Deke's Note: As promised, here is another of hopefully several Q&A sessions with the candidates for election as Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757's President and Vice President in the upcoming election. Each was given a list of five identical questions as an opportunity to discuss our local with its voting members.
My next guest on this blog is Kevin Kinoshita, a candidate for ATU757 President.
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| Kevin Kinoshita |
1) Please briefly introduce yourself to the membership. How long have you been a transit employee and in what capacity?
My name is Kevin Kinoshita I’ve been at TRI-MET for 30 years. I’ve been a Shop Steward, Executive Board Officer, Interim Financial Secretary, and Vice-President for ATU 757. I also represented Region 2 paratransit at Merlo when their union officer got terminated. I’ve been in transit for 34 years first starting off in the airline industry for passenger and cargo airlines and then started working at TriMet at the same time. I’ve done baggage handling, cargo loading, lead person, cleaned busses and shelters, diesel apprentice, diesel journeyman, senior mechanic, safety committee member for maintenance and transportation, Apprentice committee member, negotiation member since 2003.
2) What are your unique skills and experience which make you a logical choice for the office you are seeking?
I have been doing these jobs for the union for the past 20+ years, arbitrations, un-fair labor practices, grievances, organizing new properties, testified at board meetings, testified before politicians, BOLI complaints. I’ve been bargaining and representing members from transportation, paratransit, public safety, IT departments, maintenance, sign installers, salaried employees.
3) In these post-Janus times when union-eligible workers can "opt out" of their union, how do you plan to retain them and grow our membership?
A lot of Janus is educating and showing members who “opt out” what this union does for the membership. A lot of times its rumors, members not knowing what this union does, prepare them for the Freedom Foundation frequent mailings, as well as ask other unions what they are doing. We aren’t the only ones with members opting out.
4) Is management adequately addressing our safety? What do you think can be done to provide a safer work environment?
I believe management is addressing “some” of the safety issues, here are some examples: the screen monitors are in all of the busses, adding the cameras mounted on the trailers recently at certain locations, adding another prosecuting attorney to help with the DA, adding 6 union employees in the SOC. There is a lot more that can be done, years ago we had the NE Coalition group that would ride busses and assist on troubled lines, we had our own transit police. There’s not one solution that will fix on having a safer working environment, this issue needs a lot of attention with realistic solutions. When the public don’t feel safe none of our members are safe out there, this is not just a TriMet problem
5) Please share your added opinions on a topic which has not been covered in my previous questions.
Our technology is forever changing, we as ATU 757 needs to keep up with that in contractual language. Most of our smaller properties are starting to get electric busses and the OEM have not come up with standards for safety in the workplace, I’m working with other locals and the international to come up with standard practices for safety, hydrogen is also being talked about and we need to be at the forefront, just to the north of us they are talks about building a hydrogen plant at a former steel mill. Electric busses are not cutting it and you’ll see more hydrogen busses in the future.
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