After a first meeting proved fruitful, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to meet again Wednesday with Chicago Transit Authority officials and union representatives in an effort resolve the stalemate that exists between them, in the wake of the massive C
After a first meeting proved fruitful, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to meet again Wednesday with Chicago Transit Authority officials and union representatives in an effort resolve the stalemate that exists between them, in the wake of the massive CTA layoff earlier this month. “People need their jobs and the community needs their service restored and as long as everyone is pointing the finger the stalemate will go on,” Jackson, founder and executive director of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, told the Defender. “The issue of transportation affects other facets of people’s lives. It affects safety, education and health care. It affects people’s livelihoods.” On Feb. 7, CTA reduced train and bus services and laid off 1,057 employees to makeup a $95 million budget shortfall. And transit officials said it is not much it can do to reverse the service cuts and bring back laid off employees. The agency’s 2010 budget is $1.28 billion. Previously, CTA President Richard Rodriguez said despite efforts on the transit agency’s part, it was unable to reach an agreement with the unions to prevent layoffs. “Because nearly 90 percent of CTA’s workforce is unionized, we have tried to work with the labor unions to implement cost-saving measures to help scale back service reductions,” Rodriguez explained. “Unfortunately, CTA has been unable to reach an agreement with the unions.” But Jackson said rather than the unions give back more than they can afford, a government bailout would be more feasible. “The government bailed out Wall Street, why not urban America?” he said. “There must be fair negotiations and better solutions to the budget deficit.” According to Noelle Gaffney, a spokeswoman for the CTA, 65.7 percent of its employees are Black. Black riders on the South and West Sides have complained that the service cuts were targeted for their areas and now they must wait longer for buses and trains. South Side riders are subsidizing transportation for North Side riders, Jackson said. “The Red Line should go all the way south to Altgeld Gardens (public housing complex),” he added. “But instead of concentrating on extending the Red Line there are talks about high speed rail. Why build a new rail system from Chicago to St. Louis without (first) fixing service to 63rd Street?” Illinois recently received a $1.1 billion federal grant to build high speed. Ridership for the CTA, both buses and train, in 2009 was 521.2 million, a decrease of 1 percent (5.1 million rides) over 2008. CTA had projected 2009 ridership at 517.4 rides. However, rail ridership was up at 202.6 million for 2009, an increase of 2.2 percent or 4.4 million rides, compared to 2008. And bus ridership in 2009 actually went down to 318.7 million, a 2.9 percent decrease from 2008.
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