Arizona’s Metro light rail operators waved picket signs and shouted, “boycott light rail” at the Central Station in Phoenix Thursday morning Oct 8, protesting layoffs.

Bob Bean, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433 said the Alternative Concept Inc., the company that manages the light rail notified four operators they will be laid off. This was effective midnight on Friday Oct 9.

They protested the lay offs because the light rail staff was already short-handed, Bean said.
“If they don’t have enough man power why are they laying four operators off,” he asked.

Metro light rail spokesperson Hillary Foose said the light rail gave ACI a deadline to cut staffing funds by Oct 9.

“We have to create cost efficiencies, she said.

Bean said supervisors have taken the place of missing operators. A supervisor’s job is to oversee the operators.

“Supervisors can’t touch the throttle of a train if there’s operators available,” Bean said and noted the four operators could have been available if they were not laid off.

Bean said using the supervisors instead of the operators is “a major contract violation.” It violates the federal mandate 13-C, which is an agreement with the City of Phoenix. He said if this mandate is violated, federal money for the city would be jeopardized.

Foose verified the terms of this agreement, but could not comment on whether the layoffs were in a breach of the agreement.

Bean said he believes ACI is trying to cut costs. “Supervisors are all salaried so they don’t have to pay them any overtime,” he said. Operators are paid by the hour.

There is nothing in the supervisor’s contract that limits how much they can work. “They’ll (ACI) work them (supervisors) 18 hours a day if they have to,” Bean said.

Foose noted Metro does not deal with workers’ contracts.

“They (ACI) certainly are the ones that signed the specifics of the agreement,” she said.

The four laid off operators left their jobs with Veolia Phoenix transport, as bus drivers, to work for the light rail. Bean said with Veolia the drivers had seniority with the company.

Veolia transport spokesperson, Valerie Michael said if the drivers had seniority “they would get benefits and pay increases.” She noted having seniority did not guarantee the drivers couldn’t have been laid off with Veolia.

Whether or not the operators could return to their jobs at Veolia is determined by the specific contract they signed with their local union.

According to Bean, they had a 90-day-drop-back period to return. This passed while they worked for the Metro for about eight months.

Bean said, General manager of ACI, Ron McKay, convinced the four operators to work for the light rail and leave their other jobs. “He promised to them the moon,” he said.

Bean has tried to contact ACI, and McKay to question them about their actions.

“By law they have to give me what I request,” he said. Not responding to Bean is a violation. Bean is charging them with this violation as well.