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Number 7

Volume 19 July 1991

Hats Off To

Thurmon GreenDoris Harris

Train & Bus Operators of the Year

9rABLEi0FCONTENTS

Letter from the President 3

RTD Strapped Financially; Tax Monies on Hold 4

Corporate Partnership Program to be the

District's FY 92 Focus 4

RTD's Dan Dryden Hits a Grand Slam 5

Patsaouras Interview

Calm After the Storm: Division 1 Pulls Out All

the Stops for Returning Soldiers 8

RTD Wives: We Never Thought it Would Reach

Into Our Homes 9

RTD's Lussier Makes Peace With War While

Giving Peace of Mind to Others 11

Assistant Librarian Glenda Mariner

Hears Her Heart 12

Staff Shake-Up 13

Division 3 Steals the Thunder for April 14

Driving Never Gets Old for Division 3's Arnone 14

Cover Story: Doris Harris Wins Bus Operator of the

Year; Thurmon Green Named Top Train Operator 16

Romancing the Line 17

Gerry Hertzberg Appointed to RTD

Board of Directors 18

State of the District: Accidents, Absenteeism Down 19

Bon Voyage to Marlene Allen 20

Shifting Gears 21

Commendations 22

Public Commendations 26

Rubin, RTD Win National Distinction 26

Working on the Railroad 27

The District Cashes In and So Do Its Employees 28

Waning Industry Should Be Harnessed for

Transit Industry 29

Schedule Changes 30

War Garnes 32

RTD Receives Major Clean Air Award 34

Transit Police Participate in Baker to Las Vegas

Challenge Cup Relay 35

Spotlight on the Lump Sum Retirement Option 36

Letter to the Editor 37

In Memoriam 39

Cut the Fat 41

Recreation News 42

JULY 1991 HEADWAY 2

The Headway . . .is published by the Southern California Rapid TransitDistrict for its employees, retirees, and friends everymonth. Headway is g-uided by a policy approved by theGeneral Manager and published in the Human ResourcesPolicy Manual. A copy is available on request.

Views and opinions contained herein do not necessarilyreflect official District policy.

The Headway welcomes contributions from RTDemployees and retirees—letters to the editor, story ideas,opinions, employee and staff activities, and other submis-sions. Deadline is the 28th of the month for inclusion inthe following month. Submissions should be typed double-spaced and signed by the author or on disk using theWordstar 4 or WordPerfect programs. Opinion pieces andletters to the editor should not be more than 500 words andshould be submitted on disk whenever possible. The editorreserves the right to select, edit, and position all copy.

Stories may be reprinted with acknowledgment ofsource.

Editorial Office: Administration Building, 425 S.Main St., Personnel Department, Second Floor, (213) 972-7165.

Printing Services Staff: Photo Lithographic Opera-tors—Rob Hartert and Ferrol Yeakle; Pressmen Il—PatBates, Eliud Castellanos, Oscar Arzadon, RobertoArrivillaga; and Bindery Operators Il—Manny Alvarez,Walt Billingsley, and Luis Melendez.

Typesetting, design, and make-up: Scheduling andOperations Planning's Typesetting & Layout Section—Typesetting Supervisor Susan Chapman, Typesetting &Layout Operators Jean Williams, Michael Laichareonsup,and Julie M. Ortiz.

Editor: Andrea GreeneBusiness Manager: Ruth NagaoContributing Editors: Cheryl Brown, Mary Conforti,

and Luanna Urie.Member: International Association of Business

Communicators

Neither the Headway nor the RTD endorses the productsor verifies the accuracy of the claims made in the advertis-ing, which has appeared, appears, and will appear on thepages of the Headway. The advertising is simply arevenue-generating measure. Further, we reserve theright to reject any objectionable ad.

"An. UnqualifiedSuccess"

S cerely,

02-Qatv-,Nick PatsaourasRTD Board President

Letter from the President

Perhaps when you werelistening to the radiorecently, you heard meannounce some of the newprograms RTD haslaunched to help improve

our service.Or maybe you saw a

commercial on TV featur-ing our buses and trains.Remember the big bill-boards that had pictures ofLos Angeles Raidersplayers asking people tohelp us "crush graffiti?"

Radio, television andbillboard advertising arethree basic ways RTD usesto "spread the word" aboutour services and specialprograms, lt doesn'thappen by itself, of course.RTD's Marketing andCommunications Depart-ment makes it happen.

Without our MarketingDepartment, millions ofLos Angeles Countyresidents would remainuninformed about theTransit Rider Bill ofRights, our ongoingprogram to improve busservice. Marketing employ-ees use a variety of mediaavailable to teil as manypeople as possible aboutour activities: newspapers,

television, radio, maga-zines, billboards, brochures,booths at special events,and videotapes.

Department DirectorTony Fortuno's daily goal isto reach as many of the 10million Los Angeles Countyresidents as possible withthe message that I've beenworking on since I becamepresident: RTD works.We're improving, and wecan improve your life, too.

The Department's threeunits accomplish this goal.The Passenger Communica-tions and Promotionssection, headed by AliceWiggins, plans and carriesout promotional programsdesigned to inform bus andtrain riders and the publicabout our service and whatbenefits it can offer them.

I've been privileged toparticipate in a number ofthese programs since Ibecame president. One ofthe most successful was the"Moving L.A. Into the '90s"contest. We invited citizensto submit their ideas onhow to improve transit inSouthern California. Wechose the 90 best ideas andhonored them at a specialluncheon, and their ideas

were published in a bro-chure.

This unit also arrangesjoint sponsorships, such asthe recent Eco Expo and theLong Beach Marathon, thatkeep RTD in the public eyewhile contributing to aworthwhile communityeffort.

The Publications andVideo Programming unit,headed by Mike Barnes,produces a variety ofinformational brochures andvideos distributed to thepublic and special audiencessuch as business andpolitical. These include theDistrict's annual report,brochures on clean air, ourCentral MaintenanceFacility, and others.

The department alsoproduced the videocassettethat featured the NinjaTurtles riding the Blue Linelast year that was distrib-uted to 100,000 households,In another one now inproduction, we will askpeople to ride the bus ortrain at least once a week tohelp alleviate gridlock andair pollution.

Harry Goldsboroughruns the Advertising andMarket Research Unit.Market research is anextremely importantfunction. Once thoroughresearch has been done, wecan advertise more effec-tively.

A major District goal ofadvertising is to communi-cate and establish the valueof public transit in general,and the worth of the RTD inparticular. Creating apositive identity for theRTD and positioning theDistrict as a viable and

practical means of travelare the common denomina-tors in all marketingprograms.

To accomplish this, theMarketing Department hasdevised a number of othervery successful advertisingcampaigns in recent years.The Los Angeles Raidersanti-graffiti ads haveearned notice in localbusiness publications fortheir innovation. TheDodgers, Kings, andClippers also have teamedwith RTD in advertisingprograms.

It's fun to be a part ofRTD promotions andadvertising campaigns. Butit's especially gratifying toknow that the MarketingDepartment is there behindthe scenes. All of us owethem our thanks forkeeping the public informedabout the work the rest ofus do to provide qualitypublic transportationservice.

JULY 1991 H EADWAY 3

Fact: Ridership on theBlue Line has doubled inless than a year. On atypical weekday, thetrains carry 31,000passengers.

Fact: On-time perfor-mance is 99 percent. "Thereason it's so good, " saysRail Operations Superin-tendent Paul O'Brien, isthat if we do have amechanical problem --like a door that won'tclose -- the operator istrained to fix it himself.And 24 hours a day, wehave an extra train andan operator standing by,so if there's a problem,we can make a lastsecond swap withoutinconveniencing thepassengers."

RTD Strapped Financially; Tax Monies on Hold

lawsuit filed by acitizen's group has put onhold the implementation ofProposition C, a half centsales tax approved byvoters last November. As aresult, the Los AngelesCounty TransportationCommission (LACTC) hasmandated a hold onspending pending a resolu-tion by the CaliforniaDistrict Court of Appeals.

The decision not tospend the tax, which isintended to raise anestimated $400 million peryear for mass transit, busoperations and right of waypurchases, will definitelyimpact the District, saidAlan Pegg, general man-ager. "The monies gener-ated from the tax were tobe spent as soon as possibleon expanding bus service incongested corridors duringcommuter hours, increasingtransit security, removinggraffiti from buses andtrains, and convertingbuses from diesel to electricpower."

The LACTC, vigorouslydefending the lawsuit, wasvictorious in SuperiorCourt. But the plaintiff inthe lawsuit, the LibertarianParty of California, hasgiven notice of its appeal ofthe decision to the Court ofAppeals. Declaring its legalarguments "strong andpersuasive," attorneys forthe Commission say theyare confident the sales taxwill be upheld. lt is soundfiscal policy, they say, to

protect the bondholders bynot expending the taxmonies until the Court'sapproval. Attorneysestimate that the processwill take six months to ayear.

Alan Pegg, RTD generalmanager, has announcedthat the proposed Corpo-rate Partnership Programwill be the District'sprimary new marketingthrust in the coming year.

In making the decision,Pegg said he believes theprogram can insulate theDistrict from continued

"The court challengehas a direct impact on nextyear's budget," said Pegg."Additional cuts wereneeded to balance antici-pated revenue shortfallsduring FY 92."

funding shortfalls thathave plagued the agency inrecent years. Pegg said theprogram increases corpo-rate financial contributionsto the RTD with passsubsidies, increasescorporate awareness ofDistrict services andprograms, encouragesinvestments by cities in the

In June, Pegg askedeach departmental directorto submit a two percent cutfrom their FY 91 budget toachieve a $12 to $13million reduction in nextyear's budget.

RTD of Propositions A andC dollars. lt positions RTDas a lead agency in meetingthe region's Regulation XVclean air goals.

The Corporate Partner-ship Program was the onlyDistrict program exemptedfrom a two percent budgetcut in the FY 92 budgetsubmittal process.

