OPAL and the Tri-Met Bus-Riders' Union

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Produced by: 
KBOO
Air date: 
Mon, 06/11/2012 - 12:00am
Tri-Met's budget and bus-riders' union

Bill Resnick talks with Jon Ostar and Khanh Pham from OPAL about organizing a bus-riders union in Portland. They considerm  Tri-Met's vision of a lighrail utopia while bus-service has diminished and fares have increased, and why these priorities have shifted. They underscore why the bus is the backbone of any transit system and deconstuct the rationale behind putting lightrail at the center of Tri-met's vision. Jon explains different approaches to organizing public transit that do not rely on light-rail and frees up money for services.

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Comments

I'm hoping that they can succeed, even partially, to turn around the bad policies being brought foward by the current management.
The board peppers them with compliments, but I have always been suspicious of the Trimet board of directors.
Over the years I have watched them and it is my belief that the only time they even think About Trimet is one day a month, and even that is while being spoonfed all the information from the executives, the people that really run Trimet.
I have my doubts that they will get anywhere with the board, but they will be "nice" to OPAL members trying to swing them over a bit.
Don't fall for that!
WORDS ARE NOTHING, ITS ONLY ACTION THAT COUNTS.
And we see very little action on the side of riders.
Public transit in America serves those who profit off it, union and non union. The riders are the last thing that are considered in the equation. That's the bottom line and that is why public transit in America is a dismal failure, at the time American's need it the most.

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