause their plate glass windowwas repeatedly cracked or brokenfrom the number of passengerspressed against it. These stopswill both go away in May withPhase I of Lake St. reconstruction.Buses will travel on 31st St. dur-ing construction. After construc-tion in November 05, buses mayreturn to Lake St. for a short timeor to the new Midtown ExchangeTransit Plaza area just north ofLake St. upon completion.

AT THE GARAGEEast Metro

Contact Kim Rice #5975, ScottStone #6328 or E-board repsGary Rosenberger or KenDolney

Our driver complement is hold-ing at a total of 341. Thatbreaks down to 267 full-timers,61 PTWD, and 13 PTWE. Thatkeeps us the #2 garage at MetroTransit.

The first phase of the new well-ness program is underway.Congratulations to those of uswho made 10,000 Steps a bigsuccess. Keep up the good work.

A new paddle board format iscoming. Look for additionalinformation on a start up date,changes and improvements.

Dave says: Help us get fundingwe need. Don’t forget to payattention to the fare box and thetrip recorder.

Our street supervisors will beworking one piece work shifts.This is a change from the twopiece schedules of the past. Thatwill likely mean more supporton weekends.

Rumor has it that Eddie Gates,Driver #967, was a carnivalbarker in a past life. He was awell known traveler and chiefspokesman for P.T. Barnum

Politics simply put, is defined as the art or science of govern-ment.

Government itself is the act or process of authoritative directionto control or direct the making and administration of policy. Inthe modern world these simplistic definitions of government and

politics tell us nothing about the realistic complexity and expanse which politics direct our lives daily. The foodwe eat, cloths we wear, our livelihoods, how we transport ourselves, how we live and what we think abouteverything that exists around us in our world is affected and influenced by politics. Avoidance has been impossi-ble. With the process of time, we have gradually become more aware, better informed, more passionate andmuch more involved in the subject despite reluctance. One aspect of this awareness for many of us is the realiza-tion of our limited understanding and knowledge of the complex machinery of politics.

This series "Government 101" will explore some basics of government and hopefully give you the courage andmotivation to investigate further this complex but interesting subject. We will begin with some backgroundbasics of how our government began and the amazing process by which an unknown continent became one ofthe greatest experiments in the history of mankind.

The United States; the Great ExperimentIn terms of wealth and strength, the United States is one of the greatest nations in the world. It covers almost 3,800,000 square miles with 50 states and 17 territories and contains vast material resources. Amazing produc-tive capacity has given it the world's highest standard of living. But the true greatness of our nation is not size orability to produce goods. We can look at the greatness of the city-state of Athens in the fifth century; its areasmaller than Rhode Island and population one-thirteenth of modern New York City. "The glory of Athens" wasthat it produced men whose ideas and actions have affected the world ever since. The lasting greatness of theUnited States is due not to material things, but the ideals we stood for and attempted to put into place.

Outstanding characteristics of "Americanism" have varied from period to period, but the following can be tracedfrom colonial times to the present:1. Economic Opportunity. Generally there has been a fair chance for individuals to improve themselves by theirown efforts. For over two centuries there was abundant cheap land containing untapped wealth. Americans havebeen skilled in turning natural resources into food, clothing, houses, luxuries and gadgets. Without resorting tosocialism, wealth is widely shared. In certain circumstances Americans have used the power of government topromote prosperity, seldom in the direction of sharing wealth through state-owned enterprise and instead used itto aid private enterprise as well as to regulate it.2. Participation in politics. From colonial time to the present there has been a widening opportunity forAmericans to have a share in government. The U.S. was the first large nation to attempt "government of the peo-ple, by the people, and for the people". Americans have maintained democracy while many other countries havefallen under forms of totalitarian government.3. Belief in reform rather revolution. In general, Americans have agreed to settle most disputes by ballot. Duringthis period there has been only one major armed conflict within the country.4. Mobile population. Physical mobility, people are continuously on the move, and freely move to other sectionsof the country. Socially mobile: people do not have to remain fixed in one social class or occupation. We main-tain a middle class society without noblemen or commissars at the top and without serfs or proletarians at thebottom.5. Freedom for women. It is only recently that women have achieved a level of political, economic and educa-tional equality. From the early beginning, they have had greater freedom and opportunity than in the countiesfrom which our ancestors came.6. Belief in education and widespread educational opportunity. America supports the belief that without school-ing for all, there cannot be effective democracy or equal economic opportunity.

Government 101The United States: the Great Experiment

Liz Goldberg

7. Concern for the welfare of others. Support on a private level as well as international.8. Toleration of differences. The U.S. is made up of people from many nations, with varied languages and reli-gions. Americans have had to learn tolerance. The Bill of Rights promotes the rights of all to speak, think andworship freely.9. Respect for the rights and abilities of the individual. Free public education, freedom of speech and a freepress.10. Worldwide responsibility. In a world that is rapidly shrinking due to improved communications, Americansrealize that they cannot isolate themselves from the rest of the world and we have found ourselves thrust into aposition of world leadership.

The New World.Although the United States began with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the actual origins of theAmerican people began much further back in time. The first European colonies were established during the Ageof Discovery from 1450-1550 and which saw the greatest increase in geographical knowledge in the history ofman. There are several reasons why Europeans explored and colonized all over the globe during this time.

Technical improvements in navigation enabled Europeans to sail the great oceans for the first time. Previously,sailors had depended on landmarks. Now the compass, the astrolabe for determining latitude and the develop-ment of accurate map making which enabled them to navigate the open seas with a rough idea of where theywere going.

