For Immediate Release: September 2, 2010

Contact: Matt O’Connor, CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 – (860) 221-5696 (cell)

HARTFORD SCHOOL BUS SUBCONTRACTORS “GAMING THE SYSTEM” AT TAXPAYER AND STUDENT EXPENSE

Union representing employees of transportation service providers applauds City Council resolution calling for investigation of compliance with living wage law, adherence to student safety standards

HARTFORD—

Elected officials, school bus drivers, and monitors are alarmed that transportation vendors subcontracted to the city of Hartford are circumventing living wage laws, evading local property taxes, and risking student safety. Court of Common Council President rJo Winch has called for a sweeping investigation of contracts approved under former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez involving a regional education service provider and companies with the worst safety records in Connecticut.

At issue is a deceptive arrangement between the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) and Logisticare Solutions, Inc. to provide bus services for suburban students attending Hartford Host Magnet Schools. The company has subcontracted actual bus services to Specialty Transportation and Autumn Transportation, which were both at the center of a high-profile fatal accident in January. The Hartford City Council’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee will take up a resolution authored by President Winch to fully investigate the matter at their September 13 meeting. “Bernie Madoff would blush at the ‘Ponzi scheme’ concocted by the former mayor,” said Robert Rinker, Executive Director of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, which represents Hartford school bus monitors employed by Logisticare. “Hartford taxpayers should be outraged that CREC and a bus contractor are gaming the system. They’re charging unnecessary administrative fees at each layer, and now it appears that they are scheming to deprive Hartford residents of a livable wage,” said Rinker.

Rinker’s comments refer to a joint announcement by Autumn and Specialty last month that approximately 130 of their drivers and buses were being relocated to a new facility in the town of East Hartford. The move appears designed to allow both companies to avoid compliance with Hartford’s Living Wage Ordinance and evade business property taxes, despite transporting children to and from magnet schools in the city. “It just looks questionable that these companies are moving out of town,” said special education school bus driver Debbie King, who has been employed by Autumn for four years. “It seems like it’s just to get away without having to pay living wages and get out of paying property taxes. I’m happy to see that the Hartford City Council cares about the students and us drivers,” King said.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001’s nearly 25,000 members are retired and active public sector workers in state, municipal, and local schools’ agencies across Connecticut, as well as workers employed by non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services. Visit www.seiu2001.org online for more information about the union’s efforts to “Drive Up Standards” in the student transportation industry.

Tomorrow is primary day for CT Democrats, but the mailings make it seem more like a high school class president election.  I made the mistake of registering as a Democrat in 2006 when I felt strongly that we should oust Joe Lieberman (see how that turned out).  My punishment now seems to be that I will receive stacks of Democratic campaign materials.  How many Gerry Garcia card stock rectangles can I get before it stops being amusing?  Three.  Read the full story

Nina Pinchon, director, and Kevin Scott, composer, discuss their hip-hop production of Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” at Hartford Stage.

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Despite what you may have heard from suburbanites, Hartford is a very bike-able city.  It’s relatively small in geographic size.  Many shoulders are wide enough to provide safe bike passage.  And, Hartford even has a few bike lanes.   Plus, Connecticut in recent years passed legislation that protects bikers on the road (see also: the three foot law) and is supporting it with public displays on billboards and buses.   Read the full story

Julie Carrion, director of catering and education, discusses The Kitchen at Billings Forge in Hartford.  Topics include the farm to table movement, food policy, and community development through job training.

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Hartford; Middletown, CT—Two days ago during rush hour, activists with the climate justice network Connecticut Rising Tide dropped two large banners off of the Portland Bridge in Middletown and over Interstate 91-North in Hartford, to highlight the irreparable destruction in the Gulf of Mexico on the 3-month anniversary of the oil disaster, and to demand an end to our oil addiction.

