Deke's Note: It's been a long night, but here you go. The next guest post goes to ATU757 Candidate for President, Bruce Hansen.
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| Bruce Hansen |
1) Please briefly introduce yourself to the membership. How long have you been a transit employee and in what capacity?
My name is Bruce Hansen I’ve been a member of this local for 33 years. I am married and I have two sons. My wife is a former Union President of her local and served on the state board for her Union. My youngest son is a member of local 555, my oldest son was a member of his Union before he moved out of state. So, you can see Union is an important part of my family and my daily life.
I started as a school bus driver for Laidlaw Portland yard, then in 1992 came TriMet as a bus operator. I’ve held the position of Executive Board Officer for Merlo (2007-2009), and Safety committee for TriMet. I previously held the office of President for ATU757 in 2012-2015.
I’ve remained an active member on the accident appeals and reviews boards since 2007, I also sit on the SCIT team (security, continuous improvement team).
2) What are your unique skills and experience which make you a logical choice for the office you are seeking?
I am seeking the office of President and I hold the following unique skills that make me the best candidate for this position. I am proud to have the unique skill to listen to the members and comprehend what they are saying and translate that into actions. I have the ability to listen to all members and give them the respect and time they all deserve. My ability to step right in and do the best job for all of the members. My door has and will always be open. I will stand up and fight for all members' rights. I will not back down when meeting with the agencies, whether we are in bargaining or fighting a grievance.
I will meet with the media and present the members point of view. I will stand up and fight back.
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?
One thing I’ve found since Janus, is the employees need to understand the importance, history, and benefits of being a UNION member. Once they understand that they make strong members. I will take the time needed to explain the value of a Union membership to all existing and potential members.
4) Is management adequately addressing our safety? What do you think can be done to provide a safer work environment?
NO, I do not think that management is fully addressing our safety.
The media will play a very important role in solving the safety issues we are facing. We need to inform the public and utilize the local media to educate the general public that we will not stand by while our members are assaulted or harmed in any way. The public must be told the truth about the lack of support our members get from management.
We will work with local, state and federal politicians to change legislation and strengthen laws to support transit workers. We will also work with local prosecutors to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone assaulting a transit worker.
Other ways to make our workplace safer is to strengthen our contracts and to add language to provide adequate time off when assaulted and other safety supports.
5) Please share your added opinions on a topic which has not been covered in my previous questions.
Media, We have under-utilized the media and the process in getting our story out to the public. I would reopen this relationship and rebuild a better communication with our local media as I have previously.
I have many other thoughts and ideas. If anyone has any further questions or would like to have a conversation with me, please reach out to me at bruce_merlo@icloud.com. I am happy to have a conversation with anyone.
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