Corporate Partnership ProgramTo Be the District's FY 92 Focus

JULY 1991 HEADWAY 4

"I just bought a P.A. system for my team. The kids hear their names called, and they get soexcited, they don't want to leave the batter's box," says coach Dryden.

RTD's Dan Dryden Hits a Grand Siam

T immy Holmes isalmost six years old. He hasnever been able to feed ordress himself. But on thatSaturday morning in May,the little boy with theangelic face was so ener-gized by what had hap-pened the weekend beforethat he maneuvered hiswheelchair to the drawerand pulled out his pint-sizeDodger uniform.

Soon after, dressed fromhead to toe, he wheeledhimself into his parent'sbedroom. Flashing a smileas bright as any majorleague scoreboard, hetugged at his sleeping mom."Come on, Mom," he

whispered, "let's go thegame." Peeling back hereyelids, Leann Holmeslooked at her son withcerebral palsy and with aglove in one hand andcleats on his feet, andcried.

A mile away in the sameEagle Rock neighborhood,nine-year-old Pam Perezwas waking her sister forthe third time that morn-ing. She had tried at fiveam., then at six and seven.Like Timmy, the little girlwith the dark tresses and arare brain disability calledMoia Moia was in heruniform, but unlike herteammate she had put it on

the night before -- and hadslept in it.

Two hours later, Timmywas at bat, in the batter'sbox at Eagle Rock'sYosemite Park. Pam waitedon-deck. "I never thought itwould be possible," saysLeeann Holmes, who hadextra wheels installed onher son's chair so that theycould speed him around thebases. "This is wonderful,"concurs Miran Magana,who brought her twoautistic sons, aged 11 andseven. "We've been fightingfor this for so long.

"When it happens, youdon't know what to do."

"I know what to do,"

interrupts nine-year-oldDavid Fisher, who hasbraved eight operations forspina bifida, a congenitalcondition in which thebones do not fuse properlyat the base of the spine."This gives me a chance toplay baseball and to getdirty, and I usually don'tget that chance. And," headds with a grin as wide ascenter field, "I'm prettygood."

For youngsters likeDavid and Timmy andPam, the years of battlingdisabilities have nowdissolved into summer daysof batting softballs. This isthe story of their triumphs.And of their coach, DanDryden, who used his VISAgold card to purchasebaseball uniforms costingmore than $1,000 for hisspecial kids.

Dan Dryden, Division 5assistant manager, wasdead tired after driving toLas Vegas one day lastsummer. Too exhausted tosee a show, he flipped ontelevision. The station hehad tuned to was showing atape on the nearly 20,000physically or mentallychallenged youngsters whoplay baseball in LittleLeague's newest innovation-- the Challenger Division.("I sat there with tearsrunning down my face.")

Arriving back in LosAngeles, Dryden did somesoul searching. "I lovebaseball and I'd alwayswanted to be involved withthe Special Olympics. Thisprogram was my calling."

After calling LittleLeague headquarters incontinued on page 6


"He is a beautiful child," says proud grandfat her LeonAmes of the little boy he's cared for since birth. "I have agallery full of his pictures."

. . . continued from page 5

Dan Dryden with Timmy Holmes: "You should haue seenhim the other day. His best friend, Jimmy, who goes to thesame orthopedically disabled school, showed up to play inhis first gamehThe two practically ran toward each other intheir walkers."

Williamsport, PA, the 16-year RTD veteran contactedthe Eagle Rock LittleLeague. "I told them of myplans, that I wanted to puttogether a Challenger teamin Los Angeles County; Itold them it would beexpensi:e, but I guaranteedit would not cost them apenny. I told them I wouldfully finance it."

With their blessing,Dryden spent nine monthsconnecting with localschools, hospitals, physicaltherapists. He even con-tacted Miss CaliforniaWheelchair, who livednearby. But as Drydenfound out, "it was a loteasier trying to do it than

actually doing it."Then one day the phone

rang.And the former bus

operator with the bushybrown beard was touchedby what parents on theother end were saying. "Theway they put it was soprecious...I was moved bytheir tenderness. They said,

think our child mightqualify."

Twenty-two sign-upslater, Dryden had morethan enough for a team.The youngsters range in agefrom five and a half to 14years. Their disabilities areas varied as the kinds ofpitches thrown in a majorleague game. Some havecerebral palsy, two havespina bifida, a handful haveDown's syndrome, one isprofoundly deaf, anotherhas something calledpseudobublar palsy, severalhave autism. Whatever theyhave, Dryden says, "theyhave so much locked insideof them that's bubbling tocome out.

"I heard kids talk todaythat I've never heard talk,"he says softly.

One of those youngstersis six-year-old Adam Gaw.Fair haired and freckled,the little boy is wheeled tohome plate by his proudgrandfather, Leon Ames.

"He and I are so close,"the doting Ames says.

"When he was six yearsold, his Daddy died, andmy wife and I -- we'veraised him.

"You know," the olderman says, blinking backthe tears, "he's had threesurgeries on his head andtwo on his anldes, and yetanything we can dotogether he won't let memiss."

Ames accompanies hisgrandson to the game aspart of the ChallengerDivision's buddy system.Buddies mostly parentsand siblings -- pushwheelchair players aroundthe bases and are with theplayers in the field to makesure no one gets hurt bybatted balls.

"lt brings us together,"says Sheila Perez, whosesister Pam has had twostrokes from a rarecondition in which thearteries of her brain aretoo small.

"I know my son lovesit," pipes up RayleneHolliday, who was helpingher 14-year-old son David

swing the bat. "lt gives himseif-confidence and self-reliance and improves histhinking and reasoning."

The kids play on an"accessible" baseball field,thanks to city councilmanand RTD director RichardAlatorre, whose supportDryden had sought somemonths back. The dugout isten feet deep, triple theusual size, so that wheel-chairs can pass each other.As far as the game goes,"we have everything thatLittle Leaguers have," saysDryden. But he adds with achuckle, "we make up therules as we go along."

That rneans there is noformal scorekeeping and noouts. Dryden has one basicrule: "Everybody scores."And he has two mottos.From time to time duringthe game, he will call out tohis spirited players, "Whyare you here?" Like the roarof fans who have jumped upfor the seventh inningstretch, they yell: "To havefun!"

continued on page 7 . . .

JULY 1991 HEADWAY 6

Adam Gaw flashes a grin.


Dryden hopes that he can take the team to a Dodger game.

Patsaouras Interview

"What's important?" heasks them next. "To do yourbest!" they scream back.

Later that day, as thekids sip punch and munchon watermelon, Drydenreflects on what inspiredhim to do it. "I don't know,"he says, shrugging hisshoulders. "When I drove abus, I loved to pick updisabled people. They're sohonest. I love `em.

"Everybody has a placein this world," he continues."I guess it's just my way ofbeing thankful to God thatmy kid is able-bodied."

Parents think he'sterrific. "Dan iswonderful...so sweet,"Holmes gushes as she hugsTimmy after the game. "Hejust loves the kids."

"Dan's so nice," sums upDavid Fisher, who's theEaster Seals poster childfor spina bifida in LosAngeles county. His father,Richard, agrees. "Dan hasworked out a good way forkids to play withoutcompetition.

"My son will never bewithout the canes. It's hitand miss with what works

and what doesn't. Thisgame is something thatworks."

Some time beforeopening day, Dan Drydenhad a dream about twoyoungsters at school. Oneof them was disabled; theother was not. In thedream, the one child calledto his friend at the close ofschool, "What are you goingto do now?" The disabledyoungster replied, "I haveLittle League practice.What are you doing thisafternoon?"

David Fisher, whodoctors think will neverwalk, has a dream, too. Hewants to be a surgeon. "It'skinda hard being disabled.I wish things were differ-ent. But they're not."

So, the little boy saysquietly, "I'd like to help allthe people who've got whatI've got. And," he says,looking around the field,"who've got what they'vegot, too."

Editor's note: At presstime, four more youngstershad joined the team.

Editor's Note: The followingpassages are drawn froman informal, wide-ranginginterview by Headway ofRTD Board President NickPatsaouras near thecompletion of his term.

On his term in office:"When I t,00k over aspresident, I wanted torestore our credibility andthe public's confidence inus. I give myself agrade for doing that."

On reorganization of theRTD and LACTC: "Istrongly believe that withsome delineation of respon-sibilities and jurisdictions,the RTD organization willremain a separate entity.We are working on areorganization plan thatshould be ready by Septem-ber. Up to now I canreassure employees thattheir jobs will be safe."

On a second term asboard president: "No, Iwill not run again. ltwould be a very, veryremote chance. I thinkthat there are othermembers of the Board whoare as creative and asenergetic as I am. It's theirturn to lead the institu-tion.

On RTD employees:"They're the best."

On RTD bureaucracy: "Ithink that the staffreporting structure shouldbe revisited. We needaggressive leadership,more accountability, andmore immediate responsesto problems. I think wehave turned the corner butwe have a long way to go."


JULY 1991 HEADWAY 7

Calm After the Storm: Division 1 Pulls Out All theStops for Returning Soldiers

Dressed in his combat fatigues, Alfredo Goytia (right) accepted yellow flag from Assistant Transportation Manager DaveVaillancourt, as fellow soldier Peter Bueras, Jr. looked on. "Shortly after the two were activated," Vaillancourt said, "I'Vebought the flags and hung them on our flagpoles here at the Division and at our Auxiliaty Division 3204."

Alfred° Goytia, on atypical day, cuts a 70-mileswath through the heart ofthe Olympic Boulevardcorridor between Eighthand Ninth streets. Butduring an atypical Januarythrough May, the 42 year-old bus operator trudged150 miles into Iraq, cuttingacross to Kuwait, finallyveering back to his basecamp in Saudi Arabia.

On May 31, mobbed byhis Division 1 colleaguesand UTU representatives,he and fellow soldier PeteBueras, Jr. came home tocake and cameras. "There'sno place like home," saidarmy Sergeant Goytia, ashe clutched his lovely wife,

Rose. Choked with emo-tion, he remembered.

