Unemployed call for MTA to speed up transit plans and create jobs
Leilani Albano | 8-17-2010 | Comments |
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Los Angeles is known for its vibrant car culture — and for all the problems that come along with it, such as air pollution and congestion. Twelve transit projects are underway to provide relief for commuters. But transit officials say that may take up to three decades to complete.Thousands of labor union members gathered in front of downtown City Hall on Friday to show their support for a plan that would speed up construction of the transit projects and create much-needed jobs.
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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was on hand to show his support.
"It’s efficient, it’s smart, it’s strategic," said Trumka. "It accelerates 12 key construction projects. And it gets started now. And it will put our people back to work."
Workers from several job sectors showed up for the afternoon rally. 3,500 letter carriers showed their solidarity with workers in the construction industry, who are facing a 40 percent jobless rate.
Carlos Aguirre, an unemployed worker with the Laborers International Union of North America, Local 300, says he just wants a job.
"I have been working in construction for four years and now I find myself unemployed," said Aguirre. "If I can have a secure job for 10 years, it would change my life and I can provide for my family. We are trained and we want our leaders to put us back to work."
Under the "30/10 Plan" the LA Metropolitan Transportation Authority would borrow $9 billion in loans from the federal government as a way to jump start construction of the transit lines.
Funding for the projects would come from stimulus funds earmarked for Measure R, a voter-approved half-cent sales tax that raises $40 billion for local transportation. Labor leaders say the plan will create 160,000 construction jobs, including 2,800 permanent positions. "In June, there were 747,000 people in Los Angeles alone looking for work," said Trumka. "That’s not acceptable. And there’s only way to rebuild America and that’s with jobs. Good jobs."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — a Board member with the MTA, says the plan isn’t just good for the economy, it’s also good for the environment.
"If we accelerate Measure R, we will save 10 million gallons of gas," said Villaraigosa. "We’ll reduce air contaminants in our air by 500,000 tons."
30-10 is backed by several LA city council members, business groups, unions and environmentalists. But not everybody backs the plan.
"We don’t think that 30-10 will be good for Los Angeles," said Esperanza Martinez, lead organizer for the Bus Riders’ Union.
The social justice group recently sent a letter to Congress, asking them to reject the 30-10 plan measure. Martinez says that while the proposal creates jobs, it would do little for bus riders — a vast majority of whom make up MTA’s ridership.
"We would pose a challenge to the labor movement and environmentalists who are seeing 30-10, which is supposed to be a transportation program , as only a jobs program," said Martinez.
MTA was placed under a federal consent decree from 1996 to 2006 for violating the civil rights of bus riders by severely underfunding the bus system and overspending on rail. The Bus Riders Union says the 30/10 Plan would essentially be committing the same offenses by using up most of Measure R funding towards rail construction.
"Are we willing to build jobs at the cost of massive civil rights violations?" said Martinez.
The BRU also fears that the proposal would get caught up in cost overruns — like past MTA rail projects — and use up the remaining bus funds for rail.
Martinez says that would be unfair for bus riders — who will face 14 price hikes for the next 30 years.
"My grandkid’s grandkids will probably be paying that off," said Martinez.
But despite objections from the Bus Riders Union, LA County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary Maria Elena Durazo says the labor council will continue to push the 30-10 plan.
"Two-thirds voted to approve a half-cent sales increase in order to build public transit in this county," said Durazo. "That’s what we’re looking to accelerate with the 30-10 initiative."
Tags: 30-10 bus riders' union jobs los angeles mta public transit public transportation rail subway train transportation