WMATA Transit Elevator/Escalator Apprenticeship Graduates: Moving to a Future of Excellence and Pride
On August 26, 2016, WMATA graduated five individuals from their elevator-escalator apprenticeship program: Andy Cardwell, Sherman Jones, Ebisu Dinqu, Howard Mintz, and Bryan Moats. The WMATA elevator-escalator apprenticeship program was formed in 2001 in partnership with ATU Local 689 to maintain the over 900 elevators and escalators run by the organization. The apprenticeship program is an 8,000 hour training program consisting of classroom instruction and On-the-Job (OJT) training. In addition, apprentices must pass a comprehensive written and practical exam required by the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities (NAESA). Graduates in attendance had a score of 94% on the NAESA and they experienced zero safety infractions throughout the 4 year apprenticeship program. To date, the apprenticeship has graduated 119 individuals - 79% of them are still employed with WMATA.
It was expressed at the ceremony that elevator-escalator is the one department that consistently has the highest and steadiest performance indicators. It was also noted that the successful apprenticeship program and retention of apprenticeship completes has been crucial to the success of the elevator-escalator department. WMATA has consistently participated in the Center's Elevator-Escalator Consortium program to provide courseware for transit elevator-escalator technicians which puts a high emphasis on adult learning styles and safety. This is the first group of individuals too successfully complete the program using this standardized courseware.
For more information on the Transit Elevator/Escalator Consortium:
Cincinnati's streetcar, also known as the Cincinnati Bell Connector, runs smoother than one of Metro's buses but operates in a similar manner. Reporters and other media got their first chance to ride the long-awaited new form of public transportation on Tuesday, boarding at the Washington Park stop near Music Hall. Click on the images below to see how it went.
Milagors Ruiz suffered an accident two years ago in one of the Metropolitano buses that wasn't specially equipped for wheelchairs. "I feel like I fulfill my mission after two years," concluded Milagros Ruiz - a 33-year-old journalist with a motor disability - after Indecopi ruled in her favor after a two year confrontation with Pro Transport and a Metropolitano operator.
Cambodia is seeking a budget of $800 million to develop an automated gateway transit (AGT) system following the completion of a year-long feasibility study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said Minister of Transport Sun Chanthol yesterday. "The feasibility study of the AGT project conducted by JICA, that took a year, is already completed. We need to study it further to determine whether we want to give the project to the private sector to develop or seek grant money to develop it in partnership with others," said Mr. Chanthol in a seminar on technical cooperation in the transport sector.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh yesterday came out swinging against the MBTA for weighing the privatization of core functions such as bus routes and maintenance, calling it a "mistake" that could pave the way to widespread outsourcing at the cash-strapped agency. "It's a slippery slope. It's a dangerous way to go," Walsh told reporters after speaking to a pro-labor crowd at the Greater Boston Labor Council's annual Labor Day breakfast. "When you talk about privatization, in an initial contract, it always seems like it's going to save money. Long-term it doesn't save money, the costs go up. I've had some conversations with the governor about this.
There are dozens of MBTA apps out there for commuters. But now, only one - the aptly named Transit App - has the agency's official endorsement. As we previously reported, the T says officially endorsing one app will help improve service. The idea is that by having more people use one app, the agency will have access to more data on transit conditions through its partnership with the app company.
One of the biggest problems with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system is the high amount of urine stench in elevators. Yes, humans do urinate in elevators, and it has become too much of an issue to ignore. A new strategy has risen to eliminate the stench of urine inside elevators, and it involves an interesting spray that should be capable of destroying the scent of urine with bacteria-eating enzymes. The spray in question is called the "Urine-B-Gone System" and it is currently installed in the Civic Center Station.
Eating Enzymes to Deal with Urine Stench in Elevators
Pay for private-sector workers has barely budged over the past three and a half decades. In fact, for men in the private sector who lack a college degree and do not belong to a labor union, real wages today are substantially lower than they were in the late 1970s. In the debates over the causes of wage stagnation, the decline in union power has not received nearly as much attention as globalization, technological change, and the slowdown in Americans' educational attainment. Unions, especially in industries and regions where they are strong, help boost the wages of all workers by establishing pay and benefit standards that many nonunion firms adopt. But this union boost to nonunion pay has weakened as the share of private-sector workers in a union has fallen from 1 in 3 in the 1950s to about 1 in 20 today.
One August afternoon in 2009, 98 housekeepers across three Boston-area Hyatt Hotels were told they no longer had a job. The "Hyatt 100" were replaced by contracted employees who were hired to work through a temp agency for half the pay, without benefits, and with almost twice the workload. Organized protests and calls for reinstatement were supported by unions, religious and other organizations, then-Governor Patrick and other elected officials. The news spread to other cities leading to multiple canceled events scheduled at Hyatt Hotels in Boston and across the nation.
The national transportation bill, the national opioid epidemic and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership are crucial issues for the region, according to U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap. On Friday, LaHood visited Macomb and met with local leaders with regard to transportation concerns and his role in the legislative process to secure funding for the state from the federal government.