"They came out ofnowhere, with their handsup," Goytia recalled. "Someof them were so sick. Sowe'd load them intohelicopters and there theywere, the enemy and theAmerican wounded on thesame helicopter beingtaken care of the sameway. No one was treatedany better than the other.

"I thought that waspretty great," said thehandsome Roosevelt HighSchool graduate of 1967."Never did I see aninjustice done by anAmerican soldier, and thatmade me proud."

Goytia, in the reserves12 years, first had thefeeling two weeks into thenew year that somethingwas about to happen. "Therumor was that my com-pany was about to beactivated," he said. "Mychildren were terrified."

Bueras, training withthe 3rd Anglico 4th MarineDivision at Camp Pendletonwas preparing, too. Upuntil last year, he hadthought something wasgoing to break in Korea orthe Philippines. "We werealways ready," he said. Hisbest friend was sent. Hewas not.

Goytia, meantime, wascalled to the front. On Jan.

17 he flew to Fort Ord inNorthern California, andthen was sent as part of the"advance party" to SaudiArabia. "Our plane carrieda cruise weapon," he said.The allied bombing hadalready started when theplane touched down inSaudi Arabia so he and hisfellow troopers had to maketheir way to waiting trucksby way of irrigation ditches.

He was sent to Rafha, aborder town five miles intoIraq, where his mission wasto provide military aid toIraqi refugee camps. Hewas surprised at thenumber of Iraqis both


JULY 1991 HEADWAY 8

"We got many letters from our friends at the Division," thepair said. "But nothing is better than seeing them with Dur

own eyes."

RTD Wives: "We NeverThought it WouldReach Into Our Homes"

refugees and prisoners --who spoke English. "Acouple of them wanted meto maul letters to theirrelatives in the States," hesaid, touched.

"They told me thatSaddam had lied to them;that the Americans wouldkill them. The prisonerstold me they were hungryand hadn't been paid inmonths."

Far and away, the Scudalerts were the worstexperience for the father ofthree. "lt was horrible," hesaid. "No one liked the gasmasks. You would overheatin about 20 minutes. Whata horrible way to die." Hesaid he asked an Iraqiprisoner one day why theydidn't use the chemicalweapons. "He told me theywere afraid the Americanswould use something worse,like nuclear bombs."

Goytia's company wasone of the last to leave,since they had to transport

everyone to the airfield.They were so eager to gethome, he said, that theyworked 72 hours straightcleaning rifles of sand andother contaminants. Eventhe officers joined in, hejoked.

"They came out of

nowhere with

their hands up.

Some of them were

so sick."

The flight home took 18hours. But he was holed upfor four days at Ford Ordfor debriefing and medicalexams.

On May 22, he called hiswife from the Grapevinewhen the army busesstopped for gas. She methim two hours later. "lttook me five seconds to findher," he said, grinning.

On the day the warbroke out, Rose G-oytia'sheart sank. For five days,she didn't know where herhusband was. The rest ofhis unit, including hisbrother Rodolfo, hadarrived in Germany, buther husband was not there."I haven't seen him," waswhat R,odolfo, an RTDmechanic, told her when hephoned from Germany.

"I would cry and crawlinto bed and just go to

sleep," recalled the petitebrunette. "My threechildren would say to me,`Mom, he's alright. God'sgoing to take care of him.Don't cry anymore."

At first, Rose watchedCNN but then the picturesbecame too graphic for her."I tuned instead to the localnews," she said.

She relied on friends andher church for emotional

On the 22nd of January,her spirits were lifted.Goytia called her fromSaudi Arabia, but theconversation was awkwardbecause he could reply onlyin the affirmative ornegative. ("For securityreasons," whisperedAlfredo. "You never couldbe sure if people were


support. She helpedorganize a support groupat her parish, EpiphanyChurch in El Monte, forthe loved ones of thoseserving in the Gulf. As asupport group leader, sheshared her apprehensionswith and comforted about100 families in her parishwho had families over-seas. "The loneliness andanxiety were terrible,"she said softly. "VVeprayed and prayed."

"I didn't judge the politics of the war," said Rose Goytia."My children and I just wanted him horne."

JULY1991 HEADWAY 9

"I grew up over there," said Curtis Shelby, shown heresqueezing his wife, Mama. "I came back a better person."

"Pico Boulevard is waiting for you," shouted operators toAlfredo Goytia and Peter Bueras, Jr.


listening in on the phonelines.")

After that, Rose says, hecalled once a month. "Wehave two phone bills forover two hundred dollars,"she said, laughing. She saidshe was always on thephone to her in-laws, whohad "twice the worry,"because both their sons hadbeen deployed.

"If his friends love

him that much

here then he's in

the right place."

On May 22, her husbandof 19 years came home."He's ours now," she said

beaming. "We don't wanthim to go back.

I know he knows his jobwell," the attractive Rosecontinued. "He's level-headed and I didn't worryabout him in that sense.But the tough part was notknowing what they (Iraqisoldiers) might do to him."

On this day, she smiledbroadly, obviously movedby the affectionate em-braces shared by herhusband and his colleagues."We're going to give him as

much time as he needs toget used to being backhere," she declared. For thenext couple of hours, shelet him out of her sight but

briefly.The lady in the pretty

green suit glanced aroundthe room in admiration. "Ithink it's great that theydid this for him," she saidof the welcome homeceremony. "If his friendslove him that much here,then he's in the rightplace."

+

"This separation broughtus closer together as far asexpressing our feelings,"said Marva Shelby,hugging her husbandCurtis, who returned fromthe Gulf in April.

Unlike Rose Goytia,Marva practically campedin front of the television setfor the first three weeks."My nickname was CNN,"she said, shaking her head."But then I thought this is

household, and my 13-year-old did a lot of praying."

Marva said her husbandcalled her every chance hecould. He would teil her theconditions of other soldiersfrom California, and she, inturn, would phone thewives to let them knowtheir spouses were okay.

Sometimes, there wasno news. And the old adage,"no news is good news"floated in Marva'sthoughts. "I kept saying tomyself, 'Now don't thinkthe worst."

She told Headway that"finally seeing him was thehappiest time of my life."Teased Shelby, who waswithin earshot, "Well, Ithought it was the day wewere married."

"No honey, that was adifferent kind of happi-ness," she said gently.

messing me up; I have todivorce myself from this."

She said that in thebeginning, Curtis was onher mind constantly. "Iwondered what he wasdoing, and was he eatingwell." Too distracted shecouldn't be. "For the firsttime, I had to take on theresponsibility of finances ina timely manner. My oldestson became the head of the


Division 8 Instructor and VFW Commander Richard

Lussier.

RTD's Lussier Makes Peace With War WhileGiving Peace of Mind to Others

‘‘Tt was an experience I

wouldn't give up for amillion dollars, but anexperience I wouldn't doagain for a million."

Richard Lussier's warwas Vietnam. There was nofanfare; no award ceremo-nies, no pats on the back.For his friends and forhimself, coming home wasjust the harshest reality ina long nightmare. And in1991, nearly a quarter of acentury later, Vietnamremains unfinished busi-ness.

Lussier, a Division 8instructor, has laid to restthe nation's longest andleast wanted war. ("I wasfortunate; I had a solidfamily base to come hometo.") But for many of thevets who come to hissupport groups, the horrorsof the war, like rounds ofammunition, eternallyexplode on the inside. For

them, the mind is wherethe real battles of the warare being fought.

Eight years ago RichardLussier, then a divisiondispatcher, saw the wayvets were being treated bysociety and by the V.A.Hospital. "They called usbaby killers, undesirables,unwanteds."

One of his buddies fromthe war had killed himself;several others becameaddicted to drugs andalcohol. Resolving not tobecome a spiritual hostageto the war, Lussier joinedthe San Fernando post ofthe Veterans of ForeignWar (VFW). "My firstmeeting was deeply emo-tional," he remembers."When I let my feelings out,it seemed to open doors.

"I was the first Vietnamvet in my post. Everyoneelse was shunned."

Soon, the ex-helicopter

pilot was elected com-mander. He says he beganto encourage his fortycolleagues at the division,who had served in Vietnam,to talk about their experi-ences. ("lt was my way ofdoing something as a vet.")

Drafted in 1966, Lussierhimself had started in theartillery, but was soonflying Navy cobras. Duringthe '68 Tet Offensive, hewas airborne for 68 hours insupport of ground troops.("My only thoughts were ofstaying alive.") When theoperation was finally over,his helicopter had taken 80rounds of ammunition."There were holes all overthe place," he says.

For flying that mission,he was awarded the Bronze

"The odds against

them not returning

are cmfronofnkat. "

Star. He also was awardedtwo Purple Hearts.

Nowadays Lussier triesto get public exposure forvets. His 210-member postmeets once a week and hehas a large box filled withcommendations fromcongressmen, and stateand local politicians.

Lussier snapped intoaction when Desert Stormbroke out. He organizedinformal support groups in

Simi, Palmdale and SanFernando. Once a weekthroughout the war, theloved ones of those overseaswould come together andshare their fears. Arnongthose who attended wereseveral wives and familymembers of RTD employeessent to the Gulf.

"You must realize," thearticulate Lussier toldthem, "the odds againstthem not returning areastronomical because of thecautious way the U.S.planned the operation.

"In this war there was abattle front; in Vietnamyou had war around you 24hours a day."

Lussier correspondedwith RTD employees in theGulf. He says they told himthey understood what wewent through as Vietnamvets. What kept themgoing, they said, was therallying support of theAmerican people.

As for Lussier himself,well, he may be headed toVietnam this September toplay an extra in a moviebeing produced by Para-mount. In the meantime,he invites any RTD em-ployee who has served onforeign soil to join his post.

"People have themisconception that we're abunch of old guys sittingaround telling war stories,"he says. "We're not."

They must not be. In thethree months since thetroops started cominghome, he's recruited fourDesert Storm soldiers.

