PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Minneapolis transit workers strike
by R Field Sunday, Mar. 07, 2004 at 2:43 PM
envirowork_2000@yahoo.com

public transportation; workers' pay and benefits; Minneapolis transit strike; comparison with Pittsburgh's transit system

At 2:00 am CST on March 4, transit workers in Minnesota's twin cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) went on strike. One worker started a blog to tell the story; it is located at tcmetro.blogspot.com. The Minneapolis transit system costs less for residents than does Pittsburgh's and runs more smoothly. Buses are in better condition in Minnesota, too.

Moving people from outlying areas to downtown for weekday work is the priority in both cities, but residents in Minneapolis can take buses to local parks during the daytime on weekends. (In Pittsburgh, the county's North Park is not served by buses on weekends and South Park is not served by public transportation at all.) The website for the state capital in St. Paul gives detailed directions for motorists, but leaves people using public transportation to their own devices in figuring out which buses and which bus stops to use. Non-profit organizations in both cities might promote bus routes on their literature, but generally expect potential patrons or clients to find their own way via public transportation.

Taxis are generally available in Minneapolis and St. Paul, although, not to the extent they can be found in densely populated and highly visited cities. Due to flatter terrain, vehicular pollution for pedestrians generally is lighter in Minneapolis than in Pittsburgh. This makes it more pleasant for people to walk in Minneapolis.

Transit workers are being asked to take the equivalent of a $100 a month pay cut, according to the transit driver's blog. In response to people comparing striking workers to drivers for privately-owned suburban-based bus lines, the blog notes that the privately-paid drivers do not like driving on the narrow city streets, dealing with city passengers, and having to work weekends and nights. In addition, the blog writer notes that the public system has a higher standard for driving records than the private businesses.

Suburban legislators are trying to take advantage of the strike to reduce the use of stop lights at on-ramps and to remove high-occupancy-vehicle lanes. A taxpayer's advocacy group announced, because traffic moved smoothly for the first two days of the strike, that public transportation has no effect on street congestion. The mayor of Minneapolis has asked his constituents who do not own cars and rely upon buses to share their stories of hardship so that he can take them as a group to the news media. Companies, universities, and city governments spent time and money promoting carpooling and finding extra parking spaces. In the lead-up to the strike, the media was quiet on how people not owning cars were supposed to get to work, grocery stores, and other necessary locations.

This attempt to undermine transit workers is not only a direct assault upon workers, it is a direct assault upon funding for public transportation. A recent strike of clerical workers at the University of Minnesota ended with the workers getting some of their requests, but fell far short of ending with a strong labor agreement. The transit workers, trying to protect their economic quality of life, are under additional pressure from people who need the buses to be running for their economic well being. Moreover, public transportation itself is under pressure from elected representatives who do not understand some people's choice not to own and other people's inability to afford an automobile. This is a problem shared by both Pittsburgh and Minneapolis.

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