Assembly Committee OKs Transit Zone Legislation

Legislation that could hinder creation of a separate San Fernando Valley bus transit zone by requiring that workers be paid the same as those with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cleared a key Assembly committee Monday.

The bill by state Sen. Kevin Murray (D-Culver City) and co-sponsored by a host of influential Democrats including Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), would require any new transit zone within the MTA’s coverage area to honor the terms and conditions of collective-bargaining agreements reached between the MTA and labor unions.

It was approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday on a 10-7 vote split along party lines, with Republicans dissenting, said Murray aide Rod Brewer.

The bill, approved by the Senate last month, is now scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee before going to the full Assembly.

Many Valley business leaders and groups--including the powerful Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.--contend the bill is a poison pill for a new transit zone because it would remove the easiest way to make such a zone cost less: employing drivers and mechanics at lower wages.

Supporters of the bill argue that a Valley transit zone would still be possible if it passed--just not at the expense of bus workers. They believe there are numerous ways to save money without cutting workers’ benefits, primarily by slashing administrative costs.

Foothill Transit, which runs bus lines in the San Gabriel Valley and is often held up as a model of what would be possible under a Valley transit zone, is widely credited with providing better bus service than the MTA at substantially lower prices--due in large part to significantly lower labor costs.

A report by a consultant to the city of Los Angeles last year found that a separate agency to manage the MTA’s bus lines in the Valley could operate more cheaply and still run more buses, but only if it broke away from the MTA’s union contracts and privatized operations.

Former Assemblyman Richard Katz, who is part of VICA’s transportation committee, said the issue is not just about current union contracts, but who would be in charge of future negotiations. Opponents of the bill said they would support grandfathering-in of all existing MTA workers in negotiations last week, but the two sides still failed to find common ground.

“The real issue is, [labor leaders] feel that if a public entity is in charge, that is better for them than dealing with a private company,” Katz said.