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PHOENIX -- The manager of the light rail that serves the Phoenix area is urging workers to continue with contract negotiations.

The general manager of Alternate Concepts Inc., Bruce Browne, says there has never been work stoppage in the company's 20-year history and there's no reason to break that streak.

His comments came Monday after learning that Valley Metro workers voted to authorize the Amalgamated Transit Union to call a strike.

The union says it has tried to communicate with ACI but hasn't received a response. It contends that union members are happy to continue bargaining but that the employer has demanded an end date of Dec. 31.

ACI says there's no hard deadline and that it will try to reach an agreement. It also says it will work with Valley Metro officials on a contingency plan should workers walk off the job.

Associated Press,

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  • Abuse
    nokidding wrote...
    I'm Confused
    December 10, 2012 7:37 pm
    So our cities want to scale down the rail schedule because we are paying for some routs that have very little usage and waste energy and resources so a bunch of overpaid union drivers can keep their shift and shaft us taxpayers. Quote from the union website: "Together with the members of our Union and the Riders of public transit we will fight to restore better public transportation to the Metro Area. Join our Riders Coalition today and say no to higher prices and less service."
  • Abuse
    nokidding wrote...
    Why don't we monitor riders?
    December 10, 2012 7:42 pm
    I was in Tempe last Saturday night and about 70 riders got on at Mill Ave. to go downtown. Myself and 3 other passengers were the only ones who bought tickets. The "young" riders were all joking about the "free ride" and we even picked up 3 "Street homeless" on the way there that didn't pay.
  • Abuse
    SurpriseMe wrote...
    union sucks
    December 10, 2012 9:20 pm
    another reason why our government doesnt run efficiently. Union. We need to get Unions out of our government so we can have a balance budget and pay people based on how much they do not because they are part of a union. although i do miss my union job. did nothing and got paid well.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    Strike?
    December 11, 2012 7:30 am
    Public service jobs should not be allowed to strike. If they dont like the job and the benefits then they should find a job that suits them. Having public transportation suspended so some union boss can justify his existance is absurd. We have enough corruption in the government already, and unions just multiply the corruption exponentially.
  • Abuse
    OneWonders wrote...
    I am so sick
    December 11, 2012 8:22 am
    of Unions! Can someone tell me what they are good for in today's world besides getting people paid more who don't deserve it? I have never been part of a unions, I work hard, I get pay raises because of my performance, why can't others do that?
    Equal Justice, Not Social Justice.
  • Abuse
    RyckAZ wrote...
    Business Model is Faulty
    December 11, 2012 9:57 am
    I agree with "Nokidding", there are far too many people NOT paying to use the Light Rail then there are fare paying passengers. I do like the fact that Light Rail passage is included with your ticket to a downtown event. That is smart. But they have a truely faulty business model that allows for the opportunity of dishonest people to continually act dishonest by not paying their fare share! Punn intended!
  • Abuse
    Tinysinger wrote...
    Ticket Fare enforcement is a joke....
    December 11, 2012 10:15 am
    I ride the Light Rail from the Sycamore Station in Mesa to Central and Thomas every week for work. I get so sick and tired of watching people board the train at the last second, then when the train gets to the next station, they peer out the doors to see if security is there. They need to put plain clothes Fare Enforcement Officers on board to resolve this issue.
  • Abuse
    Navigator1 wrote...
    I think
    December 11, 2012 12:05 pm
    Ronald Reagan had a good way to deal with this sort of foolishness.
  • Abuse
    rosebud1951 wrote...
    Where do I begin
    December 13, 2012 11:30 am
    The 23 million a year ( every year) we pay as tax payers to keep this version of amtrac running, or the gov. union people sucking up more $$ to do less ( private unions can go for what they can get) or the left leaning,kool-aid drinking people that vote in people to force us to pay for things we really don't need or want! In this day and age I thought the gov. worked for us, now I know they work to force the successful and middle class to pay for everything they want, no matter the cost. SAD, we lost our common sense to to people who think they know better than the people!
  • 1

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