From Brian Funk, Acting Chief Operating Officer
The widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccinations
has allowed us to begin thinking about getting back
to more of the activities we’ve missed since the start
of the pandemic.
But here and across the country, a highly contagious variant is leading to an increase in the number of people getting COVID-19. At Metro Transit, 13 cases have been reported since the start of July.
Whether you’re working on site or at home, whether you’ve been vaccinated or not, the message is the same: All of us must proceed cautiously and with a full awareness that the progress we’ve made is not irreversible.
In practice, that means those who haven’t been vaccinated should consider doing so as soon as possible. Masks should always be worn on transit and are recommended
in indoor settings for those who haven’t been vaccinated.
All of us should also continue to monitor our health and seek testing if we’re showing symptoms, think we’ve been exposed or recently traveled, regardless of vaccination status.
The upward trend in COVID-19 cases also means that some of the traditions we’ve
missed will likely need to wait a little longer.
Our annual operator awards, Ovations, and the Bus Roadeo will be put off until next
year, and gatherings for retirement celebrations will remain on hold for the time being.
We are also evaluating our approach to the Minnesota State Fair, recognizing both the strain that can put on our limited resources and uncertainties about the demand for express bus service.
At this time, we continue to expect more staff to begin returning to the office in September, but we are carefully monitoring the situation and will adapt as needed.
The questions we’re facing during this transition period do not have easy answers.
But as we have said since the start of the pandemic, we will always put the health and safety of our employees and our riders first.
We must also consider how our current actions will shape our long-term recovery efforts.
As the general manager has said, the coming weeks and months are a vital chapter in our pandemic recovery that will set the tone for what’s to come.
To put ourselves in the best position, we must not only work to provide safe and reliable service but continue to look out for each other and our community so we can finally put this pandemic behind us.
Thank you for doing your part to accomplish each of these important goals.
Stay tuned for State Fair updates
Understandably, many employees and customers are wondering what kind of express bus service Metro Transit will provide to and from the Minnesota State Fair. At this time, discussions are ongoing. When plans are finalized, more information will be shared with staff and communicated to customers. Thank you for your patience.
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Employees and dependents who are at least 12 years old can now access free COVID-19 vaccines at the Council’s Well@Work clinics, located near Heywood Garage and in downtown St. Paul.
The clinics are offering the Pfizer vaccine on Mondays and Thursdays. To make an appointment, call the scheduling line for the location you’d like to visit:
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Downtown St. Paul: 375 Jackson Street, Suite 240 (skyway level): 952-967-5474
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Heywood: 560 6th Avenue North, Minneapolis: 952-967-7468
If you’ve been seen at a Well@Work clinic previously, you can schedule an appointment online at healthpartners.com.
Free vaccines are also widely available through retailers and healthcare providers. For help scheduling a vaccine, visit VaccineConnector.mn.gov.
Remember:
- It takes at least two weeks from the final vaccine dose to develop immunity.
- Vaccines have been found to be effective at preventing serious illness. In some rare cases, vaccinated individuals have tested positive for COVID-19. Continue to monitor your health and seek testing is you are showing symptoms or think you’ve been exposed, whether or not you’ve been vaccinated.
- Never ask a co-worker about their vaccination status.
Council reviewing updated mask guidance
The CDC is advising all individuals -- including those who have been vaccinated -- to resume wearing masks indoors in areas of high transmission. At this time, the Met Council is not changing any policies or requirements related to COVID-19. We will update employees as soon as possible if we make any changes. However, employees who are not vaccinated, are immunocompromised or live with someone who is immunocompromised are encouraged to wear masks indoors. Under federal requirement, masks must be worn on transit.
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Abdulrzaq (Ab-dul-ra-zaq) Ali didn’t intend on immigrating to the United States from Yemen, but fate made him follow his heart.
“I came here as a tourist, and to visit my sister,” Ali said. “Then, I met the love of my life and we got married.”
That was in 1995. Fifteen years later, after losing his job as a driver for a company that went bankrupt, he applied to Metro Transit. The career change allowed him to buy a home in Fridley and to help his two eldest children graduate college, the first in their family to do so.
“I appreciate what transit has done for me,” he said. “This is a job I am proud of and will be for life.”
At one point, Ali investigated returning to college to finish his own degree. He discovered, however, that after four years of tuition, he’d make just as much as a bus operator.
“That’s when I decided to improve myself at transit,” Ali said. “People who aren’t in transit don’t know what they’re missing.”
Eight years ago, Ali began that journey by becoming a relief dispatcher, a highly detailed job that operators depend on daily. One day, he hopes to become an assistant transportation manager.
“There’s so many ways to learn and advance your career here, for free,” he said. “I love my job and I do it from the heart.”
We're hiring bus operators!
Efforts to recruit operators are ongoing, and another one-day hiring event is tentatively planned for late-August. The goal is to hire up to 70 full-time bus operators by the fall. Employees who refer successful bus operator candidates can receive a $600 bonus. For more information, contact Amina Wolf.
