Metropolitan Transportation Authority 213.922.2000 Telmetro. net

æ MetroOne Gateway PlazaLos Angeles, CA 90012-2952

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND AUDIT COMMITTEEOPERATIONS COMMITTEE

AUGUST 17,2006

SUBJECT: BUS OPERATOR VACANCIES

ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE

RECOMMENTATION

Receive and fie report on measures taken to eliminate Bus Operator position vacancies.

ISSUE

At the June 2006 Board meeting, the Board approved a motion directing the Chief ExecutiveOfficer to report back to the Board with a plan to eliminate the Bus Operator shortage.

DISCUSSION

The need to use United Transportation Union (UTU) overtime has steadily grown as thenumber of Bus Operator vacancies has increased. Operations estimates that approximately$4 milion to $5 milion in UTU overtime was needed to meet service demands in FY06.

The number of Bus Operator vacancies grew as a result of increased service, a relatively lowunemployment rate, and constraints in the collective bargaining unit agreement. AsConsent Decree service was added, and despite increased participation in job fairs and otherevents, Bus Operator vacancies rose to approximately 300 positions by March 2006. Toaddress this problem, the Chief Executive Offcer and Deputy Chief Executive Offcerdirected staff to establish a task force that would develop and implement initiatives to reducethe number of vacant Bus Operator positions. The team included representatives fromOperations, Human Resources, Administration, Community Relations and OrganizationalDevelopment and Training.

The first initiative implemented, which was the result of a joint effort by the Metro and UTUnegotiating teams, was to temporarily suspend restrictions on the number of hours thatPart-time Operators could work. This has provided temporary relief to Operators who hadworked many hours of overtime. Longer term solutions implemented by Transit Operationsinclude the wage increase provided in the new UTU contract, temporariy suspending theuse of the Business Development Operating Facility classification after completion oftraining and promoting successful trainees to Part-time Operator classification instead. Staffbelieves that these changes wil make the position more appealing to potential applicantsand wil reduce vacancies.

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The Bus Operator Vacancy Task Force continued its work to compliment the measures thatTransit Operations had taken. The team reviewed current recruitment efforts and identifedadditional steps that would be effective in filing vacancies. A program with three majorcomponents was developed. It includes: 1) Marketing Campaign, 2) Community Outreachand 3) Educational Assistance for potential applicants. Each component is discussed below.

Marketing Campaign

The marketing campaign involves promoting the position of Bus Operator as a careerinstead of a job. A new brochure entitled, "America's best offers you the best," wasdeveloped. The brochure highlights the benefits of being a Bus Operator, including a

rewarding career that offers excellent benefits and advancement opportnities. Brochuresare being distributed at job fairs, community events and other public gatherings wherepotential applicants might be found. In addition, the Marketing Department has developeda "tail ad" for rear bus panels that wil state, "A rewarding career is just a phone call away.Call 213.922DRIVE." These ads wil run on 100 buses beginning in August and continuing

for four months. The last element of the marketing campaign is the strategic placement ofnew ads in select print media outlets promoting Metro Bus Operator career opportnities.

Community Outreach

Community Relations personnel attend many community events that attract potential BusOperator candidates and staffhas incorporated promotion of Bus Operator careers at theseevents. Since April 1, 2006, Community Relations staffhas participated in 16 neighborhoodevents attended by 300 to 5,000 participants in which brochures and job applications to arepassed out to interested parties. This has increased outreach at the local leveL. Staff is alsoworking with Operations General Managers to identifY locations within each sector whereMetro job fairs can be held. These job fairs wil begin in August.

Human Resources has also conducted numerous job fairs and has increased its participationin job fairs and other community gatherings. Between June 2005 and JulY 2006, HumanResources participated in 68 job fairs. Human Resources and Community Relations staffwork closely to coordinate their outreach efforts to ensure that Metro is represented at eventsthat potential applicants might attend.

Staff in the Transit Operations and Organizational Development and Training units arecollaborating to develop an event targeting persons or organizations representing adult highschool educational programs, community colleges, WorkSource and community-basedprograms to promote Bus Operator career opportnities. This effort wil culminate in anevent to be held at the Metro Headquarters Building in September.

Staff believes that some potential applicants wil find the workday of a Metro Bus Operator tobe an appealing career option that involves much more than simply driving a bus. To showthe potential applicants what being a Bus Operator entails, Operations and Marketing aredeveloping a short DVD entitled "A Day in the Life of a Metro Bus Operator." The DVD wilbe distributed to agencies that assist individuals in finding jobs and Metro staff wil use it atjob fairs and other events.

Bus Operator Vacancies Page 2

Bridge Program

An innovative new pilot program has been developed collaboratively with Metro, the LosAngeles Valley College, the Wilshire Metro WorkSource Center, and the Literacy Network ofGreater Los Angeles. This program wil provide "bridge" training to address qualificationgaps of potential Bus Operators who need help to succeed in the Metro Bus OperatorTraining Program. The bridge program, which will be launched on August 14,2006,includes instruction in English, basic math, critical thinking, time management and studyskils, and customer service. Staff believes that the bridge program wil give individuals whoare unemployed or underemployed the opportnity to start a career as a Bus Operator, andto pursue a career path in Transit Operations if they choose to take advantage of tuitionassistance to qualify for future promotional opportnities.