Wealth, religion, and adventure lured men to make the great voyages of discovery and founding colonies. Thehope of immense wealth to the far east, gold in America, missionaries in the hopes of bringing Christianity tonatives of Asia, Africa and America. This was the period of the Renaissance when men were curious about theworld around them. Excited by fabulous reports of first voyages, adventurers flocked to new lands in search ofnew marvels.

Rise of the middle class of merchants and bankers who were gaining wealth and power at the expense of thelandowning nobility. From this class, came many who wanted to find now sources of wealth and financedexplorers and established trading posts all over the known world.

Ambitious and competitive European nations who wanted power and new sources of revenue such asPortugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and England undertook voyages of discovery.

Achievements of early explorers, which in less than a hundred years traced the outlines of all the major conti-nents except Australia. This was done in ships as small as fifty tons. The propellers of a modern liner like theUnited States weigh as much as Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria. The early vessels were slow and little wasknown about prevailing winds, so that a journey across the Atlantic might take three months. Scurvy, a terribledeficiency disease cause by lack of vitamins sometimes killed whole crews.

The Spanish in the 16th century set up posts in Florida and the western parts of the North American continent,America began as an outpost of Europe. Columbus's discovery of the New World on behalf of Spain in 1492 andthe subsequent exploration and settlement of the Western Hemisphere by Spain and other European states wereall parts of the great explosion of Western energies that took place at the beginning of modern times. Over aperiod of 500 years from Columbus to the sudden collapse of the European empires in our time, the statesextended their influence, their language, economies and peoples all over the globe. The United States was onlythe most important and most dramatic product of this outward thrust during the past half-millennium of worldhistory.

During the 16th century, Spain and Portugal dominated the expansion into the Western Hemisphere. For morethan a half of a century England remained tied commercially to the European continent and made no effort tofollow up its claim to the New World established by John Cabot in 1497. Then under Elizabeth 1, England sud-denly turned away from Europe and began to earn its modern reputation as a great maritime power. During thenext century, England, a tiny island in the northwest corner of Europe focused its entrepreneurial energy over theworld. The origins of the North American colonies that later became the United States lay in this outburst ofEnglish Exploration. Unlike other countries, England's settlement differed from other powers in many ways.First, England transplanted more people abroad, 400,000 with over 100,000 to Ireland. Also, many colonists

AT THE GARAGERuter

Contact Scott Lindquist

Bicycle TimeIts spring and we will start see-ing more and more bicyclists allover, especially downtown. Hereare some bike facts gleanedfrom the City of Minneapoliswebsite. Percentage breakdownof reasons for car-bike collisions:

cyclists' failure to yield 30%

motorists' failure to yield 30%

No lights on Bikes at night 18%

wrong-way riding 10%

bikers hit from behind 7%

car doors opening 5%

From 1999-2004 on averagethere are about 275 bicyclecrashes a year that result ininjuries to the bicyclists. In thatsame time period 3 have beenkilled.

Here are some facts that we asbus drivers should know about.

--Bicyclists have all the right/duties of any vehicle driver.

--Drivers passing bikes orpedestrians shall leave at least 3ft. clearance until safely past.

--Bicyclists are not obligated touse bike lanes.

--Bikes ridden at night musthave lights and reflectors.

--Cyclists by law must ride withtraffic flow.

--Cyclists may ride two abreastin a single traffic lane but can-not impede reasonable trafficflow.

--Cyclists should ride as close tothe right curb or edge of road asis practical.

--It's illegal to bike on the side-walk in a business district suchas downtown Mpls.

went as families as opposed to the Spanish migrants. Spain confrontedlarge Indian populations and racially mixed with the Indians, whereEngland found sparsely populated tribes and displaced natives either bydestroying them through war and disease or by driving them back intothe wilderness. The English in North America, came from private entre-preneurs in search of profits or from religious dissidents in search of thefreedom to worship.

Until the late 17 century, England paid little attention to what their peopledid in the New World. The first permanent English settlement in Americawas Jamestown in 1607 but by the last part of the 17 century, the Englishgovernment became increasingly interested in these fast growing andprosperous outposts and began to take back what it so freely given awayto private individuals and groups and began to assert greater control overthe government of the colonies.

Next: The story of "Why we don't speak with a British Accent"

Sources: The Almanac of American History, Arthur M. Schleshinger, JR.History of a Free People, Henry Bragdon, Samuel McCtchenTime Almanac 2005

of one and one-half hours of pay for any piece of work, report or call at acost to the company of $12,000.00.

"This method of arbitration with its appeal to reason and evidence iscertainly an advance step and greatly to be preferred to allowing condi-tions to get so bad that men must strike when the two parties cannotagree" declares Howard Y. Williams, Director of the Division of SoldierWelfare, who acted as arbitrator for the union. "We three arbitrators arecertainly sold on this method of arbitration. It was a great experience forevery one of us and we believe that both the company and the union areto be congratulated on this procedure. Every one of us three arbitratiorsenjoyed this study of a great industry in the Twin Cities and hope that ouraward will strengthen arbitration and working conditions generally in thisarea".

OUR STORY…OUR HISTORYContinued from page 3

AT THE GARAGENicollet

Contact Theresa Collins #1378

Kathy Toner #274 retired inApril, good luck we wish youwell.

Thanks to everyone who donated to the Soul Food Buffet,we had a very nice time.

Weekly manager’s meetings arebeing held in the drivers roomon Fridays at 11:00 a.m. Theyhave been received well withgood participation.

