What do you think of the proposed transit contract?

The tentative agreement between the Port Authority and bus-trolley operators union includes four wage increases within the 37 months of the proposed contract, in addition to incremental increases in the employee share of health-care premiums, a higher retirement age and lifetime health benefits for some older, more senior employees. [ Read PG story; read text of tentative agreement ]

What do you think of the proposed deal?

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 I think the Pittsburgh Transit Authority, like Transit Authorities all over the country, is populated with lazy, semi-literate, chronic underachievers whose pay and benefits far outweigh the good they do for society.  Ordinary people pay higher taxes so a bus driver can make $100,000 a year and retire on $75,000 a year.  Are you kidding me?  I say cut their pay in half.  They can go and do what I did - get an education, find a well-paying industry, and work hard.   

I think its an absolute JOKE!!!  My experience with "most" PAAC people are how rude and unfriendly they are...from purchasing passes/tickets to the actual bus drivers.  While some drivers go out of their way to be friendly and helpful (thank you very much), most are miserable, nasty and unwilling to budge an inch if it isn't their convenience. 

Whoever manages and/or creates schedules needs to get a good education on scheduling.  Buses aren't scheduled in a timely fashion...at least for some runs that have limited coverage (in AM and rush-hour only).  Its as if they go out of their way to make you miserable.  Instead of buses running regularly, you get 2 buses back to back then you have to wait 35-40 minutes IF the buses are on time. 

It just doesn't make sense, and I just don't get it.  If I did poor work on the job, I would get fired, a warning, and/or a poor review (with little or no raise).  Where, but only in America, can you get rewarded for doing a POOR JOB.

I think our transit system needs to go back to privatization!!!!

My major issue with this agreement is that the transit workers will receive pay increases while Turnpike workers are losing their jobs to help to fund the Port Authority.  I understand that this is a difficult situation but shouldn't the transit workers be a little less demanding?  Other union workers are losing their jobs so that they not only keep their jobs but get pay increases.  There is no easy solution but maybe job cuts at the Port Authority (they must be over staffed as proven by the one man with a jack hammer working on the Martin Villa trolley stop yesterday while six others stand there and watch) are in order instead of the others who are funding them.

 JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  On the taxpayers.

A management-union committee is to be established to deal with employee absenteeism. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Aug. 4 that employees who were on leave or reporting off work increased from 6 percent to 11 percent of the work force between 2002 and 2007, including up to 50 employees habitually absent anywhere from 40 to 60 days a year.

 I agree one hundred percent! Right now, all over the country, people's wages are being frozen (if they are lucky enough to still have a job) and these menial laborers are asking for ongoing wage increases and only have to pay up to 3% of their healthcare??? You've got to be kidding me! Their wages are already too high for the jobs they perform! And the supplemental $500/month towards pensions is ridiculous! This union did not give up as much as they should have. As I have said a million times and will continue to say, as nothing will ever change my mind: they are lazy, don't possess a high level of education, are basically rude, arrogant and have a great deal of audacity to think that people are going to put up with this! I don't want any of my tax dollars to pay for their pensions, their ongoing healthcare,their raises. My wages are frozen and I pay 10% into my healthcare and have for years. Someone needs to give them a dose of reality and reign Pat McMahon and these hee haw workers in!

As with all unions they've become legalized blackmail agents.

No pay raise, no work.

It goes on for years and years until the company goes under.

No job, no pay.

Unfortunately, in this case, the tax payers are the company. How long before we go out of business?

NEVER! THEY NEED ONLY CREATE MORE TAXES!

No person who works for a tax funded job should be represented by the blackmailers.

Unfortunately they have taken control of the government via promised votes and powerful lobbyists. Blame your stupid government for this mess........

Like I said before, we can't do anything. The people we voted into office are in bed with the people running the unions and we are the ones getting @#%&!$.............

 Great job done by the union.  To all of the union members congratulations and may you and your families have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for all of the invaluable servies you provide to this great city! 

 I think most of the people who replied to the question were turned down for a job with the Port Authority or just hate anyone that belongs to a union.   I don't think any of the retired workers  are getting a $75,000 dollars a year pension..

 Are you kidding me? You must be a Union worker. Your mentality, if you can call it that, is showing. People replying weren't turned down by PAT, who would accept almost anyone to begin with! We just don't want our tax dollars going towards funding anyone's raises, healthcare, etc. Why do these Union workers feel that they are royalty and deserve raises while everyone else's are frozen, and want the public's taxes to help fund their ridiculous costs? OMG, a worker might want to retire early and not get another job! He needs us to help pay for his lifetime healthcare and supplemental pension benefits! I would not want to apply for a job whose workers possess a menial skill level. I don't want to sit on my can all day - I'm not that lazy. I just think you need to be reigned in and receive a dose of realtiy.

We need to pass a state law that prohibits transit agencies (and teacher unions for that matter) the ability to strike, 39 other states don't have this ability. Why is it so hard. When will we the voter start to elect leaders to the legislature who will step up and do something for the taxpayers instead of pandering to the special interests who line their pockets with re-election money? How many more years are we going to pass on these legacy costs and tax hikes to pay for this out of line expense? You have to give it up to the union officials who did an excellent job of negotiation/sticking it to the taxpayer - whatever you want to call it - they sure earned their money this time.

Wonder what happened to the Greyhound bus line union drivers....

Oh! They bankrupted the company and lost their jobs..... :(

 We have been trying to get state law approval for years to prohibit transit agencies and other public related service agencies like teachers' unions from striking but I was told by a group who has been trying to get this law passed for years that our elected officials "don't have the backbone to stand up to the Unions." I'm sorry, but how hard is it to stand up to a Union whose President ws a bus driver? Or when the President of the international Union was a mechanic? They aren't very highly educated individuals. Where's the threat? Why can't we get a law passed? Because it has nothing to do with backbone but because of pocket lining, as you state. The majority of the public feels nothing but comtempt for Pat McMahon, ATU, and the PAT employees. At least I do. Why should they get yearly increases when businesses are going bankrupt and people are losing their jobs? Why are there legacy costs involved in this contract when they were told that legacy costs needed to be brought under control? They are the most selfish, greediest individuals I've ever seen. They will receive payback someday for their greed.  And BTW, how much do the workers make who sit in the booths, chitchatting all day, watching people go by flashing their passes?

They would never get this contract from a private company.  These pigs gets to retire in their 50s, collect a huge pension and have great medical coverage (who gets to do this except public workers gattingpaid with tax dollars), and then get a second job which allows them make 2 paychecks.

They are uneducated, lazy, unmotivated, etc.  They make way too much money for what they are skilled for.

Plus, these types of pensions are going to bankrupty our state soon.