JULY 1991 HEADWAY 11

"I know my hearing is worse than it was as a child,"Mariner says. "I remernber 1 used to hear birds chirping 1can't hear those sounds now."

Assistant Librarian Glenda Mariner Hears Her Heart

Her parents knewsomething wasn't right.Their daughter, accordingto the Brownie scout leader,couldn't hear the waterrunning. Alarmed, GlendaMariner's parents tooktheir eight-year-old to thefamily doctor in Atlanta.There was no diagnosis.Her teachers told her to sitin front of the dass so thatshe could hear more.

"I don't know at whatpoint I realized what waswrong," says the District'scharming assistant librar-ian. "I do know that when Itook spelling tests, I woulddepend on certain clues andmemorize the words in theorder I had studied them."

Frustrated because shecouldn't hear, Marinerwanted to drop out ofschool. At 15, her parentssent her to Detroit so shecould see doctors whospecialized in hearingdisorders. After undergoinga battery of tests, doctorstold her she was sufferingfrom nerve deafness andhad lost much of herhearing in both ears. ("Theysaid they didn't know if itwas caused by the highfevers I had as an infant,the medication which wasprescribed for them, orsomething congenital sincemy niece is hearing-impaired.) To this day,Mariner can hear only low

tones and has now lost 75percent of her hearing in

both ears.She returned to Georgia

with hearing aids in bothears. ("I put them on at age15 and have never taken

them off since.") Nowmotivated to learn, shespent much of her timealter school in the Atlantapublic library teachingherself.

"The libraries in Atlantahad just become inte-grated," the soft-spokenMariner recalls. "lt was abeautiful time for me."

She won a scholarship toBennett College in NorthCarolina, the only hearing-impaired student at thecollege. With no help at all,Mariner wound up only onepoint short of qualifying forthe honor roll. When shewas not studying, she wasmarching and singing atcampus demonstrations insupport of racial equality. "I

even marched with JesseJackson," she chuckles,adding, "but I never gotarrested."

Two years later Marinergot her master's in libraryscience from Wayne State

University in Detroit. Shefollowed her heart to LosAngeles, where she joinedthe public library system,working the bookmobiles.Next, she took a libraryposition with the L.A.Community College Dis-trict, but in 1987 she waslaid off.

And then silence.lt wasn't Mariner who

had stopped hearing, butemployers. She found itnearly impossible to get ajob. How ironic, she thoughtto herself. In the sixties shehad fought racial discrimi-nation; twenty years latershe was still fighting butthis time against a differentkind of prejudice.

"I put it on the table

every time," she sayscandidly. I told them 1 washearing-impaired and thenI never heard from themagain."

Never one to surrender,Mariner took stock of

herself. "I told myself thatmy hearing impairednesswas a fact of life and that Iwas too tired and too old tobe depressed.

"I told myself that I wasdown, and that it was nowtime to get up and tryagain."

The chance came twodays alter Christmas, 1990.Mariner had seen the adthat RTD was looking for acatalogue librarian. Shedecided that this time shewas not going to say shewas hearing-impaired.

But that, RTD LibrarianDorothy Gray says smiling,was exactly what she said.

"I was amazed," recallsGray of the interview. "Ihad no clue whatsoever. Ithought to myself either sheis able to hear or she's ableto read lips darn well."

And then Gray says, shedidn't know if she should be"suspect" or not aboutMariner's love of catalog-u-ing. "You see," Gray says,"cataloguing is the re-searching and preparationof materials before they areput onto the shelves; it isthe intellectual, not popularpart of the discipline."

But a behind-the-scenesposition was perfect for thegentle Mariner. Because ofher hearing impairedness,she preferred the responsi-bility of determining whatpart of the Library ofCongress cataloguingsystem under which to filea book than a positionwhich required a lot ofpublic contact.



Assistant Librarian Glenda Mariner specializes incataloguing m aterials for the District's library.

continued from page 12 . . .

Fach Almost every day RTD reunites Blue Linepassengers with their lost articles. `lire find thatarticle," says Paul O'Brien, “while they're waiting."The train's near-perfect lost and found record is ajoint operation between the Sheriffs Department,the train operators, and the CCF controllers.

Staff Shake-Up

In February of thisyear she was hired. ("Iwas ecstatic.") In the fourmonths since she's beenhere, Mariner has "veryexpeditiously" cataloguedsome 160 technicaldocuments, according to

Gray.Mariner says the only

trouble she has is with thephone. "It's ironic to thinkthat Alexander GrahamBell invented the phone tomake communicationeasier. Because I can'tread the other person'slips when I'm on thephone, it's really achallenge." A specialdevice installed on the

phone helps.A couple of things

irritate Mariner abouthow others react to thehearing-impaired. "Eitherpeople will increase theirvoices, which is annoyingif you're wearing a hearingaid or touch you roughly toget your attention."

Her biggest regret isthat she never learned

sign language. ("I've juststarted to take the dassone night a week.")

Married to a trafficofficer for the city of Los

Twenty years later

she was still

fighting, but this

time against a

different kind of

prejudice.

Angeles, the mother of fouris a role model to otherhearing-impaired childrenand spends her off hoursinspiring them to get asmuch education as theycan. Hear your own heart,she counsels them. "Don'tever give up. lt can befrustrating and it may taketime, but you can overcomeit."

Alan Pegg, RTD generalmanager has announcedthe following re-assignmentof department functions.

Effective June 3,Transit Systems Develop-ment began reporting to theAssistant General Man-ager, Planning and PublicAffairs. In a memo todepartment heads, Peggsaid the consolidationwould result in bettercoordination of Planningand Local Government andCommunity Affairs staff inthe further development ofthe electric bus program. ltalso, he noted, wouldreduce the cost of fulfill-ment of the District'scontractual role as thegrantee for MOS-1 andconsolidate the raul designreview function within theplanning function. lt alsowill consolidate planningfunctions as they relate tothe RTD's clean air pro-grams and Regulation XV.

The Office of Manage-ment and Budget (OMB)

now reports to Pegg. Thegeneral manager said thischange will enhance therole of this department asthe agency's primaryfiscal control unit.

Finally, the Equip-ment MaintenanceDepartment now reportsto the Assistant GeneralManager, Operations.According to Pegg, theconsolidation of Transpor-tation and EquipmentMaintenance under oneadministrator willenhance the control of busand raul service to ourpatrons.

The unit of EqualOpportunity is nowreporting to the Office ofInspector General. Thischange, said Pegg, willconsolidate functions andprovide for better coordi-nation of audits andinvestigations, and theperformance of thisimportant personnelfunction.


"We are number one," said operators, mechanics, and all

employees of Division 3 who crowded around the"Outstanding Division" flag. Board President NickPatsaouras and General Manager Alan Pegg join in.

Division 3 Steals the Thunder for April

Ask Division 3 Trans-portation Manager RoyStarks about his shop andhe'll teil you that it washome to three of last year'sOperators of the Month."More of them came fromour division last year thanfrom any other," heboasted.

"My employees go outeveryday and provide top of

the line service.""They always come throughfor our customers and me.

"Our division is kind ofa family," he adds. "We'realways putting together aparty, brunch, or breakfastto pull people together todo the job, and that's what

it's all about."Echoes Maintenance

Manager Therol Golden,

"Ours is a coordinatedeffort of all shifts to getclean, safe buses out on thestreets." His mechanics areinnovative, too. He saysthey've recently developeda sealing on the floors ofthe buses so that gumwon't readhere to them.

On a misty May morn-ing before sunrise, it wasmade official.

"Division 3 runs a

super Earthquake

Preparedness

Program."

Earning top marks inseveral categories, Division3 clinched Division of theMonth honors for April,1991. RTD Board PresidentNick Patsaouras, in makingthe announcement, thankedDivision 3 employees whohe said are "truly thepeople who make RTDnumber one in the country."Expressing his gratitude onbehalf of the entire Board,Patsaouras said he wasparticularly proud of thedivision's record of improve-ment in several categoriesover the months.

The Cypress Parkdivision, according to TonyChavira, assistant directorof maintenance had thelowest absenteeism rate fornon-contract, ATU, andUTU maintenance employ-ees among all divisions.Even though the division'sbuses operate in areascrawling with graffiti,Division 3 checked in withthe lowest number ofcustomer complaints aboutbreakdowns and cleanli-ness. The division also wasamong the top three in thenumber of miles accumu-lated between road calls.The division had a lowwheelchair failure rate, andaccording to Chavira,showed great improvementover the last month in thenumber of late buses andcancelled service.

Retirement was afattening proposition forveteran bus operatorAngelo Arnone. Fivemonths into his retirement,he had gained 25 poundsand feit miserable. lt didn'ttake long for the careerdriver to hire back on. "If Istay active, I feel better,"says the now trim Arnone."I'm doing this to stayalive."

Now 76 years old,Arnone is one of the oldestRTD operators still driving.("As long as I'm healthy,be here; this work is easy,"he says.) He's got fortyyears under his belt andhad he not taken a three -

On the transportationside, Division 3 runs a"super" earthquake pre-paredness program,according to Leo Bevon,assistant director oftransportation. Operatorsare encouraged to practiceearthquake drills with theirfamilies and to stock theirshelves with bottled waterand canned foods. In theevent of a quake, operatorsstill are required to reportto work so if they knowtheir loved ones at homeare well-equipped, they canhave some peace of mind.

Division 3 was the jointrecommendation of Trans-portation General and theEquipment MaintenanceDepartment to captureApril's award. Finalselection criteria wascontinued on page 39 . . .

year hiatus in the early50's to spend time withhis bride, he would benear the top on theoperator seniority list.

He says he could fillthree books with hisadventures on a bus. He'soutlived four bus compa-nies (LA Motor Coach, LATransit, Pacific Electric,and Metropolitan TransitAuthority) and, along theway, scooped up "Out-standing Operator"honors five times andwas an Operator of theMonth in 1976. ("I can'tremember what month,


Driving Never Gets Oldfor Division 3's Arnone


Bus Operator Angelo Arnone says it would take him two years to write a book on all he'sseen from his windshield.

anymore," he says, his eyestwinkling).