Route H has arrived at Nicollet,for more information contactyour Fit for Life coordinatorsTheresa Collins or Case Braamfrom the shop.

Start saving your usable itemsfor the Nicollet garage sale,being held Saturday Oct. 1st.Remember this is our biggest$$$$ maker for the year.The more items we receive, themore we can make.

Show off your professional driv-ing skills! When parking in thelot please be considerate of yourco-workers and park within thelines.

Suggestions or problems con-cerning safety and security,contact Theresa Collins or leavea note with dispatch.

The "Health Care Savings Plan (HCSP)" that all ATU members partici-pate in is part of the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS). TheseIRA-like accounts, new to us, are a very well established part of theMinnesota Supplemental Investment Fund. Managed by the MinnesotaState Board of Investment, board members include Governor Pawlenty,State Auditor Anderson, Secretary of State Kiffmeyer, and AttorneyGeneral Hatch. Executive Director, Howard Bicker, leads an investmentadvisory council of more than 17 organizational representatives.

These tax-free accounts are funded entirely by employee donations. Webecame active members on the day we ratified the last contract. Our pay-checks show an amount, based on the following "years of service" formu-la, that is put in for us.

1. Less than 10 years of service - .10 per hour paid.2. 10 years, but less than 20 years of service - .20 per hour paid.3. 20+ years of service - .25 per hour paid.

The cost of these accounts, administrative fees & annual investment fees,is easily offset & exceeded by the investment returns. We will getaccount statements every six months that show how various investmentsare doing. There are seven account funds that are each managed by dif-ferent account managers.

One account, for example, is the "Fixed Interest Account". GilliardCapital Management, a unit of Wells Fargo Bank, manages this account.The average return for the last five years was 5.66% while the investmentmanagement fees were about $0.08 per $100 invested. This couldamount to a substantial savings for a career of 30 years. While thisexample is considered a low risk alternative, other funds like the GrowthShare have a higher risk/reward potential. Each of us must decide howmuch risk we're willing to take, remembering there is a service fee asso-ciated with changing from one account to another.

The new contract agreement spells out the payouts for this program. Weare eligible to draw from our accounts under any of the following cir-cumstances:· If we leave employment· If we retire· If we are collecting a disability benefit from one of the public

pension plans.· If we are on a medical leave (six months or longer)· If we are on a leave of absence (one year or longer)

Health Care Savings PlanBy Kim Rice

This information came from the following sources: MSRS-2201, MSIF, WWW.MSRS.STATE.MN.US

Note: An SEIU study reported in the 3/25-4/8/05 St. Paul Union Advocate issue says "Health accounts create arisk, not a solution". This article discusses the risks of Health Savings Accounts (HSA), aninsurance industry tactic to shift costs and coverage. HCSP's are a different program, primarily in its pre-tax sta-tus, and is not cited as a problem for labor by this article.

According to a 1990 study cited in the Journal of the American Medical Association, thereis an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 adult patients in persistent vegetative state in U.S. hospi-tals. Terri Schiavo didn't have a “living will”. But because of her, thousands of otherAmericans won't make that same mistake. The bitter legal battle over the severely braindamaged woman has led many people to put their "end-of-life" wishes in writing. MostAmerican adults -- estimates are as high as 75 percent -- do not have written directives for

their families to follow. People don't want to see that same tragedy repeat itself in their family. Seventy-five per-cent of us will die from a slow progressive disease (i.e. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, LS, dementia). Death isgoing to happen. You need to write your wishes down, last time I checked, nobody gets out alive.

Many hospitals and clinics will routinely ask the patient or family upon admission if there are any advanceddirectives when they are admitted. Before preparing your directive, you may wish to speak with your doctor orother health care provider. It is smart to have them entered into your medical records.

In Minnesota living wills are documents that communicate patients' wishes on medical treatments should theybecome terminally ill or incapacitated. The living will is an advance directive that may includes the designationof a medical surrogate (patient advocate or "agent") to carry out your expressed wishes.

This document doesn't mean there will never be a court fight over a person's fate. They do require that someonebe terminally ill, completely incapacitated with no hope for recovery or in a persistent vegetative state. Theseconditions are subject to medical debate and disagreement among family members. Families often find that liv-ing wills fall short when they face healthcare decisions for incapacitated loved ones. What they find is that notevery family member has the same idea of what various decisions actually mean. Even if you know what thatperson wants, it doesn't make the decision any easier. Planning well will save, not only patient suffering later,but will help alleviate the guilt associated for a family member making a "life and death" decision for you.

In August 1998 state law changed to allow people to create one form for all of their health care instructions.Living wills, durable powers of attorney and mental health declarations created before August 1998 are still legalif they followed the law in effect when they were written or conform to the new law. Health care directives aredefined under Chapter 145C of the Minnesota statues.

In Minnesota law a health care directive is a written document that lets others know your wishes regarding yourhealth care (living will). In addition, it also allows you to name a person (patient advocate or "agent") to makedecisions for you if you are unable to do so. Anyone 18 or older can make a health care directive. Appointing ahealth-care proxy in addition to only having a health care directive is preferable. Because of the myriad medicalscenarios possible, most living wills do not touch on the specific types of decisions families are confronted withwhen a loved one faces death. By appointing someone through a "power of attorney" or "medical proxy", whoknows your values, a decision would be made that you yourself probably would have made, if you were able.

