A decision to privatize the employment of drivers and maintenance workers, especially for the system's buses, could lead to a wave of layoffs.
Nicole Dungca reports: "The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is considering the privatization of driver and maintenance worker jobs, a prospect that could lead to the layoff of hundreds of employees, as it tries to cut into a multimillion dollar deficit."
The news of the potential privatization of driver and maintenance jobs comes from a report delivered by the MBTA's fiscal and management board to state legislators. The report focuses on those employees " account for about 85 percent of the MBTA’s operational costs."
"The potential outsourcing of operations or maintenance jobs will probably be controversial," according to Dungca. "The Boston Carmen’s Union, the T’s largest labor group, has vehemently opposed ongoing efforts to privatize other departments, such as the warehouse and cash-counting operations."
Read the full story: MBTA could privatize maintenance and bus driver jobs
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