What he and others ofhis generation do remem-ber is the cost of the fare in1948. Seven cents, he says.Cheap though it may havebeen, the operator, moretimes than he cares toremember, paid a price. "ltwas a madhouse in '48," heremembers. "We wereselling weekly passes, andthe leids used to sneak intothe windows and stealthem."

And he was robbedoccasionally, becauseoperators in those daysmade change. "Yes, I thinkit really was more danger-ous then," he says soberly.

"The older drivers

are not encourag-

ing the younger

ones .. . I'm from

the old school."

"If they wanted to roh thefarebox today, they wouldneed tools."

Navigating the streets ofLos Angeles was moredangerous, too. "The carwas cruder then. We didn'thave sideview mirrors andto turn you pulled a cordstraight down."

He calls it flying blind.Before he drove profes-

sionally, the silver-hairedgrandfather of one drove an

ammunition truck in WorldWar II. "We liberatedGuam," he says, "but we

lost 75 percent of ourdivision." As a buck ser-geant with the 92nd fieldartillery battalion, 77thinfantry division, he wasamong the soldiers whoestablished a beachhead atLeyte when MacArthurreturned to the Philippines.

On the day that Head-way spoke with Arnone,the horseracing enthusiastwas accepting from LeiliaBailey yet another Out-standing Operator award.

Some reflections: "Theolder drivers are notencouraging the youngerones. The younger guystake driving more lightly,like it's a game. I guess I'mfrom the old school; if you'regoing to do it, do it the wayyou were taught and do itright."

Does he think theDistrict will dismantle?"No way," he says, "I don'tthink there's any way we'dget rid of RTD. They've gotto admit that RTD is doinga good job in a large citywith a large population. Ifthey haven't changed in allthese years, they won'tchange now."

Any advice he wouldgive to his company?

"Don't change the linenumbers. lt confusespeople."

The proud man who oncecaptured a thief who hadstolen a gold necklace froma passenger suddenlypauses. "You know, I must

Eric Carrillo, son ofelectronic maintenancesupervisor ArmandoCarrillo, completed a oneyear course at the LondonAcademy of Dramatic Artsin England. A graduate ofNorthwestern Universityin Evanston, III., Eric'sexpertise is in classicaltheatre. In May, Armando,who supervises theTelecommunications Shopin the Headquartersbuilding, flew to Londonwhere he saw his sonperform in Summerfolk, aplay by Maxim Gorky. Erichopes to become a dra-matic actor on Broadway.

say that I'm grateful toRTD because I came tothem newly married andthen I brought a son anddaughter into this world.We raised them on themoney I earned from RTD.I'm very grateful to thiscompany."

Eric Carrillo performedin Gorky drama.

Eric Carrillo, Son of Armando,Performs on London Stage


"lt felt really good when they called my name," said astartled Doris Harris. "But I felt so embarrassed, becausehere I haci told them I wasn't going to come." The photo wassnapped the second Lei Bailey called her name.

"1 was stunned," said Thurmon Green. "I expect a fewthings in life, but neuer this. The other guys haci uery goodbackgrounds. I guess I'm just harder on myself"

"The window is like one bigmoving camera. You seepeople doing everything."

Doris Harris Wins Bus Operator of the Year;Thurmon Green Named Top Train Operator

Last year OperatorCharles Warde was set togo on a cruise and notifiedhis division manager thathe would be away for therecognition ceremonies.

Knowing the RiversideOperator of the Monthwas going to namedOperator of the Year atthe luncheon, EvelynFrizielle did everythingshe could to convince himto go. "1 pleaded withhim," she recalled. In theend, he went. And won.

This year, when theinvitation came for theluncheon, Doris Harrisinformed the Transporta-tion Department that sheunfortunately would beunable to attend becauseshe had made plans to goto Las Vegas with a

neighbor. This time, LeiBailey personally calledHarris and begged her toattend.

Recollected Harris, "Ithink she said, 'Doris,you've got to come you'rethe only lady Operator ofthe Month."'

She never caught on. Butshe did come, bursting intotears of joy when it wasannounced she was the1990 operator of the year.Saying she was "shocked,"the 10-year veteran thanked"the almighty God forallowing her to come towork every day.

"I'm no better or worsethan any other employee,"the mother of two said,tearfully.

RTD also tappedThurmon Green as the

District's first Blue LineTrain Operator of the Year.

"These two individualsover the last year served asmodel employees of whomwe are all proud," saidBailey. "Their high stan-dards and commitment toserving the people of thisregion are examples of whatwe strive to have all ourbus and raul operatorsemulate."

Harris, who began at theDistrict as a part-timeoperator more than 10years ago, currently worksLine 206, which travelsalong Normandie Avenue.She navigates 60 miles ofroad, making three roundtrips a day betweenGardena and Hollywood.

Harris, who likes to cookand sew, says she uses

psychology with a lot ofpeople who ride the bus. Tothe kids who tag buses, shebarks, "put those markersaway and get a job withEarl Scheib. You might aswell get paid for it."

Green, an 18-year RTDveteran was one of 29seasoned bus operators whosuccessfully completedcross-training to become aBlue Line train Operator.Most recently, Mr. Greenhas been promoted to RailTransit Operations Super-visor.

Both Ms. Harris and Mr.Green exemplify the spiritand quality of service RTDbus and rail operators aretrying constantly to attain,"said General Manager AlanPegg. "They are tops in


Doris Harris accepted trophy from General Manager AlanPegg as Board members Gordana Swanson and MarvinHolen look on. Swanson made mention at last year'sceremony that she was waiting for the year a woman wouldbe chosen. Harris said she'll display the trophy in the living

room.

Both of them said they think the other is great.

Romancing the Line

Thurmon Green receiving loudannounced. "It's anot her worldsaid. "I don't think I'd get backgood when I was driving them,

their profession.Harris has had only one

avoidable accident in thelast decade and has servedas a full-time bus operatorfor the last six years. Shehas received the highestnumber of merits attain-able and she has receivednumerous letters ofcommendation from thepublic as well as herdivision manager.

She becomes the secondwoman in RTD's history tobe named Bus Operator ofthe Year, and receivedhonors as Operator of theMonth in 1987 and 1990.

Green becomes theDistrict's first Blue LineTrain Operator of theYear, having operated 87-foot-long trains carryingpeople between Long Beachand Los Angeles during theafternoon rush hours.

As an RTD bus operator,

Green was the recipient ofthe District's Operator ofthe Month award in 1979,1982 and 1988.

Board President Nick

Patsaouras kicked off thisyear's ceremony of the NewOtani Hotel in Little Tokyo.He was interrupted byapplause when he told theguests that "our company isthe best run in the nation."

"I took certain risks," hecontinued. "I know thatsome of you are reluctantabout the on-time guaran-

To the kids who

tag buses she

barks, "Get a

Job with

Earl Scheib."

tee program, but it is nowbeing emulated and copiedaround the world. I believein every member of thisorganization."

More cheering broke outwhen Patsaouras toldinvitees, "You are worthevery dollar you areearning. I will always begrateful to you."

As luck would have it,we both took the train tothe Del Arno station. Overthe next several months, wetalked more and more andbecame very good friends.Today, after countless littlerendezvous at bus stops andtrain stations, we areengaged to be married.

Now we get a thrillevery time we see a bus ortrain. Ah, the magic of aBus Pass!

Sincerely,Ray L. Allen

cheers when his name wasin the cab of a train," heon the buses now. lt wasbut I just love the trains."

The following letter from aCarson man was receivedby the Customer RelationsDepartment:

Dear RTD:On August 2, 1990, I

was on the Number 28Olympic bus trying to get tothe Blue Line train.Because it was so new, fewpeople knew exactly wherethe stations were. A nicelady who rode the train forthe first time the day beforeoffered to show me the way.


Hertzberg Appointed to RTD Board of Directors

"I 'm disappointed at thelevel of antagonism be-tween RTD and the LosAngeles County Transpor-tation Commission(LACTC)," said GerryHertzberg, who wasrecently appointed to theRTD Board of Directors byCounty Supervisor GloriaMolina. "lt hits you in theface and is not acceptable."

In an interview withHeadway, Hertzberg saidthat since the legislaturehas mandated the twotransportation agencies toreorganize, he wants it togo smoothly and with thefull participation of every-one. He thinks a smoothtransition is still possible.

"lt makes sense for thetaxpayers, and if we don'tdo it, someone else will andit won't be as friendly."

The 34-year-oldHertzberg, who has beenMs. Molina's chief legisla-tive aide since she becamea Los Angeles city council-woman in 1987, said he'sbeen riding the bus fre-quently since his appoint-ment in March. "I've beentaking Line 16," he said,"And I've been fairlyimpressed with the cleanli-ness of the buses. Theoperators have been veryresponsive and share theirconcerns with me.


Gerry Hertzberg, appointed to the RTD Board by SupervisorGloria Molina, took the oath of office as administered byDistrict Secretary Helen Bolen in April. Said Hertzberg toHeadway, "I'm excited to be on the Board. You can have aquicker impact on constituents because you don't have to gothrough as many layers of bureaucracy as you do in citygovernment."

Interview with Patsaouras. . • continued from page 7

On Nick Patsaouras,the bus rider: "Riding thebus has opened up andreminded me of the beautyof the interaction thatexists among transitriders. Yesterday I experi-enced a tremendous highwhen I saw older passen-gers crack a wide opensmile at a young childwhose mother was carryingher in her arms. Transit isa social equalizer that wedesperately need, consider-ing that we are faced withracial tensions. Publictransit's greatest benefitswill occur when Metro Railis complete. Only then willtraffic congestion berelieved and the quality oflife improved. I, by theway, intend to be involvedwith transportation for along time."

On Nick Patsaouras,the man: "I describe myselfas a guy trying to do a goodjob. If I had to choose thewords, I would say I haveseif-confidence, seif-esteem,pride, and credibility."