The "living will" process is not difficult and does not require an attorney. Beware! There are lawyers that chargehundreds of dollars for this, there are websites that charge $25 to $50 for what you can do yourself free. If youdo it yourself is it as legally binding? Yes. Your directive must follow these requirements to be considered legal.It must be in writing, contain your name and be dated. It has to be signed by you or someone you authorize tosign for you. It has to be signed at a time when you can understand and communicate your health care wishes.A notary public or two witnesses must verify your signature. You may make the appointment of a person (patientadvocate or "agent") to make health care decisions for you and/or instructions about the health care choices youwish to make. You can name alternate agents in case the first agent is unavailable, or even assign joint agents.They must be at least 18 year old. Your agent cannot be your health care provider, unless the health care

Continued on page 12

End of Life IssuesBy Stephen Babcock

CRYPTOS by PAT KELEHANEach letter stands for another. If you think X=O, for example, it would equal Othroughout the puzzle. Clue: T=E

Z Y X A W V S U T Z Y E C T R U Q O P R

L Q E P O S U T V Q W N

W T M Q W V P O M T J T R S W P R Q J

S U T A W D. F T W U Q F E E A C T

S W Q P O P O M L A Y J V G T …

T O J P M U S T O P O M. (Answer on page 19)

AT THE GARAGEHeywood

Contact Cecile Cloutier

The City of Plymouth held itsfirst Operator Awards presenta-tion for Plymouth Metrolinkdrivers, at its City Councilmeeting on March 8, 2005.Passengers on Metro Transitroutes, Laidlaw fixed routes andLaidlaw Dial-A-Ride busesvoted for their favorite driver.This year’s winner is MetroTransit Operator #2397, MiltonHuggins.

Fit for Life ended its first quar-ter program "Heart Health"with blood pressure screeningsat FTH Garage and Office,March 16, 2005.

The St. Patrick’s Day MillerFree Ride promotion returnedafter a year’s absence. Freerides were offered from 6 p.m. -3 a.m. on March 17.

Anniversaries:Duane Lundgren, #289, 20 yrsTerry Olson, #3253, 20 yrs.Terry Whitson, #304, 20 yrs.Robin Betland, Mech. 25 yrs.Jerry Edlund, .#310, 30 yrs.

Retirements:Carl Abbott, #654, 28 yrs.Ramon Leon, #1478, 34 yrs.Donald Lindner, #259, 30 yrs.Robert Robideau, #1584, 32 yrs.

Hires:Martin Austin was hired as Sr.Electronic Revenue EquipmentTechnician.

The "Operating Conditions Report" (OCR) is a tool to assist drivers whoexperience problems or concerns regarding a specific piece of work orrun such as schedule concerns, locations of layovers or routing issues,and delivers this information directly to the attention of the appropriatedepartment for assessment.

When we talk to our garage managers about a problem or concern, theyoften tell us to fill out an OCR form, which you can get either in the driver's room or from your garage coordinator. Filling out this form maytake a few minutes of your own time, but it may be an important andunknown situation to Service Development and in the end be beneficialto the public as well as the other drivers. Who better can observe anddocument the variety of possible problems than the driver himself whoexperiences them directly in the field. If we don't say anything, it isassumed that there is no problem.

When you fill out an OCR form, the Garage Coordinator will document it by entering it into the network computer; the driver receivesthe original form back with a "tracking number". It is forwarded to theService Development Department. Service Development will process theOCR information by sending the data to the department that needs to takecare of the problem, for example scheduling, bus stop coordinator, streetoperations etc. The processing of an OCR is supposed to take about 10working days for the issue to be addressed. If you find your problem orconcern has not been addressed in a timely matter, you have your originalform with the tracking number and you can see your garage coordinatorfor the status of your the OCR.

Filling out an OCR is important, and it is something we can do as goodunion brothers and sisters. If we work together we can help everyoneinvolved, ourselves, each other, the public and the agency.

Operating Conditions Report's"What, Where, Why and How"

By Theresa Collins

End Of Life Issues Continued from page 10

provider is a family member or you give reasons why your agent is your health care provider. You cannotrequest health care treatment that is outside reasonable medical practice. You cannot request assisted suicide.

Additional things to consider when making your health care directive

You want to state your goals, values and preferences about health care; the types of medical treatment youwould want (or not want). On what basis do you want your agent or agents to make decisions; where do youwant to receive care. Make your instructions clear about artificial nutrition and hydration. You might want toconsider mental health treatments that use electroshock therapy or neuroleptic medications. If you are pregnant,how do you want the pregnancy handled? Do you want to donate organs, tissues or eyes? How do you want yourfuneral arrangements? Who would you like as your guardian or conservator if there were a court action.Remember - you may be as specific or general as you wish.

Your health care directive lasts until you change or cancel it. If you wish to cancel it, you may do by one of thefollowing: write a statement saying you want to cancel it, destroy it, or tell at least two people that you wish tocancel it. You can also cancel the old by writing a new health care directive. (Technically "Do Not Resuscitate(DNR) Orders" cannot be written in a living will but the medical doctor writes them into the medical recordbased on the living will.)

Your health care provider must follow your health care directive, or any instructions from your agent, as long asthe health care follows reasonable medical practice. However, you or your agent cannot request treatment thatwill not help you or which your provider cannot provide. If the provider cannot follow your agent's directionsabout life-sustaining treatment, the provider must inform the agent. The provider must also document the noticein your medical record. The provider must allow the agent to arrange transfer of you to another provider whocan follow the agent's directions.