Customers who refer to online schedules can now see when a bus is scheduled to arrive at each stop along a route, and how long it will take to get to stops farther down the line. Previously, schedules only showed arrival times for certain high-boarding stops along a route, known as timepoints.
Providing stop-level schedule information allows customers to know more precisely when a bus is scheduled to arrive at their stop and how long it will take to reach their destination.
The change is especially useful to customers who plan their trips on mobile devices and customers who use screen readers, technology that converts text to audio for people who are blind or low vision.
In addition to helping customers, the switch will benefit Transit Information staff who will now use a single database to manage schedule information instead of updating it in multiple places.
Employees who helped lead the change include Web Designer Ellen Thomson, Web Developer Rich Bothe, Applications Developer John Sanborn and Real Time Customer Information Program Manager Laura Matson.
Improved online schedules are among several steps that have been taken to offer easier-to-use trip planning tools and real-time predicted departure information. Other examples include:
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Following an application and interview process and a week of formal training at the Instruction Center, more than 20 bus operators have been promoted to relief instructors. These instructors will be in charge of training that takes place at the garages.
The new relief instructors are: Mike Moe, John Brown, Diko Karo, Wasiu Sodeinde, Hari Khatiwada, David Dieken, Todd Pfeilsticker, Bonsawad Xiong, Arthur Cooper, Antoine Whylly, Kenneth Johnson, Terence Brown, Jacqueline Heie, Peter Blomgren, Kou Yang, Jerry Prat, Nicole Bond, Yasin Osman, Chantal Burnett, Lee Portwood, Lori Matthews.
Learn more about becoming a Transit Control Center Supervisor
Applications for Transit Control Center Supervisor are being accepted now through Monday, Aug. 9.
TCC supervisors help operators navigate detours and stay on schedule and respond to unexpected incidents like collisions and medical emergencies.
Two upcoming open houses will allow interested candidates to learn more about the positions. The open houses will be held at the Metro Transit Police & Office Facility at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 4, and at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5.
Qualified applicants will be added to a six-month eligibility list for 2021 and future TCC openings. Minimum education and experience qualifications apply.
Frontline employees who want to gain supervisory experience will be invited to apply for the Leadership Academy this fall.
Participants in the Leadership Academy spend six months getting on the job experience working with a mentor while in acting supervisor positions. Participants also take instructor-led and web-based training classes on a variety of leadership topics.
After successfully completing the Leadership Academy, employees earn the equivalent of one year supervisory experience that can be used to meet minimum qualifications for future job openings.
The next Leadership Academy is scheduled to begin in March 2022.
To learn more, please contact Brian Funk or John Humphrey.
Customer Relations Specialist Nicholas Heimer recently received a commendation from a co-worker for his attention to detail.
I appreciate Nicholas’s extra efforts to take meeting notes of the Service Advisory Team meeting with very impressive and detailed copy. He didn’t miss a beat! I am honored to have him as a participant in our meetings.
Randy L. Robinson
Nicollet Garage Coordinator
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Service Development used new scheduling software to create more efficient schedules that promise to make both operators and customers happier when changes take effect on Saturday, Aug. 21.
The software, along with the expertise of ATU Schedulers, allowed the department to increase service with fewer buses and operators. The schedules are also expected to provide better layover times and will offer more straight and 8-hour runs generally favored by operators.
“This is the next chapter in a long story of scheduling improvements aimed at not only improving efficiency but also the work experience for operators,” said Shaun Morrell, Manager of Scheduling and Systems Support.
Comparing this year’s March pick to the August pick, the team:
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Added 128 in-service trips on weekdays
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Reduced split work by 9%
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Reduced street reliefs by 40%
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Reduced weekday vehicle requirement by 5 buses
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Reduced scheduled workforce requirement by 11.5 operator equivalents, including fewer unpicked trippers
The improvements should also help avoid cutting trips because operators aren’t available. Cut trips have become more common due to an operator shortage. “We hope that these improvements will ease some of the pressure of day-to-day service delivery,” Morrell said.
Make sure your employee badge works as a Go-To Card: Employees who are planning to begin using transit again are encouraged to test their employee ID badges to see if they are accepted as fare payment. Employees who need a new badge should work with their manager or supervisor to request a replacement. If an employee badge has been lost and needs to be replaced, a $15 replacement fee will be deducted from their paycheck. For more information, contact Robin Caufman.
Join a discussion about the costs of racism on August 2: Employees are invited to attend a virtual session about the negative health impacts and economic costs of racism at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 2. The hourlong session will be led by Jamil Stamschror-Lott, a mental health consultant with Creative Kuponya, and is sponsored by the Council’s employee wellness program, Fit For Life. If you did not receive an invite but would like to join, please email fitforlife@metc.state.mn.us.
Submit your photo for Councilwide employee recognition event: All Council employees will be invited to a virtual employee recognition event on Monday, Nov. 15. To help organizers develop the program, employees are invited to send photos of themselves doing an activity they enjoy to Shoeb Behlim. Photos should be provided by Friday, Aug. 6.
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