EDITORIAL: Port Authority and Local 85 should reach compromise

‘ ‘ ‘ Come Dec. 1, it is likely that Allegheny County residents who rely on buses to get from… ‘ ‘ ‘ Come Dec. 1, it is likely that Allegheny County residents who rely on buses to get from place to place will have to find another means of transportation. ‘ ‘ ‘ Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, the union representing Port Authority transit workers, said a strike is possible starting on Dec. 1 if the Port Authority imposes its own contract on union workers. Local 85 and the Port Authority have been butting heads ever since the old labor contract expired last July. Local 85 has scheduled a meeting Nov. 23 to discuss possibilities in solving the labor disagreement. ‘ ‘ ‘ Describing the Port Authority contract as a lockout, the union President-Business Agent Pat McMahon told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that in imposing its own contract, ‘the Port Authority is taking action that is illegal.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland refuted McMahon’s claim. ‘We’re offering them excellent pay and benefits, and we’re leaving the doors open, so how can that be called a lockout?’ Bland told the Post-Gazette. ‘ ‘ ‘ Part of the problem is Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato’s decision to withhold funds from the Port Authority. About $27 million in county funds from the alcoholic drink and car rental taxes are being withheld. Onorato said, according to the Post-Gazette, that he feared the funds would serve as a ‘Band-Aid’ that wouldn’t help the Port Authority in the long-term. ‘ ‘ ‘ The attempt to resolve the conflict soon is an essential and positive first step in preventing a strike and in ensuring that both sides understand each other’s qualms. Port Authority workers have long been frustrated with the current uncertain situation. If they go on strike, thousands of Allegheny County residents will be impacted immediately. According to the Post-Gazette, 230,000 people ride the buses every day. ‘ ‘ ‘ A strike could also negatively affect businesses and schools. It could hurt the state’s economy and, in the worst-case scenario, threaten the Port Authority’s existence as a whole. ‘ ‘ ‘ Indeed, the consequences of a strike are endless. Both Local 85 and the Port Authority should take this into consideration and do everything in their power to prevent a work stoppage. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt may also be able to do its part in ensuring a strike does not occur. After all, the University has much clout in influencing the Port Authority, as it invests close to $300,000 every month, partly made up of student fees, for the discounted ride service available to all Pitt affiliates. ‘ ‘ ‘ In the unfortunate event that a strike does occur, however, Pitt pledges to provide its students with alternatives, including an expanded campus shuttle system, Park and Ride shuttles and neighborhood buses to Edgewood, Homewood, Highland Park and Wilkinsburg. ‘ ‘ ‘ But not all Allegheny County residents can benefit from such alternatives, which is why Local 85 and the Port Authority should do their best to prevent a strike. Though it might take concessions from both parties to forge a compromise, on Nov. 23,, both parties should work together and negotiate a solution.