ABQ Transit Drivers Escalate Calls for Safety with Sunday 10/6 PICKET
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As Citizens Speak Out with ‘Claims of Safety’ Berry Administration ?Shows Little Sign They’re Taking Driver Grievances Seriously

October 1 saw yet another incident involving an inebriated and aggressive passenger aboard an ABQ Ride bus. This time, passengers and the driver were fortunate that ABQ Ride Transit Security Officers were close by and able to intervene.

With transit security officers cut by 50% in recent years and the Albuquerque Police Department also dangerously understaffed, drivers report response times during an emergency can take 20 minutes or more.

“Confrontations involving passengers can escalate to violence in a matter of minutes.” Said Phillip Torres, AFSCME Local 624 transit safety committee (ATSC) member.

A policy preventing drivers from leaving their seat to confront violent passengers has left many of them in a pickle. Drivers are supposed to be primarily concerned with the dangers outside the bus (traffic and distracted drivers) however, they take the safety of their passengers seriously. When an aggressive person boards a bus and accosts passengers, drivers are forced to choose between following policy or protecting a passenger.

“I’ve witnessed a driver who left her seat to get a belligerent drunk passenger off the bus,” said Janice Morgan, a daily ABQ Ride passenger. “The driver ended up being disciplined themselves.”

Drivers have criticized the administration for failing to respond to a May 2013 report prepared by drivers and presented to the administration and city council. This report identified trouble spots and offered solutions to the problems drivers were dealing with.

Since the report was first released, a rash of assaults on both passengers and drivers have escalated the situation. ABQ Ride drivers and their families are now regularly holding informational pickets at transit centers. Another larger public action is planned for this Sunday from 1-2 pm at the corner of San Mateo and Central Ave.

Last Friday, September 27, ATSC members met with Albuquerque’s Transit Director Bruce Rizzieri, to discuss current safety issues and troubleshoot solutions

Dangerously low staffing levels at ABQ Transit Security and APD aren’t the only problems identified. Supervisor and assistant director positions are down by approximately a dozen. This, according to Rizzieri, makes it difficult to carry out trainings for drivers. Rizzieri also expressed concern that the city may have to pay drivers overtime to attend trainings.

“We’re demanding increased security on buses and training for drivers on how to de-escalate violent encounters,” said ATSC Chair Elizabeth Maestes. “We need thorough and updated standard operating procedures [SOP] to help guide drivers in dealing with violent or other hazardous incidents on our buses.”

“I received a copy of the standard operating procedures over 10 years ago. To my knowledge, they haven’t been updated or redistributed since that time,” said Kim Ritchey, ATSC member. “Times have changed and things are more dangerous, our policies should reflect that.”

Ritchey’s claim is backed up by lifelong ABQ Ride passenger, James Graham. “I ride the bus 500 times a year. I never feel safe coming down Central or San Mateo in the afternoon. The stuff drivers have to deal with is outrageous, especially the women drivers. [Aggressive] passengers are much more dangerous than they used to be, quick to anger, quick to agitate.”


AFSCME’s transit safety committee also plans to spearhead an effort at the state level to increase penalties for people who assault transit operators. New Mexico law currently provides stiffer penalties only for perpetrators who injure drivers while attempting to hijack a bus. 

“At the end of the day, bus drivers can’t change the social, economic, or mental well-being of our fellow citizens. What we can do is tell our bosses what makes a public transit system work. We can demand that the Berry Administration deal with reality and invest public resources quickly, now, to save our city’s transit system,” concludes Maestes.

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ABQ Ride [KUNM Radio Segment] 10-7-2013

Listen to Local President / Grant County Sheriff's Dept. Manny Maldonado and AFSCME Council 18 Communications Miles Conway discussing 60th Anniversary of Salt of the Earth

Salt of the Earth / on KGNU - Corriente - 2014 - 03 - 11

Following years of unaddressed grievances and safety concerns, City of Albuquerque Transit Officers will hold a press conference Monday describing issues leading to a unanimous vote of no confidence (VNC) against Superintendent Clarence E Decker and Lt. John F. Baker. 
Transit Officers are a component of Albuquerque’s public safety system. Officers do not carry firearms, but are called upon to engage and intervene in violent confrontations on City Buses. “The work is very dangerous and stressful, but we’re part of the safety net for Albuquerque citizens,” said AFSMCE Local 1888 President and Transit Officer Judy Garcia. “Management’s flippant disregard for officer safety and refusal to run our division professionally is extremely frustrating.”
AFSCME Local 1888 Transit Officers unanimously voted no confidence in June ’12 but had reached out to management and requested improvements in operations one last time before going public with the vote of no confidence. 
“We’re asking the City Council to form an investigatory committee with subpoena power, review recorded video testimony from previous investigations and all financials of the transit security division,” said AFSCME Staff Representative Rocky Gutierrez. “The City needs to perform a new round of interviews. Following that, we’re confidant the evidence will compel the City to replace current management and develop much needed policies.”
Management was given copies of the VNC, but waited over six months before responding in writing with follow-up questions failing to address more serious allegations.  
“Sadly, Lt. Baker and Superintendent Decker chose to double down following the employees motion,” said Garcia. “We’re contending with systematic retaliation against career employees for speaking out, they’ve deliberately made matters worse in a number of ways. Over half of the Officers were placed on malicious ‘performance improvement plans‘ immediately following the vote of no confidence. This has forced the union’s hand, we’re in battle to protect Officer’s basic rights and dignity.”
The VNC calls out Lt Baker and Superintendent Decker for harassment, abuse of power, demeaning conduct and unprofessional behavior towards their employees, disregard for public safety, and punitive violations of the collective bargaining agreement. Officers allege misappropriation of public funds at the hands of Baker and Decker. The motion goes further and demands Officers are transferred out of the division should issues continue unaddressed.
“Taking a step of this magnitude is not something a work group takes lightly,” adds AFSCME Staff Representative Rocky Gutierrez. “The level to which management has failed their employees and the public is so great that we have real concern officers could be seriously injured or worse.” 
Transit Officers will hold the press conference on April 1, 2013, at 4:30 pm, directly outside Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers, basement level of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center, One Civic Plaza.
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AFSCME Local 1888 / Albuquerque Transit Security Go Public with Vote of No Confidence

