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- From: "eegenebradley" <http://profiles.yahoo.com/eegenebradley>
- Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:39:10 -0000
All: Background: Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) runs the 55 and 79 express bus lines between where-I-live and Monterey. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has asked the US Dept. of Labor to withhold federal grants to MST and other transit agencies throughout Ca. The request is over Gov.'s pension reforms enacted under AB 340. Given this action, it must be asked how VTA, SamTrans and other transit agencies are affected by this action, and what contingency plans (if any) are in place to prevent service cuts. For instance, MST's contigency plan is to run Sunday service 7 days/week if the issue isn't resolved in a timely manner. More details are in the PR from MST below. Per page 44 of VTA's adopted 2012 & 2013 budget at http://www.vta.org/inside/budget/FY12_and_FY13_Budget_Book.pdf only 10% of VTA's operating budget comes from federal grants. (Compared to ~25% for MST, which serves the former Ft. Ord, the Presidio of Monterey and the Defense Language Institute [DLI] in Monterey.) It bears asking how this issue will affect VTA, even though > 70% of its operating budget consists of local sales taxes approved by county (and state) voters. --eugene ========== PR ========== http://www.mst.org/about-mst/news/objection-to-state-law/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 December 2012 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & UNION OBJECTION TO STATE LAW THREATENS MST'S FUNDING; BUS SERVICE CUTS POSSIBLE The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents Monterey-Salinas Transit's (MST) bus drivers, mechanics, utility service and facilities staff members, has asked the United States Department of Labor to withhold federal transit grant funding from MST and other public transit operators throughout Ca, including the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Amalgamated Transit Union's action is in response to concerns with the recent adoption of the 2013 Public Employees Pension Reform Act (AB 340) by the Ca state legislature and Governor Jerry. Federal grants fund approximately 25 percent of MST's annual operating budget and help pay for employee wages and fuel in buses that provide public transit services throughout Monterey County. In the event the federal government agrees to the Amalgamated Transit Union's request to withhold at least $3 million (and potentially as much as $14 million) in federal operating and capital grant funds from MST for Fiscal Year 2013, MST will implement emergency measures to reduce its bus service to a level that can be supported by state sales tax, state fuel tax and passenger fares. Due to the dramatic negative impact a loss of federal funds will have on those who depend upon public transit to get to work, school, and medical appointments in the Monterey Bay region, MST has requested that the Amalgamated Transit Union rescind its objection and instead request that the Department of Labor permit federal transit funds to immediately be provided to MST so that bus services can continue uninterrupted. At today's meeting the MST board of directors approved a temporary implementation of a modified schedule similar to that which operates on Sundays on most routes, seven-days-a-week, beginning January 5, 2013, unless MST receives assurances that its federal funding will continue. This modified schedule would be in place until the dispute over public employee pension reform between the Amalgamated Transit Union, the federal government and the state of Ca is resolved. MST remains hopeful that the Department of Labor will promptly and successfully reach agreement on this issue and not block the ability of the agency to receive federal grant funding. Should they fail to do so before the end of the year, MST will hold the following public hearings to begin to solicit public input on the upcoming short-term modified schedule, as well as on long-term transit service reductions that would be required to operate local bus service without the financial support of the federal government: Salinas Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 5:30 pm Salinas City Hall 200 Lincoln Ave. Monterey Thursday, Jan. :30 pm Monterey Bus Stop Shop 150 Del Monte Ave. Interested persons wishing to comment, but who are unable to attend the public hearings, may submit written comments to: Hunter Harvath, Assistant General Manager for Finance & Administration, One Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, CA 93940, via e-mail at http://www.mst.org/~mst, or via fax at (831) 899-3954. The deadline to receive written comments for this series of public hearings is Friday, January 4, 2013. Depending upon the outcome of this dispute between the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Department of Labor, additional public hearings and opportunities for comment may be scheduled. ### ---------- END PR ----------
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