Muni: 6,387 employees. Jobs program or transit agency?
From yesterday's Examiner:
At the hearing [Supervisor]Brown hopes Muni officials will explain in detail why the agency has experienced an operator shortage that has led to gaps in Muni service, leaving some riders waiting more than 40 minutes for buses across The City. The outcry comes on the heels of reporting by the San Francisco Examiner revealing the extent of the slowdown due to a shortage of operators, showing Muni service has fallen far below its legally mandated minimums since May.
The story discusses some internal MTA problems causing the shortage of drivers.
The SFMTA has 6,387 employees. About 1,000 of those are drivers---or "operators," as they are called[Later: Not even close. Try 2,260].
While she's at it, maybe Supervisor Brown can ask "Muni officials" to "explain in detail" what the other 5,387 people do.
When you look at the MTA's organizational structure, it seems like running a transportation system is a secondary consideration.
The most annoying department is its Communication and Marketing Division, whose main function seems to be telling us what a great job the MTA is doing with newletters, email messages, and a blog that today informs us about music in Japantown this weekend.
More self-congratulation from the blog:
Vision Zero SF brings home a silver Telly Award for their campaign which aims to eliminate traffic deaths through a targeted series of short, topic-specific social media shareable videos...“The Vision Zero SF team is thrilled to accept this award on behalf of all Vision Zero partners and everyone who works toward an end to fatalities and serious injuries on our streets," said Tom Bellino, a transportation planner at the SFMTA. "The San Francisco motorcycle community deserves safe streets and we hope these videos help us create a safer city for them.”
If Vision Zero hopes were bus drivers, there would never be a shortage.
The president of the local union discusses the operator shortage in the Examiner.
Labels: City Government, District 5, Ed Reiskin, Examiner, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Muni, Vallie Brown, Vision Zero
posted by Rob Anderson @ 1:29 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
"When you look at the MTA's organizational structure, it seems like running a transportation system is a secondary consideration."
Because it has never been about running a transportation system. It has always been about development and redesign of different regions and cities. Push people inland from the country into urban cities addeing density. And the removal of all parking an autos.
Their strategy is to figure out different ways to cause problems with streets, parking and housing then making their ideas and projects public as a way to fix things. Ideas and projects that have been on paper for the last 15-18 years.
Here is a list of bullshit arguements.
1. People are dying from diabetes we must tax sugar.
2. We have too many homeless people. We're are lying to you about how many people live here but we need to keep building market raise housing. We will call it "affordable housing" to help broke ass people find $3600 dwelling units that they can't afford anyway.
3. People are dying in the streets we need more bike lanes and traffic it's a "safety hazard" life or death.
4. Your all going to die from climate change. We understand that when you go to Texas during the summer it's 100 degrees making it a 30 degree difference with SF. We also understand that when you go to Tahoe in the winter it's 5 degrees which is also a 30 degree difference with SF. However a 1 degree difference of the planet is going to end the world in flames your going to die.
4. There will be a 1 degree difference in temperature globally soon your all going to die so stop using plastic straws and bags. Eat with your hands not plastic forks.
A lot more to list but you get the picture. Here's the point.... behind every single one of the reasons listed and not listed there is a tax. Be it sodas, property, sales tax etc.
A $350 billion regional project is not cheap.
As for the shortage sfmta planned it out on purpose making the arguement for more money for new hires because they don't have enough. And argument for why they need more projects to speed up service. Just wait for it it's coming.
MBTA has a similar problem with its bus drivers - high rates of absenteeism causing many buses not to roll and longer waits for riders. One of the major reasons is FMLA (Family Medical Leave). The MBTA after limited success trying to get workers to come to work, is just hiring more drivers to be in a pool of floaters ready to drive as substitutes.
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