A Streetcar Named Deception

A Streetcar Named Deception Are Streetcars Being Used to Dismantle Whole Systems?

Their Version of the Story• While corporate interests rail against

transit workers, they claim to be investing in transit systems.

• They promote bus rapid transit, streetcars, light rail – great modes of transit when planned and operated properly.

Transit Workers Bad, Transit Good!

• “Cities turn to streetcars to spur economic development” USA Today, 2013

• “Consultant: Streetcar could generate $3 billion for economy” – ARLNow.com, 2014

• “Feds give Sacramento streetcar the green light” – Merced Sun-Star, 2014

Streetcars Are Not a Magic Bullet

• “Why Streetcars Aren’t About Transit” – NextCity.org, 2014

• “Bus Rapid Transit Spurs Development Better Than Light Rail or Streetcars: Study” – Forbes, 2013

• “When It Comes to Streetcars and Economic Development, There’s So Much We Don’t Know” – The Atlantic, 2013

• ATU started as a union of mostly streetcar and trolley operators working for private companies.

• Because transit is a service, not a product, private companies found it difficult to make a profit.

• So they dismantled streetcars and tried operating more efficient buses.

• They failed, and the public took over, invested in, and saved systems.

Streetcars Are Not a Magic Bullet

The Bottom Line

• It’s not the mode; it’s the method.• Streetcars are funded with transit money,

but sold to the public as an economy booster.

• But economic development for whom?• Answer: Corporate real estate interests.

The Approach• Divide transit workers from the public.• Promise huge economic benefits to cities that

build boutique downtown streetcars.• Promise even bigger benefits to cities that

contract out streetcar construction and operation to private companies.

• Splinter transit systems and force the union to organize multiple units.

• Reap the profits, and the public be damned.

A Closer Look: Charlotte, NC

• In March, Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested on public corruption charges.

• Charlotte has spent hundred of millions of dollars building streetcars in the last few years.

• An undercover agent, posing as a developer, agreed to give Cannon cash in exchange for favorable treatment to buy and develop land along Charlotte’s streetcar lines.

A Closer Look: Charlotte, NC

If streetcar lines are clear cut economy boosters, why:

• would a just-elected Mayor feel the need to pay such close attention to developers to ensure they develop near streetcars?

Unanswered Questions: Charlotte, NC

• Kansas City’s transit system is operated by the KCATA, a public authority

• Yet when Kansas City opted to build a streetcar, they created the Kansas City Streetcar Authority to oversee the building and operation of the system

• The person who filed the paper work for KCSA was City Manager Troy Schulte

A Closer Look: Kansas City, MO

• In negotiations this year, Schulte threatened to slash 40% of ATU drivers’ work if the union didn’t make big concessions.

• Meanwhile, Kansas City was asking voters to approve a special tax district to raise money for the first leg of their streetcar line.

• The election was done by mail, and restricted to a tiny sliver of the voting public.


• This year, the KCSA awarded a contract to operate their streetcar to a private company.

• Now, they are planning a similar vote to approve major extensions of the streetcar.

• These extensions would be redundant with bus routes, creating forced transfers for riders and likely a lower wage to compete with for public transit workers.


Transit officials nationwide are

celebrating Kansas City as a shining

example.

• Why didn’t the city want the public authority to operate the new streetcar?

• What role will the streetcar operator and the KCSA play in future transit developments in the city?

• How much will private streetcar operators and mechanics be paid compared to Kansas City’s public transit workers?

• How many bus routes will be shortened or cut where the streetcar runs?

Unanswered Questions: Kansas City, MO

A Closer Look: Washington, DC

• In 2005, DC began operating the Circulator, a privately-operated “premium” bus line that costs less, has more comfortable seats, and makes fewer stops than standard buses.

• The Circulator can be seen side-by-side with public buses, yet drivers are paid less, have zero pension, and bus maintenance is poor.


• Now, DC is planning a 22 mile streetcar system, and has laid tracks for 2.4 miles that might open this year.

• The DC Streetcar will be operated by a new private operator, McDonald Transit.

• In January, the District DOT laid out its long-term vision, called the “Integrated Premium Transit System”


The Integrated Premium System seeks a single private operator to manage:

• The DC Circulator• The DC Streetcar• All non-regional buses within the District

that are currently operated by the public transit authority


• Traditionally, public transit workers operated all DC buses and Metro trains.

• The Circulator was the first step toward chipping away at public transit and workers’ pay.


• The Streetcar is step two.• Nonregional buses are next.

• What Does This Mean?

• In the span of about a decade, DC will have gone from full public operation of transit to extensive private operation.

• The impact on workers, already seen in the Circulator, will spread.


• Out of 26 cities, 23 of them have Democratic Party mayors, 3 have Republicans.

• Happening in states dominated by both parties.• Advocated by developers who donate to Ds and

Rs.• Cities including:• Kenosha, WI• Little Rock, AR• Salt Lake City, UT• Savannah, GA• Atlanta, GA• Tucson, AZ

Not All Partisan…

• Dallas, TX• Detroit, MI• Ft. Lauderdale, FL• Los Angeles, CA• Milwaukee, WI• Oklahoma City, OK

• Not every streetcar is privately operated.

• In cases of public operation, the big question remains: who benefits?

• Answer: private developers

Not All Private…

• Start paying attention right now.

• Attend meetings: transit authority, regional planning, City Council – these are where discussions start and decisions are made.

• Mobilize your members – we have the power to add good transit jobs if we push streetcar planning in the right direction.

• Engage riders and transit advocates – there are more of them, and they influence decision makers.

What Can We Do About It?

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

ASK QUESTIONS THAT MATTER TO WORKERS AND

RIDERS

What Can We Do About It?

• What are the key factors in choosing to invest in streetcars over other modes of transit?

• What are the key factors in selecting this route?

• What are your goals for this streetcar route?

• Is the streetcar being promoted more as an economic development strategy or a transit solution?

Questions to Ask Decisionmakers

• Are other types of transit being evaluated compared to the streetcar, on what grounds, and why aren’t they considered a smart investment, too?

• Who first proposed bringing a streetcar to our city? (Voters, developers, DOT, etc.)

Questions to Ask Decisionmakers

A Streetcar Named Deception

Documents

Transcript of A Streetcar Named Deception