Headline: Jason Davis: Union-Made Member in the Spotlight

Caption: The Davis family sat down to speak on work, family, and how union ties them together

Jason Davis, AFSCME Steward and Electrical Inspector for New Mexico’s Regulation and Licensing Department is a union man of over twenty years, building on three generations of union roots in his family. (Read more about Jason Davis’s struggle to protect his union rights at RLD (AFSCME18.org - RLD Doubles Down on Bad Behavior)

Brother Davis invited us to his home in Moriarty, NM. Less than an hour east of Albuquerque it feels worlds away. Families in Moriarty (pop. 1910) still run livestock, plant crops on their land, wave to passers by, and expect a wave in return.  

Davis begins work before the sun rises and often returns home long after it has set, driving up to 6,000 miles a month inspecting electrical projects and ensuring that New Mexico citizens and industry are operating safely. He offers solutions and assistance to businesses and private citizens navigating New Mexico’s robust building codes. “In some neighboring states, like Texas, they don’t have high level regulations in place. We encounter less safety and construction quality when those out of state contractors operate in New Mexico,” says Davis. 

When Jason does finally return home, after clocking many hundreds of miles in his state vehicle, it’s not time for hobbies or putting up his feet to watch the game on TV. Helping with daughter Michaela’s homework, seeing to household chores, and primarily attending to son Jeremy’s needs come first. 

Jason met his wife Mary in ’89, when they both worked at an Albertson’s Grocery. Mary was a 10-year UFCW Local 1564 member before leaving to care for their children full time. Mary maintains their impeccable home decorated with a great collection of New Mexico Folk Art. Mary puts a lot of love into her outdoor garden as well, coaxing flowers and trees to flourish out of New Mexico’s windswept prairie.

Daughter Michaela, a high school sophomore, is a fighter like her dad. She plays guitar, sings, and participates in high school drama productions all while staying at the top of her class on the honor roll. Mom Mary confirms, “Michaela is live-in IT support for the family.”

The Davises have an adult son with Cerebral Palsy, a challenging developmental disability confining Jeremy to a wheel chair without typical abilities to communicate most take for granted. Still, Jeremy’s clear eyes and visible happiness are a testament to the hours of hard work and dedication from Mom, Dad, and Sister to ensure a good quality of life for Jeremy. 

While nonverbal, “Jeremy is vocal, he communicates as best he can,” says Davis. Still, when he doesn’t feel well, Jeremy and his family have to use a series of yes and no questions to identify what is bothering him, with Jeremy looking up for ‘yes’ and down for ‘no’.  

“On top of the physical challenges,” says Davis, “you also have the political ones. One of our biggest challenges is the Medicaid / Developmental Disability (DD) Waiver system itself. Since 2007 DD waiver services have been cut year after year.  In the last couple years, while the State Legislators have tried to increase budgetary funding into the DD Waiver System, management has wasted money trying to "overhaul" and "fix" the system.” 

While the media has given plenty of attention to efforts toward change in social services, there is little attention given to negative side effects. According to Davis the State has paid out-of-state contractors hundreds of thousands of dollars in money intended for the DD waiver community to assess and define service needs. This has resulted in 30% cuts to benefits and services for those who need it the most.

Families’ issues like ours don’t receive the greatest media attention, so it’s difficult to make our voices heard in state and federal politics,” concludes Davis.

Thank you to Jason Davis and Family for opening their home and sharing their story.  Jason Davis and his family are the true face of AFSCME Union members and working America. Real people, walking the good road, overcoming whatever obstacles life throws in their path. 



AFSCME 18: Union-Made Member Spotlight Jason Davis

"100 Years of Corridos, a Psalm for the New Mexico Centennial", Poet Laureate of Albuquerque, Hakim Bellamy addresses an enthralled crowd of AFSCME Union members during the Biennial Convention on June 21st at the Hotel Albuquerque

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