On Los Angeles: "Welive in an exciting, urbane,dynamic city, and only awell-planned transportationsystem can keep it going. Ifwe miss it now, I'm not surewe'll ever get the chanceagain."

On future goals as aboard member: I'd like tosee the new headquartersbuilding moving along andthe reorganization in place.Once these two things areaccomplished, I will feel asthough I met the chal-lenge."

On those whom headmires: "I like BobbyKennedy. He broughtcompassion and vision. Ofsomeone alive today, I'd sayMario Cuomo."

"Transit is a

soeial equal-

izer that we

desperately

need."

On anything else: "Iwant to thank RTD employ-ees for helping me and theBoard to create an institu-tion that can be proud of itsservice to the customers."

JÜLY 1991 H EADWAY 18

Hertzberg State of the Districtby Rick Jager,Press Relations Rep.

RTD bus and raul ridershipincreased 3.7 percentduring the first ninemonths of FY '91 comparedto FY '90, with revenuesfrom the farebox totallingapproximately $181 million,an increase of 1.7 percentover last year, announcedRTD Board President NickPatsaouras.

"The state of the Districtis simple; we are on course,on budget for fiscal year1991, and one of the besttransit operators in thenation," said Patsaouras.

Alan Pegg, RTD'sgeneral manager, notedthat the District's thirdquarter report for FY '91shows that the RTD,barring any unforseencircumstances, will end thisfiscal year with a balancedbudget.

"This has been accom-plished despite an increaseof expenditures to provideadditional bus service andBlue Line security, addedBlue Line service toaccommodate increasedridership, and higher fuelcosts during the earlier partof the year," said Pegg.

RTD has added 35 busesthis fiscal year to relieveovercrowding that existsthroughout the system.This has allowed theDistrict to keep pace withpassenger growth bycarrying more passengerswith less serious over-crowding on many RTDlines.

"We still need to addmore service, and in thecoming months we will seekthe funding necessary to doso," said Patsaouras.

RTD service perfor-mance indicators showDistrict bus service is morereliable than a year agowith fewer road calls andmore buses meeting theirscheduled runs.

Miles traveled betweenroad calls increased from4,1000 miles in FY '90 to4,745 miles between roadcalls in FY '91.

In addition, 90 percent ofall RTD buses ready forservice are currently anti-graffiti-free upon leavingthe yard as opposed to 80percent in FY '90.

RTD has moved toenhance the quality of its

"Ridership

is up."

customer service by empha-sizing courtesy and assis-tance. For example, RTDquality assurance data fromservice inspecting unitsshow more and more busoperators are calling outbus stops for their passen-gers. In an informal surveytaken in June of 1990, only44 percent of the bus stopswere being called by busoperators compared to 90percent during April of1991.

Traffic accidents involv-ing RTD buses are at thelowest rate in seven years,continuing a downwardtrend that has seen a sixpercent overall drop inaccidents.

After three quarters ofFY 91, the District's annualaccident rate is 3.82

accidents per 100,000 milestraveled. This is the lowestrate since FY 1984.

"RTD has stressedoperator training and safetyawareness by implementinga number of intensivesafety programs and hasenforced the nation's mostrigorous drug abuse policyamong transit agencies,"said Pegg. "The goal of asafer, efficient, and reliablebus system is obviouslybeing implemented."

Since RTD implementeda tough new drug andalcohol abuse policy in1986, positive drug testshave been reduced from ahigh of 20.5 percent of thosetested to 1.14 percent inMarch of 1991.

RTD statistics also showthat absenteeism amongbus operators and mechan-ics continued to decrease.

A recently completedabsence rate surveyconducted by Booz Allenand Hamilton, Inc. con-cluded that driver atten-dance improved by 18percent between FY '88 andFY '89 and another 16percent in FY '90.

What this shows is thatbetween 1986 and 1990,attendance among ourOperator has improved by35 percent, a reduction of17.5 average annual daysabsent per driver," saidPegg.

The District's mainte-nance employee absencerate improved by 15 percentbetween FY '89 and FY '90with average days absentper mechanic reduced 5.4days representing a de-crease of 27 percentbetween FY '86 and FY '90.


"I do notice that thebuses on that line areovercrowded in theevening. The operators teilme they feel badly passingpeople up."

Hertzberg's goal on theBoard is to make sure thatthe agency receivesadequate revenue toprovide the best servicepossible. He hopes theDistrict will move forwardaggressively in long rangetransit planning andprocurement possibilities."Since the county isgobbled up by traffic, wemust expand the bus linesand develop incentives for

ridesharing."He says that his boss,

Ms. Molina, is verycommitted to transporta-tion and has worked withboth planners and commu-nity groups on the in-tended light raul through

Pasadena. "Our goal," heemphasized, "is to make

Los Angeles moreliveable."

The Los Angeles nativegraduated from theUniversity of California atSanta Barbara with adegree in economics. Hethen went on to graduatestudies in public policy atDuke University inDurham, N.C., where hewas a graduate fellow inthe Institute of PolicySciences and PublicAffairs.

Hertzberg, who issingle, worked with theCity Redevelopment andHousing Committee,which Ms.Molina chaired.He is a resident of theMid-Wilshire area of LosAngeles.


In the ballroom at the Burbank Airport Hilton Hotel,Marlene Allen's friends threw her a night to remember.Honoring the retiring Allen, who was also secretary of theDistrict's golf club, is her boss, Director of RiskManagement Barbara Anderson.

Bon Voyage to Marlene Allen

Marlene Allen has heardsome pretty good ones overthe years.

"One time," the graciousMinnesota native recalls,trying to keep a straightface, "this bus operatortried to teil me he hadgotten a boil on his tailbonebecause the mechanics gotthe seat dirty. I said to him,`You do wear clothes whenyou drive the bus, don'tyou?"

Allen smiles, "Let's justsay we agreed to forgetabout that one."

Last month, after 30years of service to theDistrict and overseeing theclosing out of some 26,000claims, Allen retired. Shespent the lion's share of heryears at RTD supervisingthe District's workerscompensation program andensuring that those employ-ees who filed got thebenefits to which they wereentitled. For years, Allenadministered the programby herself. Now there areten employees doingworker's compensation inthe Risk Managementdepartment. Notes Allen,"they're doing what I didmyself for years."

Allen started in 1961 asa medical clerk receptionistfor what was then theMetropolitan TransitAuthority (MTA). ("Nobodyever starts in workerscomp.; there's not even adass in it in law school.")Within seven years she hadworked almost every unionjob in the personneldepartment. When it was

clear there was no room foradvancement, she decidedto move to the credit union.

"But they talked me intostaying," Allen says, "anddoing workers comp."

The position requiredAllen to track employeeshurt on the job and filetheir damage claims with

the District's outside claimsadministrator. Severalyears later, RTD broughtthe claims in-house, andAllen was doing the actualadjustment, includingarranging payments,dealing with attorneys andsetting up medical exams.("There was a hiring freeze

on and I was the onlyexaminer working withsome 2,000 open files.")

Back then, Allen saysemployees didn't file stressclaims. "You didn't want todo anything that mightjeopardize your job," shesays. lt wasn't until theearly eighties that shestarted seeing stressclaims, and even then, shesays it "was just dis-gruntled employees tryingto get back at their em-ployer."

Nowadays, Allen saysemployees report thingsthat somebody at homewouldn't see a doctor for.Yes, she thinks workerscomp is a iJenefit thatemployees should beentitled to. But, as she putsit, "Some people overdo it."

"You get to the pointthat you hear so manystories of the different wayspeople have been hurt, thatyou don't believe it untilyou practically see theblood.

"You must understand,"she says with a grin, "Idon't mind people trying towork an angle, but whatI've minded over the yearsis that they think I'mstupid enough to believe thestories."

And how about thepeople who file the far-fetched claims? Do they feelstupid?

Not at all, she says witha straight face. "People donot get embarrassed aboutthose things."



Allen, who's single, willtake her memories to LasVegas where she recentlypurchased a house on a golfcourse. At the end of May,

dinner dance at theBurbank Airport Hilton.The humble Allen had notwanted a to-do made of herleaving, but she gave herfriends the nod when shethought of her father whohad passed away someyears ago.

Her Dad, WayneSpittler, had worked at theDistrict as the maintenancemanager of Division 6.When he retired in 1973because of failing health,his colleagues didn't givehim a party. Not even alittle gathering in the office."He would have liked that,"says Allen. "My party wasreally for him."

When he retired,Spittler had served theDistrict for 31 years.

Like father, like daugh-ter.

"I don't mind

people trying to

work an angle . . .

what I've minded

is that they think

I'm stupid

enough to believe

the stories."

her colleagues and theattorneys she's workedwith over the years toastedher retirement with a

When all was said and done, there was still more; a jumbotelevision set was presented to the lady of the evening,Marlene Allen.

Barnfield, Gene K., beganwith the District on Sep-tember 21, 1973, retired asa Bus Operator on April 18,

1991.

Bell, Thomas, began withthe District on April 8,1967, retired as a BusOperator on April 22, 1991.

QHIFTINGEARS

Vazquez, Horacio, beganwith the District on May 5,1980, retired as a Mechanic"A" on November 27, 1990.

Weathersbee, Jesse,began with the District onMay 6, 1967, retired as aBus Operator on May 17,1991.

Bullock, Jasper E., beganwith the District on March23, 1968, retired as a BusOperator on May 7, 1991.

Cooper, Donald R., beganwith the District on May13, 1958, retired as aTransit Operations Super-visor on April 30, 1991.

Doss, 0. D., began with theDistrict on April 27, 1968,retired as a Bus Operatoron April 28, 1991.

Gutierrez, Tomas A.,began with the District onApril 21, 1981, retired as aMopper Waxer on April 30,1991.

Hassan, Raymond E.,began with the District onMay 4, 1963, retired as aBus Operator on May 17,1991.