The duration of the pilot "bridge" program is five weeks. It wil be closely monitored for itseffcacy. Continuation of the program wil depend on program results and fundingavailability.

Other Options

The team identified several additional methods of recruiting more Operators. Employeeincentive programs have been used elsewhere and the team considered establishing such aprogram at Metro. Employees who identifY applicants who clear the screening process,succeed in training and pass probation would be given a monetary reward for bringing thenew Bus Operator to Metro. Due to an inability to identify a funding source, this programhas not been implemented.

The use of a professional recruiter was also considered. The cost is approximately $3,000per candidate delivered to Metro. However, no refunds and no replacement candidateswould be provided if the individuals that the recruiter finds do not succeed in training orpass probation. The team also reviewed the recruiter's plan and noted that many of the tasksthe recruiter would employ are already being undertaken by the team. After consideration ofthis option, staff determined that it would not be pursued at this time.

In addition to posting career opportnities on Metro's website, metro.net along with otherwebsites, Human Resources has also posted Metro Bus Operator career opportnities on asite that specializes in jobs for military personnel returning to civilian life. To date, therehas been no response from this site.

Next Steps

The team wil closely monitor results of the recruitment program it has developed, wil makechanges as necessary, and wil continue to look for new initiatives to eliminate Bus Operatorvacancies. Staff wil report back to the Board in three months on the program's status andeffectiveness.

Prepared by: Don Ott, Executive Offcer, Administration

Bus Operator Vacancies Page 3

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Bus Operator Vacancies Page 4

Bus Operator Vacancies

August 17, 2006

Issue

• Approximately 300 vacant Bus Operator positions

• High vacancy rate requires more Operator OT at cost of approx. $4M - $5M per year

• Use of OT causes Operator fatigue• Risk of missed runs• Previous efforts were not correcting the

problem

Task Force

Task Force initiated by CEO & DCEO– Previous activities

• Job fairs

• Job bulletins to educational institutions and “one stop” centers

• Ads

• Internet

– New initiatives

Strategies

• Operations & UTU:

– Increased pay

– Temporarily relaxed work rules for use of PT Operators

– Suspended use of BDOF classification

– Other changes in training

• Marketing:

– Brochure

– Tail ads on buses

– New newspaper ads

– PAX and Transit TV

Strategies - Marketing

Strategies - MarketingNewspaper Ad

Tail Ads on Buses

Strategies - Outreach

• Community Outreach– Participate in many community events– Promote Metro Bus Operator career opportunities– Job fairs in sectors

• Institutional Outreach– High School and Community College Adult Ed

Programs – CBOs, one stop work centers, job corps, many other

non-profits

Bus Operator Bridge Program

• Metro partnership with LACCD, WorkSource, WIB and Literacy@Work – Classes tailored to prepare candidates to

succeed in Bus Operator training• “Transit” English (tutors on request)• Critical thinking• Study skills• Customer service• Interviewing

– Pilot program began week of August 14

Bus Operator Bridge Program

Bus Operator Bridge Program

RecruitmentRecruitment

MetroMetro OrientationOrientation

Project OverviewPre-Screening

Basic Skills Assessment

Score Above 10.0 Score Between8.0 - 10.0 Score Below 8.0

WIA Registration

Hired by Metro

Interview w/ MetroInterview w/ Metro

Central Literacy Training

Referred toTraining Provider

and/orWorkSource Center

Background Check & Drug Testing

WIA Registration

Interview w/ MetroInterview w/ Metro

Background Check & Drug Testing

Customer Service &Study Skills Training

Includes:Customer Service &Study Skills Training

Other Ideas Considered

• Employee referral bonus– 50% after passing training and 50% after

passing probation

• Professional Recruiter– Task Force is doing most activities recruiter

identified

– Cost

– No guarantee of success

Next Steps

Events and partnerships• Hire LA Youth 2006 – 4 events• El Sereno Job Fair• Other community events• Evaluate, refine and seek funds to expand Bridge Program• Foothill Employment & Training Connection• Seek other agency and non-profit partners

Media• New video: “A Day in the Life of a Metro Bus Operator”• Ads promoting part-time operator for long-term• PSAs on local TV• Continue current marketing campaign

LACCD Locations

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Villaraigosa MotionItem 14 - Bus Operator Vacancies

Executive Management and Audit CommitteeAugust 17, 2006

I MOVE THAT the MTA Board direct the CEO to:

1. Eliminate 300 operator vacancies within six months

2. Report back to the Board with monthly progress

reports, including but not limited to:

. Marketing, recruitment, and outreach efforts

. Bridge Program success and completion rates

. Operator training and probation completion rates

3. Allocate from the MT A Board Contingency Fund

$50,000 for expansion of recruitment efforts andBridge Program to community colleges, worksourcecenters, and other community non-profits

4. Allocate from MTA Board Contingency Fund $10,000

to fund an employee referral program for busoperators limited to $300 per referral with a maximumof two referrals per MT A employee