“The Deepwater Horizon explosion has caused the worst ecological disaster in history,” said Mica Taliaferro, a Hartford resident and a member of CT Rising Tide.  “Eleven rig workers have been killed, fishery economies have been bankrupt, and precious coastal ecosystems have been damaged beyond repair. Three months later, it is time to critically analyze our consumption of oil.  We need to be sure a catastrophe like this never happens again.”

The large banners were in full display for the morning rush hour, stating “Put a Cap on Big Oil” and “End Oil Drilling: Bikes and Buses!”  The banners conveyed the demand for an end to massive oil drilling, and a shift towards sustainability through measures such as increased public transportation and safer bike lanes.

Since the start of the leak three months ago, well over 100 million gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf.  Activists say that the sheer size and devastation of the spill is enough to warrant the total abolition of offshore drilling. We need to shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy. “It has become abundantly clear that our dependence on oil is destructive and unsustainable, and must soon end for the health of the planet and those living on it,” said Kevin Hayes, a student in Middletown and member of CT Rising Tide.

The leak was finally contained on July 15^th, after oil spewed into the Gulf at a rate of 35,000 barrels per day since the initial explosion on April 20^th.  Considering the extent of this damage, the moratorium placed on offshore drilling by the Obama Administration does not go nearly far enough; a permanent ban on offshore drilling is the only acceptable measure to take to prevent another catastrophe.

Activists emphasize that the oil disaster is not an isolated problem, but one which stems from America’s addiction to oil and other dirty energy sources.  Our lifestyle of over-consumption has lead to an unhealthy dependence on environmentally destructive fossil fuels, polluting our water and air systems, and contributing heavily to global climate change.  “We need a massive energy shift away from fossil fuels and into locally generated energy systems in order to begin to repair  the damage that has already been done and build towards a more ecologically sound future,” said Kevin Hayes.

For more information, go to:

http://www.actagainstoil.com/

Rising Tide is a grassroots network of groups and individuals who take direct action to confront the root causes of climate change and promote local, community-based solutions to the climate crisis.  We are an international network born out of the conviction that corporate-friendly and state-sponsored solutions to climate change will not save us. As a matter of survival, we must decrease our dependence on the industries and institutions that are destroying the planet and work toward community autonomy and sustainable living.

On Monday night, Hartford’s City Council voted to overturn ordinance Chapter 31, Article I, Section 31-5 of Code de Skateboards. Which barring any mayoral veto, officially repeals the archaic and unnecessary ban of skateboarding on Hartford’s streets and sidewalks. The ban, which has been in place for 33 years was hardly-if ever-enforced and most citizens were not even aware it existed. After a few minutes of debate in favor of and against lifting the ban, the council voted 7-1 to repeal the ordinance with Councilman Calixto Torres the stand alone against.

Most of the council were not impressed by the scare tactics employed by Corporation Council John Rose and Councilman Torres, that lifting the ban would open the flood gates for lawsuits and increased liability to the city and it’s taxpayers. In fact, some members saw this strawman argument as a ploy by the business district to further encourage a “pedestrian only” downtown.

Councilman Luis Cotto, who has lead the charge to lift the ban, argued that skateboarding is a legitimate form of transportation and  an excellent way for Hartford’s youth to stay in shape. Councilman Cotto is also responsible for creating a task-force consisting of Hartford residents, artists, skateboarders, and business leaders to look into the the viability of building a skate/bmx park and mixed-use arts area at New Ross County, Wexford Park, affectionately known as “Heaven” by local skateboarders.

The council has recently approved the initial recommendations of the Task-Force which include building a poured-concrete style park, urban arts wall, and a stage for performances.

Students from Classical Magnet School in Hartford discuss the work they’re doing around youth homelessness in the city.

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Cindy Martinez of Hartbeat Ensemble discusses the fifth annual Plays in the Parks series, coming to Hartford in July.  The plays take on a number of critical issues such as homelessness, mental illness, the mortgage crisis, and health care.

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RadioActive brings you audio from two events in Hartford from June 4, an education forum at La Paloma Sabanera and the Gaza rally downtown.

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