McCoy, Cornelius, beganwith the District on April 5,1976, retired as a Mechanic"A" on April 9, 1991.

Takemoto, Jacqueline S.,began with the District onMarch 3, 1986, retired as aSecretary on May 11, 1991.

Wesling, Ralph E., beganwith the District on March28, 1968, retired as a BusOperator on April 27, 1991.

Wyrick, Curtis J., beganwith the District onFebruary 17, 1968, retiredas a Bus Operator on April30, 1991.


/,';'WE;g5,;24 %Y

MENDATIONS

"In my mind, she's always been Operator of the Month,"said Supervisor Dave Coffey of Information Operator

Theresa Lutton-Ramirez who was honored May 23 by theBoard of Directors for officially taking the honors in April."Theresa is sharp, knows what the patrons want before theyask and knows the lines, schedules, and fares like the backof her hand," added Coffey. Fielding calls from up to 30people an hour, Lutton-Ramirez said the most popularrequest is information about the Blue Line. She said many

people are shocked to find that the light rau l line only goesbetween Long Beach and Los Angeles. "I tell them to give usa couple of years," she laughed. The mot her of two sons, she

graduated from Marshall High School. She's presentlytaking business classes at Los Angeles City College.

"The best part of my job is meeting so many people fromall over the country and the world," said Bus OperatorStephen Glaser who clinched Operator of the Monthhonors for April. Introduced to the Board May 23, Glaserposed afterward for a snapshot with his sister, Sharon

Sanders, who is an attorney in the District's LegalDepartment. Glaser, who works out of Division 15, startedwith RTD in March of 1980 as apart-time operator. The

single jogger has carried 90 merits since 1983, and has

neuer had a missout. He has not been sick since 1984.Glaser earned Outstanding Recognition for the years 88-

89, 89-90, and according to his division manager, ChrisColeman, "will undoubtedly receive Outstanding Operatorfor 90-91. When he's not behind the wheel, Glaser enjoys

hiking and working out.


Commendations continued from page 22

Rob Hartert, photolithograp hic process operator, wasrecently named the Print Shop's Employee of the Quarter.Hartert, 13 years in the printing business, averaged 140percent a month in productivity, according to his superivsorMike Kennedy. A "good" rating is 90 percent. The Rialto

father of two says his jobs are "neuer the same so they areneuer monotonous." Word has it that Hartert worked somuch one year that he earned the nickname "O.T. Hartert"from his colleagues. His boss says that he depends on himpersonally for specialty jobs. Said Kennedy, "Rob gives 100percent all the time -- he's very dependable." Al Moore,manager of the Print Shop, and Steve Parry, director ofScheduling and Operations Planning join Rob in the

picture.

"He's one of our best," said Director of Accounting MikeButler of Rene Decena as he presented him with a plaquefor Outstanding Employee of the Quarter. The seven-yearRTD veteran is in charge of financial management systemswhich means making sure that the general ledger, accountspayable, fixed asset, and the grants systems are all workingproperly. The Burbank resident also acts as a liaisonbetween Accounting and other District departments andconsultants. "I can't do without him," said Josie Nicasio, hissupervisor. "Everybody just loves him. He has no airs. Therecognition was long overdue."


More Commendations continued from page 23

Five of the returning Desert Storm soldiers received a hearty

welcome home in May from the RTD Board of Directors.Euch was presented a bronze medallion and a T-shirt thatread "Operation Desert Storm" on the front, and on the backread, "My Other Job is With RTD." Those honored included(from left to right) Jose Solano, Curtis Shelby, FroylanSandoval, Douglas Park, and Wesley Tyvog. Makingpresentations to the men were (on the left) L. Rich Davis,director of maintenance and Leilia Bailey, director oftransportation. RTD Board President Nick Patsaouras,flanked by General Manager Alan Pegg, holds the plaquewith the soldiers' pictures and those of their colleagues who

are still in the Gulf. The plaque will be displayed in theshowcase outside the Board room. Similar ceremonies for

the remaining 14 activated RTD servicemen will be held inthe coming weeks, according to orchestrator and HumanRelations Analyst Howard Chokan. Chokan, himself in the

Navy Reserves, said the ideas for the ceremony and specialgifts "just blossomed."

Director of Human Resources Gayel Pitchford acceptedan award on behalf of RTD for dispatching a bus totransport family members of troops returning from theGulf. The story was featured in the May issue of Headway.The presenter was the Commanding Officer Mobile InshoreUndersea Warfare Unit (M1UWU 105) of the U.S. NavyReserves, to which Gayel belongs. Declaring it was "ourway of saying thanks," the Navy saluted RTD for theireffort in making the community stronger. "This is yourday," they conveyed to RTD through Gayel. She,

incidentally, is one of only 120 women commanders in theU.S. Navy.


More Commendations. . . continued from page 24

Layout Supervisor Susan Chapman captured the Employeeof the Quarter Award for her consistently excellentperformance. Under Susan's leadership, the DocumentProduction section is being converted from a "cut and paste"operation to a personal-computer-based system. According toher supervisor, Dick Dimon, "her ability to produce top-

quality work within tight deadlines has significantlyenhanced the standards of the wide range of graphicmaterials produced by Susan and her staff" She also

oversees the layout of Headway. Susan, who is married,lives in the San Gabriel Valley. She is pictured herereceiving congratulations from Director of Scheduling andOperations Planning Steve Parry.

1Ve have a pretty good crew," Philip Williams said of hiscolleagues in the Running Repair Section. They must thinkhighly of him, too. In April, he was named CMF Employeeof the Month because, said his supervisor, "he is a well-rounded mechanic and knowledgeable in all phases of busmaintenance." Philip is a Mechanic A.

Albert Sampson, a Leadman in Equipment Maintenance

at the Machine Shop, accepted congratulations on beingnamed CMF Employee of the Month for April. He waschosen because of his excellent working relationship withco-workers which, according to his supervisors, enables him

to get maximum cooperation. On the Job 35 years, he said hestill "feels the joy of serving the public."

Carrying an excellent attendence and safety record as a

Mechanic A, Julio Perez was tapped CMF Employee of theMonth for April. His superiors in the Midlife Section saidhe was chosen because he performs his mechanicalassignments in a superior manner. "I'm grateful to work

here," the seven year RTD man told Headway.


Public CommendationsDear Sir:The purpose of this

letter is to applaud WayneHelton, one of your manyRTD drivers, who, eachmorning, drives the 401 busfrom Pasadena into LosAngeles.

I can't praise hisattitude enough. He isalways polite and courte-ous, calling out our namesand wishing us a "good day"or "see you Monday!" It's areal pleasure to ride withhim.

So many times, I amsure, you must get grumpyletters complaining aboutthis or that, but I can't helpfeeling that Wayne de-serves a pat on the back, ahandshake, or even a payraise from his boss.

Congratulations forhaving the good sense tohire such people.

Sincerely,Ginny BensonMember RelationsSanta Monica AreaChamber Area ofCommerce

Dear Sir:In today's society, it

seem that the only time wehear something is whenthings are bad, or not rightand we lose sight or take forgranted the good things,When I have the time, I liketo commend someone for ajob well done as was done byyour operator Henry Scott,badge #1689.

Mr. Scott handles the434 line, in which I ridedaily. He is always courte-ous and conscientious, butthis one particular daynotes merit.

There were five Germantourists boarding on 4th andBroadway this week andwanted to tour Los Angeles(downtown) and then returnto Malibu. Even though theydidn't speak English verywell, Mr. Scott understoodtheir needs and directedthem effortlessly. Thesepeople didn't even under-stand the dollar value toowell, but he never lostpatience. In fact, he madethem feel comfortable about

the situation. When it wastime for their departure, hepointed out the directionthat they needed to go, andexplained to them where tostand to catch the returningbus.

I have been riding thebuses since September andhave seen drivers who havedifficulty with Englishspeaking passengers andare not as courteous Hatsoff to Mr. Scott.

Sincerely,Pamela MillerHotel/ReservationsDirectorMagic International

Dear Sir:We have had many

drivers on this Los Angeles-Norwalk route. Mr. SteveLugo is one of the bestdrivers we have had. He isalways on time, so we donot miss our connections.He is always very courteousand professional. For thesereasons we would like tohave Steve as our perma-

nent Line 462 driver, andthat is the purpose of thisletter. Could you approveour petition.

Sincerely yours,Juan Jose Jauregui(The letter was signed

by 14 others)

Dear Sir:The purpose of my

letter is to commend RTDdriver, Mr. C. Randolph,Badge #2619I Route 33, forthe information, kindnessand courtesy extended totwo confused out-of-statetourists.

Please inform him ofmy letter so he will know ofour gratitude. By the way,we spent ten dayssightseeing by bus andfound all of your driversextremely helpful, but Mr.Randolph even more so.

Thank you.Sincerely,Isabel J. MahoneyUpper Darby, PA

Rubin, RTD Win National Accounting DistinctionA top national award forfinancial disclosure inannual reports has beenwon by the RTD and itscontroller-treasurer, TomRubin. The GovernmentFinance Officers Associa-tion of the United Statesand Canada awarded itscertificate of achievementfor excellence in financialreporting to the SouthernCalifornia Rapid TransitDistrict.

The certificate ofachievement is the highestform of recognition in thearea of governmentalaccounting and financialreporting, and its attain-ment represents a signifi-cant accomplishment by agovernment and its man-agement," the Chicago-based association said. lt isa distinction accorded toonly three percent ofgovernmental agencies inthe nation.

RTD's comprehensiveannual financial report wasjudged by an impartialpanel to meet the highstandards of the financeofficers association programincluding the demonstra-tion of a constructive "spiritof full disclosure," theorganization said.

Tom Rubin


"Sometimes," his colleagues say good-naturedly of John St.Cyr (above), "we have to pinch him to see if he's awake. Weshould be half as good as he."