A free combined form (pdf) for a "Living Will", "Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care" (also called ahealth-care proxy) can be found for free on the following site: http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Default.asp. This is theMinnesota Attorney General's website. Look for link: Advanced Health Care Directive, about the bottom of thepage. Easy to follow instructions are incorporated within the form. Another excellent website ishttp://fsos2.che.umn.edu/stum/default.html. not only does it have free forms and instructions, but additionalforms to track and make revisions. The website has other information and advice regarding geriatrics.

After the Living Will (Advanced Health Care Directive) is signed, it should be placed in a safe place known toothers. You may make photocopies of the Living Will and make these copies available to select people, such asyour Health Care Proxy or patient advocate. It is also important that your medical care professionals know aboutthis document. You should give a copy to your primary care physician and ask that it be made a part of your per-manent file. Physicians and healthcare providers are immune from civil, criminal, and disciplinary action if theyfollow the advanced directive statute in good faith and meet its provisions.

"Dying is more than just a medical moment, we need to give loved ones as much information as we can aboutthe quality of life that we could accept at the end of our lives." Advanced directives only take effect when thepatient loses the ability to make his or her own decisions. Before that time, the patient's current expressed wishesshould be followed.

Disclaimer: The article above was intended to inform people in how to obtain a "living will" and not necessarilyan attempt to practice law. It should not be relied upon for legality. Source: http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/home/default

http://fsos2.che.umn.edu/stum/default.html

AT THE GARAGELRT

If you have information youwould like to share contact:E- board reps Bob Boyle orMark Ammend

Hiawatha experienced our firstderailment this week. Luckily itwas in the yard and at six milesper hour and only one axle ofthe center truck, and wasdetected and stopped by a veryalert operator.

Hats off to Mark Ammend, thesituation was caused by a yetunresolved tracking problem inthe C car of about 10 of theLRVs. The problem is nowbeing furiously worked on, andwe are hoping for a solutionsoon.

As the weather is now movinginto spring we are planning onremoving the boiler heated linesnext week that were installed inthe airport tunnel.

Hopefully the contractors willsolve the water issues beforenext winter, and we will notexperience the Lindbergh gla-ciers.

Ridership on the line is continu-ing to be impressive and withthe imminent return of theTwins we don't expect anydecrease.

Transit For Livable Communities (TLC) and our allies are taking the leadby introducing a bill called Transportation Choices 2020 - Learn more& support this bill!

MORE FARE HIKES & SERVICE CUTS COMING? The Governor'sproposed budget for transit operations creates a $60 million deficit overthe next two years.

The Met Council will hold hearings in April on the fare hikes and servicecuts they are planning to address this deficit. TLC is organizing to pre-vent these cuts. - TLC will provide more information as we learn it.

Visit: http://www.tlcminnesota.org/

Join their email list! Be informed! What are you waiting for ....anotherstrike? Get involved NOW!

The success of the Hiawatha Light Rail line has created momentum forimproving transit across the Twin Cities region. Now is the time to builda transportation system for Minnesota that provides real choices.

TLC Advances Transit Bill

Thank You Linda Martin Kaup Pfeil

Linda, Dr.#9673 joined Metro Transit onMay 28th, 1996, working out of East Metrothen South. She recently married Stan Pfeil,Dr.#7661. She retired in January of 2005 dueto ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

She was a member of the ATU 1005Education Committee and was also involvedin the Organizing Committee. She will sit in on our meetings as long asphysically possible. We value her input.

She visits back at South Garage every two weeks on payday from 4 pmto 8 pm. She often bakes sweets for the South gang to try. She wantsto know if her recipes are good. Stop by and sample, visitors wel-comed.

NOTICEA motion passed at the March 22, 2005 union meeting states:

“Each member representing ATU 1005 at any Conference, Caucus,Seminar or Convention shall submit a written report to the Union officefor publishing in “The 1005 Line”.

AT THE GARAGEOHB

If you have information youwould like to share contact:

Tom Campbell

Christy also explained that the busstops on Lake St. eastbound at27th Ave. and both directions at29th Ave. would be removedsoon. Eastbound Lake at 22ndhas been on delete list for a year.The Transtop shelter, requested bythe YWCA because of the day-care, and supported by a citycouncil member, will be relocatedto a combined 21st and 22nd Ave.bus stop in front of the Y entrancewith Phase I of Lake St recon-struction.

Regarding excessive NicolletAvenue bus stops: 19th/Nicolletwas eliminated in both directionsa year ago; other Nicollet stopsnorth of 19th will be reviewed; nodecision at this time. The stop onNicollet at 29th will be removedFeb. 11.

Lee reported that a contract withthe city of Coon Rapids is pend-ing for new bus stop sign installa-tion; the old red "T" signs onCoon Rapids Blvd. will bereplaced.

In response to TSSC request, thebus stop on Lyndale Ave. N. at30th Ave. was moved recently;people want to get off at 31stAve., closer to the high rise.

Lee confirmed the depression inthe pavement on 4th St. con-traflow at 2nd Ave. S.; the Citywill re-pave in the spring. Alsoon 4th St., the eastbound NicolletMall bus stop has been designat-ed for local buses only to movebuses through quicker. Expressroutes will stop at Hennepin orcan go right past to Marquette todeboard. Customers onAnoka/Coon Rapids routes are themost inconvenienced; Jeff Wostrelsaid he's also received complaintsfrom route 766 customers.

Route 24 customers want to getoff on SB Hiawatha at 46th tocatch trains/buses. This stop wasestablished only for the 55ABCBus Bridge and never intended asa regular bus stop for route 24 dueto rail crossing safety. A routeinfo bulletin has been issued.

