MTA, ATA INSIST THEY WANT TALKS.Byline: Lisa Mascaro and Harrison Sheppard Staff Writers Nearly half a million bus and train riders remained stranded for a second day because of the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. strike Wednesday as both the union and management insisted they want to find a quick resolution. Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials - who estimated that the two sides are $30 million to $50 million apart - tried to put together a patchwork of buses from surrounding transit companies to create what they call a ``lifeline'' of basic service but ran into immediate criticism from some board members. Among the critics were board members who are barred by state law from participating in the contract negotiations because they took campaign contributions from transit unions. ``It appears that these individuals will be brought in as strikebreakers,'' said City Councilman and MTA board member Martin Ludlow Martin Ludlow (born 1964) was a member of the Los Angeles City Council, USA, from 2003 to 2005. He represented the 10th district. He was elected May 20, 2003 and resigned on June 30, 2005. during a specially called MTA meeting. ``I would have difficulty supporting it until I had time to hear from those (union) people.'' Four of the 13 board members - including Ludlow, Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. and county Supervisor Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. - cannot be involved in the negotiations but county lawyers said they could participate in the meeting Wednesday on hiring outside transit agencies and companies to expand service. Both sides expressed willingness to sit down as early as today to try to settle the walkout, which is mainly over health care costs. ``Our message tonight is we want to get all the members back to the table,'' said MTA Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. . Neil Silver, president of the striking mechanics union, said at a press conference where he was joined by Mayor James Hahn and pro-labor leaders: ``We look forward to a quick and speedy resolution to our situation.'' Talks between the Amalgamated Transit Union The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor union in the United States and Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries. The ATU was founded in 1892, and today has more than 180,000 members in more than 273 local unions in 46 states and 9 and the MTA broke down late Sunday, leading to Tuesday's walkout by the 2,000-member union, whose strike was honored by three other unions at the MTA. They have shut down bus and rail service across the region, leaving half a million riders with few alternatives. Hopes for relief from two dozen contract lines the MTA operates were dashed early Wednesday when one of those contractors announced it would join the striking MTA workers, shutting down much of that service. San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Lines 96, 167 and 218 remain running. A new line from Warner Center to downtown is expected to run weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., possibly as soon as today. Villaraigosa said he and Ludlow are seeking a second legal opinion because they believe the ethics ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a law does not include labor negotiations. Villaraigosa, then the Assembly speaker, voted for the measure. The two sides have been at odds over the health benefits, and the MTA wants to take temporary control of the financially troubled $16.8 million-a-year union-managed health fund. The audit firm hired by the MTA to review the fund reiterated its opinion Wednesday that the account had widespread inefficiencies. The auditor said records were kept on ``stacks'' of green ledgers rather than computers, a system ``unheard un·heard adj. 1. Not heard: unheard pleas for help. 2. Not given a hearing; not listened to: unheard objections. 3. of'' for even smaller-size accounts. The union has disputed the audit. Staff Writers Troy Anderson and Rick Orlov contributed to this report. Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761 lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com |
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