Working on the RailroadS ometimes, when John

St. Cyr looks at the closedcircuit monitor which pansthe Blue Line stations, hesees people disregardingthe rules. Sometimes he'llsee people drinking on theplatforms or walking on

the tracks.But on one Saturday in

April, the dispatcherwhose colleagues say is"modest to a fault" saw achilling slice of life. Twopeople had been shot, not

on raul property, but on apublic sidewalk under-neath the Florence plat-form. He watched aghastas a man wheeling a babystroller passed the bleed-ing victim, looked at him,and moved coolly on. Just

as coolly, St. Cyr walkedthe twenty feet to theSheriffs deputies andrelayed what was beingplayed out on the screen.

"He never flies off thehandle," says his boss, DanIbarra. "That man workswith such precision andsuch consistency thatyou're used to forgettinghe's there."

But St. Cyr has beenhere for 16 years. In thattime, he is one of only twowho has worked almostevery transportation Job onboth the bus and rail side.He is, says Ibarra, "livingtestimony to the success of

a cross-training program."The man who restores

old cars for a hobby startedas a bus operator workingout of Divisions 8 and 15.

He worked the ExtraBoard so that he was not"stuck on the same streets"

every day.

Two years later, hechanged to division dis-patching in the SanFernando Valley.

"I like to see differentaspects of the company andhow they interface witheach other," the reservedSt. Cyr says. "As a divisiondispatcher, I learned thedifferent personalities ofthe operators."

Soon a transit opera-tions supervisor, theCanyon Country residentwas among six or sevenpeople chosen to cross-trainin the radio room down-town. ("lt was mostexciting, most rewarding.")He was particularilychallenged during the rushhour. If a bus broke down,he would have to adjust theother buses on the line. "Ilove solving those kinds ofproblems, but sometimesyou can only put a band-aidon them.

"I found that if you werepleasant to the operatorson the other end, the

problems would be solved alot quicker."

In April of last year, theBlue Line whistled. ("lt wasa beautiful sight to see theyard filled with trains.")First a yard controller, thena line supervisor, St. Cyr ispresently working with thehighly sophisticated,computerized equipment inthe radio room. "As a rauldispatcher, I have to beeven more careful becausewe're dealing with highspeeds." And the problemsin some cases are morecomplex to solve. "When Iwas a bus dispatcher andthere was an accident in thestreet, we'd use anotherstreet. But an accident onthe tracks is critical to trainoperations."

He says light railaccidents seem to happenmore often in the afternoon.And, as you'd expect, suchmishaps happen more onstreet running territory,like Washington and LongBeach boulevards where

there are more problemswith traffic signals.

"He is living

testimony to the

success of a

cross-training

program."

If he had to choose hisfavorite station, he sayshe'd pick Del Arno becauseit's the first one he ever sawand a "two-level Job." As forhis favorite RTD Job, St. Cyrsays diplomatically, "I'veenjoyed every TOS Job I'veever had," and then quicklyadds, "This is the best groupof people I've ever workedwith."

"That figures," saysIbarra when told of St. Cyr'scomments. "I've never heardJohn say an unkind thingabout anybody. There issimply no negativity comingfrom John."

These days, he's nothome much because of hisschedule, which requireshim to work from 12:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m and on week-ends.

His wife, Rosemary, hesays, is getting used to it."Transportation is my life,"he says simply. Perhaps it'sin the blood. His oldest son,a sheriffs deputy in Castaic,has a high seniority positiontransporting prisoners tocourt. His middle son is atow truck driver. And hisyounger son, a collegestudent, enjoys watching hisdad restore the '55 Buickthey have at home.


Inventors at Heart.

The District Cashes In, and So Do Its EmployeesWatch any old movie or TVrerun set in the workplaceand you are likely to runacross a familiar old joke --the employee suggestionbox, which is often madeout of a shoe box, and isemptied into the waste-paper basket at the end ofeach week.

Human Resourcesanalyst Denice Findlaywants you to know thatthings work a little differ-ently at the District.Findlay is charged withadministration of the RTDEmployee SuggestionProgram, which bears noresemblance to the shoe boxof old.

The District knows thatits employees, rather thanhigh-priced outside consult-ants, are the people whobest understand dailyoperation of an immensepublic transit agency. lt isto the employees, then, thatthe District turns for cost-cutting and service-enhanc-ing improvements. TheSuggestion Programassures that every idea isacknowledged, evaluatedand -- if put into effect --rewarded.

If you still don't thinkthe District is serious aboutwanting employees' sugges-tions, just ask any of theeight employees whosesuggestions were rewardedlast May. Robert Kang, forexample, realized thatdollar bills often got stuckin the electronic fareboxes.Kang, a Sheet MetalWorker who has been withRTD for 17 1/2 years,developed a die that allowsthe bills to be smoothlyinserted, and ended upsaving the District $500.

He in turn was awarded$50 for his cost-cuttingsuggestion.

Robert Puente is also aSheet Metal Worker, and healso had an idea for theelectronic fareboxes. Hedesigned a transfer ticketholder which now results inan annual cost savings of$2654. The District happilyspent ten percent of thatsavings thanking Puente forhis valuable idea, bypresenting him with a $265

award.No one understands the

need for safety better thangood mechanics, and four ofthe District's best wererewarded for suggestionsthat promote safety duringmaintenance and repair.Tim Pohlman and TerryDiedrichs, both with theDistrict for almost tenyears, split a $100 awardwhen they suggestedinstalling a 100 seriesshipping stand on an 870dolly, making removal ofpower plant assembliessafer and easier. VictorYacobucci and Julio Perez,concerned about possible

injury resulting from failedhydraulic jacks duringGFC engine changes,designed a steel beam tosupplement the jacks andprevent serious accidents.They also split a $100award.

Since its inception,

the Employee

Suggestion

Program has saved

RTD about $1.2

million.

Safety was also aconcern for Gary Ward, awelder with the District for18 years. He designed astand that will safely holdaxle housings for repairs,storing and shipping,making the EquipmentMaintenance area evensafer.

Ward also designed atow bar for our FlexibleMetro buses. Formerly, thebuses had to be lifted and

towed using chains andboards; as a result, thefront bumpers oftensuffered damage. Afterconsidering the problemand spending just half aday in the weld shop, Wardhad fabricated a new three-foot by four-foot unit whichadapts to the standardtowing fixture and goesunderneath the coach,causing no damage to thefront end. The District hasawarded $200 to Ward forhis safety-enhancing andcost-saving ideas.

Equipment MaintenanceSupervisor Roger Flynnthought radiators wouldwithstand structural shockbetter if they were mountedon polyurethane padsinstead of the laminatedcanvas composite materialthey previously used. Thesuggestion was tried out,and now results in anannual cost saving of$2461.50. Flynn's ideaproved rewarding forhimself, as well; theDistrict gratefully pre-sented him with a check for$246.

Since its inception, theEmployee SuggestionProgram has saved theDistrict about $1.2 million.

WantedWanted: Cash offers forSafety Awards and CapBadges from Los AngelesTransit Lines, Metropolitan

Transit Authority, andPacific Electric Railway.Please call or write: RoyFizer, 1254 West 36thStreet, Los Angeles CA90007. (213) 735-9145.


Flanked by union leaders and LACTC Executive DirectorNeil Peterson, RTD Board President Nick Patsaouras urgedcities and developers to donate land as sites formanufacturing plants to produce buses, raul cars and otherequipment, thus creating jobs and boosting the localeconomy.

Waning Industry Should be Harnessed ForBuilding Transit Systems, Patsaouras SaysThousands of jobs could becreated in SouthernCalifornia over the nextthree decades by redirectingaerospace and defenseemployees into localmanufacturing of buses,light rau, commuter rauland subway cars and partsinstead of purchasingequipment from abroad,RTD Board President NickPatsaouras and civicleaders announced at apress conference in lateMay.

Government and privateindustry need to work in ajoint effort to re-allocateavailable engineers,technicians, skilled laborand manufacturing capacityin the moribund aerospaceand defense industries intothe building of transitsystems in SouthernCalifornia. Patsaourasmade his remarks at anews conference in Downeynear RockwellInternational's SpaceSystems Division.

Over the next 30 years,Patsaouras noted, the LosAngeles County Transports-tion Commission, in concertwith the 88 cities in thecounty, CalTrans, the RTD,and nine of the municipaltransit operators, willspend nearly $160 billionimproving bus services,building rail lines, addingto freeway capacity, anddeveloping new technologyto help ease congestion andclean up the air.

"lt means the productionof nearly 6,000 buses -- one

bus per work day for thenext 30 years," Patsaourasadded, noting that theCrown Coach plant inChino in neighboring SanBernardino county is beingdismantled and auctionedoff.

"lt also means theproduction of 300 rail carsand related equipment, aswell as the development ofnew technology for farecollection, street signalcontrols in smart corridors,telecommunications andinformation dissemination."

Added LACTC ExecutiveDirector Neil Peterson, `Weneed to initiate the momen-tum to keep local taxdollars here in SouthernCalifornia and providemuch-needed jobs to thosewho have been left out as a

result of the defense andaerospace closures."

Peterson pointed outthat although the MetroBlue Line vehicles weremanufactured and as-sembled in Japan, 40percent of the parts weremanufactured in the UnitedStates.

"It's feasible to assemblethe cars here, as is donewith New York's Japaneseand Canadian built subwaytrains and Seattle's Italian-built buses," Peterson said."We urge the manufactur-ing industries to look intocreating opportunitieslocally."

Southern Californialabor leaders also praisedthe plan. Bill Robertson,executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles

Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), said that governmentcontract cancellations andcutbacks, combined with anextended slump in privateorders at major aerospacefacilities here, had"sounded an apparentdoomsday message" in theindustry.

Bruce Lee, director ofRegion 6, United AutoWorkers, said Patsaouras'sprogram was "the onlyviable plan on the tablethat promises to save thetalent and experience oftens of thousands of skilledworkers from vanishingforever while giving theSouthern Californiaeconomy a massive boostfor years to come.

"The foresight of NickPatsaouras in developingthe `Jobs

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