Schabarum Pushes for Backup in RTD Strike

Supervisor Pete Schabarum, the conservative new chairman of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, is pushing a politically volatile plan to put privately operated buses on the streets in the event of a strike by RTD bus drivers.

Union officials Wednesday sharply attacked the proposal, warning that use of “scab” drivers during a walkout could lead to violence.

Many transit officials are predicting a strike later this year because of disputes over transit union contract provisions that have contributed to high absenteeism and other costly problems.

If there is a strike, the Schabarum-backed proposal would allow the commission, which controls the purse strings for the Southern California Rapid Transit District, to divert millions of dollars from the RTD to municipal bus systems and private bus companies so that a basic network of transit service could be maintained.

Work Stoppage

Schabarum said he wants the commission to begin planning for replacement bus service, because a work stoppage would victimize hundreds of thousands of transit-dependent commuters.

“Historically . . . the bus drivers union has chosen to leave the public without public transportation,” said Schabarum, referring to five RTD drivers’ strikes in the last 15 years.

Commission sources said Schabarum may be able to get the six votes he needs to approve the policy, which could come before the full commission as early as next week. However, actually implementing the policy during a strike would require another vote, one that would be far less likely to carry, some commissioners said.

But even preparation of a replacement service plan would be a serious setback for the drivers and two other major unions and undermine their bargaining position going into this spring’s negotiations for new multiyear contracts.

“This is strike-breaking,” said Earl Clark, general chairman of the 5,000-member RTD drivers union. “They are saying you either yield to us at the bargaining table or we’re going to run a bunch of scabs. . . .

“I think it could cause a hell of a lot of problems. There could be violence on the buses.”

Clark said the union would lobby hard to defeat the proposal.

There was mixed reaction to the proposal among other commissioners. Santa Monica City Councilwoman Christine Reed said, “I’m inclined to support it . . . from the view of the transit-dependent, it makes some sense.”

But Rancho Palos Verdes Councilwoman Jacki Bacharach said, “It’s really dynamite. We have to take our time and know what we are doing.”

Los Angeles Councilman Michael Woo, normally an ally of the bus drivers on the commission, said he was not prepared to comment. Mayor Tom Bradley, another union supporter who appoints two commission members, also has not voiced an opinion, Deputy Mayor Michael Gage said.

The proposal to put service on the streets during a strike will be one of the first major tests of Schabarum’s controversial agenda, which calls for the commission to be more aggressive in controlling RTD expenses by demanding concessions from unions and turning more routes over to lower-cost private bus companies.

Adoption of the replacement service policy would signal that the commission “has become more concerned about getting a good value for its scarce transportation dollars,” Schabarum said. “If (RTD officials) can’t get enough skill together to manage those dollars, the Transportation Commission may want to assist them in their job.”