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KEEP YOUR PROMISES, CAP METRO!

Capital Metro is tight for cash and the safe, reliable service the people of Austin have depended on for more that 75 years is now being threatened.

Over the past decade, Capital Metro has managed to blow through its $200 million reserve fund by making a series of poor management decisions.

●Wasteful spending on executives - The Board authorized a generous golden parachute for former CEO Fred Gilliam that doubled his pension. Even though Gilliam served for only 8 years, he was credited for 35 years of service - more than doubling his pension to almost $90,000 per year (Austin American-Statesman 4/25/10).

●Mismanagement of the MetroRail line from the start - Due to poor planning the rail project ended up costing more than twice the original estimate of $60 million (Austin American-Statesman 5/25/11). $30 million was supposed to have been provided by federal government; however Capital Metro failed to secure the grants (Austin American-Statesman 3/6/10).

●Unnecessary spending - Capital Metro used the reserve funds on the building of new park-and-ride lots and a new maintenance facility further contributing tot he agency's money problems (Austin American-Statesman 5/24/11).

Now, they are trying to make up that shortfall by jeopardizing the safety and reliability of bus service by forcing their bus drivers and mechanics to bear the brunt of the consequences. Cutting wages and benefits will make it difficult to retain and attract the experienced drivers who have provided Capital Metro with dependable service for so many years.

Who will bear the greatest cost now? Passengers, who rely on public transportation to get them safely to and from work and around the city each and every day. Capital Metro has already had problems with one of its other contractors failing to maintain buses properly (The Daily Texan 6/22/10). And bus drivers who are paid low-wages are often forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. The result is fatigued, over-worked drivers. Just this Spring, dozens of innocent passengers in cities across the U.S. have been killed in accidents involving discount intercity bus carriers.

It's time to hold Capital Metro accountable for their poor financial management of the system. It's time for Capital Metro to honor their commitment to the community to provide safe and reliable public transportation.

KEEP YOUR PROMISES, CAP METRO-HIRE, HONOR AND NEGOTIATE!
Make Cap Metro's contractor hire the entire current work force, honor existing working conditions and negotiate a fair CBA with ATU Local 1091.

MORE INFORMATION:
http://atu.org
http://transportationnation.org/2011/06/17/more-for-bus-drivers-will-mean-fewer-deadly-crashes-report/

ATU Local #1091 Headquarters 725 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78702 Telephone: 512.386.6485/Fax: 512.386.7183 E-mail: atu1091secretary@msn.com