Theresa listed a number of con-cerns re: the Uptown TransitStation and thinks it is over-capacity, with numerous bus-on-bus accidents. Route 21 and 23have to jockey to share gate; whena route 23 bus pulls in front of aroute 21 bus, the 23 has to park atan angle, then the 21 has to swingwide to get out. Also, can 12 busbe rerouted? Route 12 customersare often confused. There are notools to wash windows at UptownTransit Station. Christy will lookinto these issues.

Bus stop snow removal, who'sresponsible, for example LakeStreet? Will check with StreetOps for next meeting.

Mary said the problem continueson 34th & 494; if a train comes,bus has to sit through a couple oflight cycles, taking up to 12 min-utes to make a left turn. SheriGingerich states that the lightcycle depends on whether a NB orSB train in approaching. If trainsmeet, there will be a longer delay.The light cycle cannot bechanged.

Teresa mentioned a similar prob-lem at 38th Street Station, for theroute 23 eastbound loop throughstation, cross train tracks, lose 8-9minutes sitting there. Sheri hasmet several times with trafficengineers; due to the complexityof the signal timing this has notyet been resolved.

Jim suggested that mats be placedat the toilet facilities at the 38th

TSSC Continued from page 5and 46th Street Stations and atMOA; the concrete is slippery.

Discussion regarding a proposal toroute buses to get to the 5th StreetGarage quicker, resulting in acomplicated turn. Concern wasexpressed regarding the safety ofthis. Rail staff will look at this.

Transit Police distributed theMpls/St. Paul incident statistics.

Marshall has concerns re: parkedcars in downtown St. Paul, espe-cially on 6th St at Robert/Jackson.Lt. Elmers said that officers areout in this area as much as possi-ble and they do tag.

An officer explained it's some-times difficult for Transit Police tocatch up with the bus. When youwant someone removed, it's help-ful to stay put whenever possible.Ask TCC the ETA for policearrival; they may be just minutesaway. He acknowledged thatkeeping bus on schedule is impor-tant. Please always call TCC inany situation if you no longerneed the police. Sometimes theyget to the bus and the individualhas already left.

Theresa mentioned that vehicleshave been broken into recently atNicollet Garage and there used tobe cameras in the middle of thelot. Lt. Elmers will check on thecamera situation. And is it possi-ble to get a crosswalk from park-ing lot to Nicollet Garage? JonUzpen said this has been pursuedseveral times; the City will notallow this.

Georgia talked about the new pol-icy from the Transit Police atBrooklyn Center Transit Center:no passengers or other civiliansare allowed in the BCTC after10PM. Operators should makesure door closes behind them so

as not to allow anyone to enter inbehind them.

Jerry: Operators need to be awareof the expiration dates on trespassnotices.

Brenda Himrich mentioned thatRight to Know Training is begin-ning at all garages. A video ondistracted driving is available atgarages. And Yields signs arenow on the backs of some buses.

Marshall received a suggestionfrom an operator that the left sidemirror be moved so that it is thesame height as the right mirror.The committee decided that thiswould not be beneficial. Maintenance is working on a bikerack mirror.

Jim asked if the driver side-win-dow shades in 3100 artics couldbe reversed; when shade is pulleddown it loops and interferes withdoor handle. Eric will speak withMaintenance regarding reversingshade.

Jerry asked about Pay Leave onoutbound Express routes. Samexplained the intent was to expe-dite downtown boarding, but local

service on the same street itdefeats the purpose. Sam will dis-cuss with Service Development.

Theresa said the hazard lightsbeeping sound is annoying, espe-cially when sitting at layover ordriving on shoulder. Eric willcheck to see if the sound can betoned down.

Head to Toe card printing:Christine will handle when shereturns.

African American Men Project:Sam said that a ride-along withmedia will be held sometime inFebruary.

Jerry: Route 19 out of Vet'sHome safety issue, when makinga left turn past station, crossingtrack with flashers on, from rightlane. Eric will check into thisissue.

Theresa: Would like to see anarticle in Take Out regarding theunsafe practice of passengers run-ning alongside of buses. Thishappens frequently on the NicolletMall. Georgia will ask Marketingto write an article.

AT THE OFFICEHeywood

Contact Cecile Cloutier

The 701 building will be vacatedApril 30, 2005. BuildingMaintenance staff will move tothe Rail O&M facility, storagewill be housed in a buildingnear East Metro and the CreditUnion will move to OperationsSupport Center at 725 N. 7th St.

The elevators at Heywood arefinally going to be replaced.

Plans are in the works forMetro Commuter Services (for-merly Minnesota Rideshare) toreturn to the Heywood OfficeFacility. The MCS division wasphysically and functionally relo-cated to Metropolitan Council’sMears Park headquarters in1998.

Anniversaries:Kathryn “Kitty” Hall, Mpls.Transit Store Cashier (and ATUboard member), celebrated 20 years with the company.

Retirements:Payroll Manager Carole Schookretired on March 1 after 27years with the company. Schook managed a departmentthat has one of the heaviest con-centrations of ATU clericalemployees in the agency.

Hires: David Theisen, payroll clerkfloater

The Union is demanding fair promotions. Need I remind youthat none of us would be here if we had that policy.

"There shall be an EducationCommittee which shall consist ofmembers interested in working inthe following areas: Encouragingattendance at local union meetingsby distributing information aboutmeetings and soliciting sugges-tions about possible speakersand/or programs that would be ofinterest to the membership.Developing good public relationswith community groups andorganizations. This committeeshall be under the supervision of aunion officer designated by theexecutive board. The Committeeshall consult with this officer, sub-mit proposals for activities andrequest modest financial expendi-tures." ATU 1005 Bylaw #99

Arnie Entzel was President andJohn Johnson was Vice-president.The committee started June 1986with 9 members.

