Foreign Contractor
The Southern California Regional Rail Authority took action on April 2 to give the maintenance work on the Metrolink system to a foreign contractor. That contractor has almost no experience in the type of work that they are proposing to do for Metrolink and currently does not even have a maintenance operation in the Los Angeles area. Their lack of experience showed in the fact that their score in the Technical Evaluation Committee report was much lower than that of the current Metrolink operator, Amtrak. Despite that report, the SCRRA decided to give more weight to qualifications based on price rather than on proficiency.
The current operator, Amtrak, employs a skilled, union work force and has an excellent safety record. The SCRRA is proposing to throw that skilled work force out in the street to bring in a low-paid, untried work force in order to boost the profit margin of a foreign corporation with our tax dollars. Is there something wrong with this picture? One can only hope that the full SCRRA board will take another look at it when it meets for a final vote on the matter tomorrow.
MIKE DAVIS
Vice General Chairman
Transportation Communication
Union, Los Angeles
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