It looks like Metro will be saved from having to make any cuts in service thanks to a $20 fee assessed to car tabs.

The County Council has enough votes to get a Super Majority, so the measure won't have to face voters in the coming election.

I find the whole thing laughable especially when i think back to the Torchlight Parade watching a brand new Red Express bus roll down the street as an introduction to the public.

This from a regular rider of a Community Transit Commuter Route....where we went through cuts last year and face another 20% in cuts this coming February.

There is many things in Metro's budget that could have been slashed...the new bus, The stop announcement systems, etc. But when it comes down to it, the powers that be always bring out cuts that will affect the most people playing upon the emotions of the public.

Seattle Times

Another reason I am glad I live just north of the county line .. . . .

GDMF'RS!!

I don't know how true it is...but I have heard there are Bus Drivers making $70,000 a year...Really????

How does one think that is OK? What special training or education did these drivers have to undergo in order to explain that salary? What none, just seniority you say?

If ever a salary cap was needed....

Sorry I see nothing wrong with 70K.


They were also taking about another $80 on top of that $20, what ever happen to that??

It BURNS!!!!!!!!....Aunty M it BURNS!!!!


Iwanttofish...The $80 is proposed by Seattle.

"What special training or education did these CEO's have to undergo in order to explain that salary?"

This is about a governmental agency that is funded by taxpayers. In this case taxpayers that do not (normally) utilize the services of Metro are being charged a $20 fee in order to fund Metro even further.

I think comparing a public employee that drives a bus to a CEO of a private company is asinine. A CEO is responsible to his shareholders, and more often than not has at the very least a Bachelor's Degree.

Do I agree that CEO's deserve astronomical salaries and benefits? Probably not, but I also think the person behind the wheel of a bus shouldn't be making $70,000 either.

For the record, i am glad I live North of the county line too.

If you guys want to see bad wages check out the article in the Bellingham herald and the Olympian.


http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/10/2137204/hes-no-1-uw-football-coach-steve.html


So what should we bust drivers down to, about 35K??

The UW head football coach being the highest paid state employee is old news...been that way for a long time, over many coaches.

Not that I condone that, but the UW football program actually brings in money, so it's hard to compare it to other state programs.

Fish on...

Todd

A quote from the story you linked to:

'"The report notes that UW and WSU athletic department staff are not paid by taxpayer dollars because the departments are self-supporting. And university researchers, who are also at the top of the list, are paid through research grants, not taxes or tuition.'

Overtime inflates the yearly takehome pay. I remeber about 6 years ago there was a story about the Metro bus drivers complaining about not getting any raises for the last 4 years, all they got was cost of living increases.

Those poor deprived metro people , I haven't seen anything, not even COL since 03

Some are making 125k and more with OT.

Remember that study conducted by the right-leaning Washington Policy Center that pointed to some of the allegedly exorbitant salaries being pulled down by some King County METRO employees? Well, this morning, Amalgamated Transit Union President Paul Bachtel and the rest of the METRO union leadership invited reporters for a sit-down to discuss, among other things, how the Center's findings are misleading.

Probably the most brow-raising item in the report is the Center's claim that 20 King County Metro drivers are, with overtime, pulling down more than $100,000 per year, with another 243 making $75,000.

Those numbers don't include the total amount in benefits each driver receives from the county. Meanwhile, the Metro shareholders taskforce is projecting declining sales-tax induced budget shortfall of $600 million over the next three years.

The union doesn't dispute those findings per se. But Bachtel says that the report glosses over a few important details, like the cost of inflation, which according to the union has risen 27.4 percent in King County since 2000.

A driver at the top of the department pay scale makes $28.47 an hour. According to numbers compiled by the Metro stakeholder's task force, King County bus drivers are among the top three best paid in the nation.

But it takes an average of six years to get to reach the top pay tier, says Bachtel. And even at that rate, a driver would have to work 936 hours of overtime in a year to break $100,000. Few opt to work that much, says the union. And those that do work 7 days a week in conditions that sometimes force them to forgo potty breaks and deal with sometimes unruly passengers.

The union is currently in negotiations with the County on its next contract. Neither Bachtel or King County spokesperson Frank Abe will disclose details of the negotiations. The current contract expires October 31.

I like how the first people Conservatives want to fvck are the working stiffs and not the administrators.

Gives me the warm fuzzies.

I have long held a very unpopular opinion about use of the roads and ever increasing traffic and taxes that also seem to increase every year.
I don't believe in the mass transit programs that NEVER pay for themselves. It is great that you want to take yourself and your vehicle out of the driving masses. But why should I or any other driver be paying to allow you to do that? I think the cost of the trip should be enough to cover the actual cost of the ride. I see most of the transit buses at least half to 3/4 empty on most days. I realize this would make it very expensive to commute to work for some people. Not my problem. Move or get a job that is closer to where you live. If you looked at the infrastrucure of the transis system, you would see that it is like any other government agency. The ratio is always about 1 supervisor of some sort to every 4-5 employees. If it takes this much supervision,get better supervisors or more efficient employees.
If you live on an island and use the ferries, you should have to pay what it actually cost for the trip. I keep hearing people say they own a car and pay for licensing and gas taxes and so on. They think this covers the cost of the ferry rides. Wrong. You pay to drive the roads and use the bridges. Why should I pay for your boar ride? Move.
Ranting over.

Laterun,

I used to think like you regarding public transit, that the price of the ride should cover the cost of the ride. Problem is, at that price, many to most of those riders would choose to drive instead, making traffic congestion that much worse - for you and me. At some point there is a cost balance of what it's worth to me to have fewer cars on the road when I'm trying to get to work. It's convoluted to be sure, but most people can see that increasing traffic congestion does not look like any kind of desirable alternative, let alone a solution.

Whether bus drivers are paid too much probably depends on whether the transit agency can get equally qualified and skilled drivers at less cost. In the present economy it's almost a certainty. Therefore the union ought to consider that in their contract negotiations.

Sg

The ferries are part of the state highway system. To your way of thinking about it, why should I pay for highway maintainance near Spokane?

Salmo, I have to admit my post was a pot stirrer. I full realize the implications of cutting the existing mass transit programs. I just wish that, like most all Government run programs ,that they would have to live within a budget. It is past time that whenever the directors of these programs are shown the door when they are over budget and give someone else the job. Doing a poor job in Government is almost a sure fire way to get promoted out of that management position and into another. I don't blame the drivers for the mess. They are just working stiff like most of us. Maybe the system needs to be privatized.