The first members were:Assistant Business Agent, BobRossman (Ruter Dispatch),Howard Osterkamp was theChairperson (Retired),Joe Krumrow, Melanie Benson(Nicollet Driver), Ed Walz,Delores Patterson, Sherie Taha,Cheryl Kieneitz/ Hall (TrainingDepartment at East Metro), RichLarson, (South)

The very first newsletter was pro-duced on Rich Larson's homecomputer; he also printed limitedcopies. Then it was on HowardOsterkamp's computer. It wassoon decided to have a union shopprint them.

They came out every other monthor so. The original paper wasprinted in black ink on one whitesheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. It waslater changed to colored paper and

expanded to a legal size. Therewere no bylines. They had foursections to the original paper andtook turns researching and writingarticles.

When they first started they sur-veyed the membership to inquireabout how people might be able tohelp their union, talents and skills.Members were recruited. Theidea behind the paper was to giverank and file an opportunity tocontribute.

The union leadership and thecommittee didn't always see eyeto eye on the scope, or directionof the committee. It took awhileto get over suspicions, but eventu-ally things worked out.

The mission hasn't changed. Theinitial committee had a limit oftwo members per facility. Todaywith job mobility we have several"At-large" members. They had tohave a majority quorum to dobusiness, that requirement stillstands. They follow the "Robert'sRules of Order" to conduct meet-ings.

Today there are 12 members withdiversified interests and attitudes.We meet once a month, usually onthe 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of themonth at the union office, but itcan change. Our meeting timesare posted on the website or in thepaper. We have the cooperationand support of the Union leader-ship to make this paper happen.

The paper has expanded to 16 to24/28 pages with two-color ink,along with black and white photo-graphs. It is published every twomonths. The present cover designwas originally taken from sched-ule pockets that Metro Transit hada few years back. The paper now

allows by-lines for it's authors, orthey can remain anonymous. Thechoice is the authors. There areprovisions in place to avoid amonopoly or agenda by any oneperson or group.

Today, members are paid twohours time at their equivalentMetro transit pay as compensationfor their lost time and otherexpenses. Being union business,the company must make everyeffort to accommodate committeemembers to be able to attendmeetings. Meetings are a require-ment to get paid, but to beinvolved requires only a willing-ness to participate. Even non-members can submit articles forpublication.

Every article still goes through theUnion Editorial Board forapproval. Articles can beimproved upon by the Board,basically grammar, unless it is astructural change, then the articlegoes back to the author.

Editorials remain unchanged andare published at the back of thepaper if approved. Members helpeach other with topics, writer'sblock, literary form and grammat-ical errors.

All 1005 members are welcome toattend meetings; those memberswith ideas or suggestions who arenot committee members are invit-ed to participate in discussion oftheir proposal. Any 1005 memberwho wants to volunteer time tocarry out committee projects willbe welcomed and encouraged todo so. The result of all this is ahighly professional paper. Nextissue we hope to introduce youindividually to our committeemembers.

Education Committee HistoryBy Stephen Babcock

The Fred T. Heywood Garage was the site of the 2005 Black HistoryMonth event, "Celebrating Heritage, Culture and Legacy", on Friday,February 25, 2005.

Attorney, community activist, and State Representative Keith Ellison(District 35B) was the featured speaker. Music was provided by driverMatt Carter and his band "Network".

The event also included artwork displays, prize drawings and a massive(and delicious) soul food potluck buffet. Thanks to planning committeemembers Elva Banks, Beverly Brown, James Cushenberry, TraceyJackson, Chuck Robinson, and Val Robinson for another successful andinspiring event. Thanks also to the numerous volunteers that assistedthem.

Black History Month

Celebration

Photos by Tracy Williamson

Submissions for Letters to the Editor are subject to approval of the Editorial Boardand space considerations. Letters to the Editor are solely the opinion of the authorand do not represent endorsement by ATU Local 1005 or the Education Committee.If you have an editorial to submit, please contact a committee member or our advisorMichelle Sommers at: [email protected]

ATU & MTLet the Games Begin

Although contract negotiations have not yet started for the July deadline, the management of Metro Transitis already stirring the pot. On January 1st they implemented a new operator performance plan that is designed toreplace four previous policies and guidelines which have definitions, rules for monitoring records and administering discipline.

While the new system combines them into a point performance plan that "encourages consistent administra-tion of rewards and discipline", but seems to be strongest on the discipline side. Points, starting at 140, arededucted through all four categories and restored to an operator through an aging process, which can take up tothree years on a rolling calendar. Reward points of ten are given only after one year (January- January) of nearprefect behavior.

With this in-balance in mind management has claimed that this is not a punishment plan, but is aimed at the

Social Security UpdateSenator Mark Dayton Responds to a 1005 Member

Like many Americans, I watched the President's State of the Union Address, anticipating that he would providemore details on his proposal for changing the current Social Security system. Although he did discuss SocialSecurity at length, I was disappointed that he chose to omit manydetails on how he intended to change the system and solidify its strength for future retirees.

The President also neglected to mention two critical elements regarding what we do know about his plan: theenormous up-front cost of financing a new system (estimated to be nearly $2 trillion), which would saddle futuregenerations with additional debt; and the fact that his plan would require a reduction of future benefits for peo-ple currently younger than age 55.

Social Security is confronted with a long-term problem, but it is not in "crisis," as the President misleadinglyasserts. Nor is it threatened with "bankruptcy," or in danger of going "flat broke." Without doing a single thingto change the current system, Social Security will be able to meet all of its obligations to beneficiaries until2042, according to the Trustees who oversee the system, or until 2052, according to the Congressional BudgetOffice. Subsequently, depending on which analysis you rely on, beneficiaries are projected to receive between70 percent and 80 percent of promised benefits - again, without a single change to the current system.

The words the President has chosen to use in describing the Social Security system evoke fear, mislead, and neg-lect to help fashion a bipartisan solution. Social Security's long-term problem requires careful consideration, butit does not require what I consider to be an ideologically impulsive push for privatization of the current system.

Any proposal to change Social Security's present system should have to pass three tests. First, it must notreduce the amount of future revenues or their security. Second, it must be likely to increase future retirementincomes. Third, it cannot damage the rest of the federal government's financial foundation. President Bush'sproposal to allow workers to shift almost one-third of their payroll taxes into private investment accounts failson all three.

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about Social Security. I will keep them in mind as the debateon this important issue continues. My best regards, Sincerely, Mark Dayton

Continued Next Page

LettersTo TheEditor

bottom 6% of the drivers in order to cause them to re-think some of theirbehaviors/habits. When asked where the positive it was said "no positive in thepast so none in the new". This means that the new is nothing more than a newform of punishment without many of the monitoring and administering con-trols of the present policies.

The fact is that people will now be terminated with less minus points andon new issues. No person has been terminated under the new plan although there is at least one individual thathas dropped below zero in points. This leads to the question of: How much does the management believe thepoint system is reasonable or workable?

The union has filed a grievance to the new operator performance plan which has gone though three stepsand will be voted on to go to arbitration. There is also a legal action for unfare labor practice, which is waitingfor a judge's decision. In the mean time Metro has announced the possible increase in fares and cutting of someroutes, because of fuel cost and of course increased health care cost.

The strike of 2004 did bring members together in survival mode. We now feel stronger and know that we areable to do what is necessary to get a contact that members agree upon.So Let The Games Begin !!Rick Steffels Dr.# 5985, Heywood garage.

LettersTo TheEditor

RedundantI've said it before, and I'll say it again, because weneed to emphasize this point; the social agenda ofworking people needs our collective support, andpolitical action. We need to be reminded, from time totime, to remain alert and aware of all the popularmedia campaigns that threaten our security or wellbeing. We need to keep it up until those forces thatseek to paint us into an unpopular corner see the light,and then we need to do it again, and again. Numbersare more than impressive, they are vital. Union poweris coalition power, and numbers are important. Agroup like us, united for a common purpose, can dogreat things. A post card showing our support forRepresentative Oberstar's Transportation Bill, HR#3550, is something we all can do to demonstrate ourresolve.K.H. RiceATU - Local 1005Education Committee

Answer To Quipto: BUFORD THE BUS MECHANIC WAS IN THE DARKREGARDING ELECTRICAL THEORY. PERHAPS SOME TRAINING WOULD BE…ENLIGHTENING.

What would you like to see onthe ATU 1005 website?

Please let your union officers know. Theyare looking for ideas.

Pot HolesI was swallowed by a pothole the other dayIt wasn't as frightful as some might sayI sank down to its depths with gathering speedBumped my nose on the wheel, and it started to bleed

Lost consciousness for nothing more than a bitAs I landed on the bottom of this gigantic pitLooked at the bugs and the chubs in the dirtI was thankful, at least, I was not badly hurt

It was quiet and peaceful down there belowWhen might I be rescued I sure did not knowBut soon my angst it started to swellI hadn't bathed in a week and thought I might smell

I soon was aware that I was not aloneSomeone behind me began to groanAnother was angry and started to cussApparently I'm the driver of a Metro Transit bus.

This poem appeared in the Star Tribune On Tues. March 22, 2005. Written by Pat Kelehan,A/C mechanic on first shift at Nicollet garage. Patalso writes Cryptos for The 1005 Line.

Let the Games Begin Continued

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, the 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of theMexicans over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily aregional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and through-out the state of Puebla, but is also celebrated in other parts of the country and inU.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think,Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

During this period Mexico had accumulated heavy debts to several nations, including Spain, England andFrance, who were demanding payment.

France was eager to add to its empire at that time, and used the debt issue to move forward with goals of estab-lishing its own leadership in Mexico. Realizing France's intent, Spain and England withdrew their support.When Mexico finally stopped making any loan payments, France took action on it's own to install Napoleon'srelative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

France invaded at the gulf coast of Mexico along the state of Veracruz and began to march toward Mexico City.Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico's cause, for which he is honored inMexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance.

Marching on toward Mexico City, the French army encountered strong resistance at the Mexican forts of Loretoand Guadalupe. Led by Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, a small, poorly armed militia estimated at4,500 men were able to stop and defeat a well outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers. This stopped the invasionof the country. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots and is the cause for the historical date'scelebration.

Although there is recognition of the holiday throughout the country, there are different levels of enthusiasm.Celebrating has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have ahigh population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican cul-ture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

Commercial interests in the United States and Mexico have also been successful in promoting the holiday, withMexican food, beverages and festivities, with music playing loudly. Several cities throughout the U.S. holdparades and concerts during the week following up to May 5th, so that Cinco de Mayo is becoming a bigger hol-iday north of the border than to the south, and adopted into the holiday calendar of more and more people everyyear, so let’s party.

Source: http://www.mexonline.com/cinco.htm

Cinco De Mayo

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