From General Manager Wes Kooistra and Human Resources Director Marcy Syman
Last fall, we launched the Great Workplace Project. The purpose of this project is to improve how we work together to serve our region. This requires fostering trust and collaboration across Metro Transit.
We began by listening to employees to learn more about our organizational culture and to identify what changes could make Metro Transit a better place to work. Through the annual Employee Engagement Survey, confidential conversations led by independent consultants, and outreach around the Safety & Security Action Plan, a few clear themes emerged.
Many of you take pride in helping your community, enjoy working with people from different backgrounds, and appreciate the stability and benefits that we offer.
At the same time, we’ve heard that many of our frontline workers are deeply concerned about their personal safety, that staff continue to report experiencing racism and sexism, and that siloes are keeping us from reaching our full potential.
The honest feedback we received was important to hear. Genuinely assessing where we’re at is central to making forward progress. Thank you again to all of you who shared your thoughts.
Moving forward, we will take what we’ve heard and use it to enter the next phase of the Great Workplace Project. Elements of this next phase include:
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Bringing feedback to Metro Transit leadership next week to reflect on what we heard and to begin developing division-specific actions we can take to improve our workplace culture.
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Implementing the Safety & Security Action Plan, which directly responds to concerns about public safety on transit and encourages greater cross-departmental collaboration.
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Supporting actions stemming from the Employee Engagement Survey, such as guided discussions about what it means to create a respectful workplace and opportunities for employees to formally provide feedback about their managers. (Look for more information on survey results and follow-up actions soon.)
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Developing skills staff can use to carry out our commitment to racial equity in our workplace and in the services we provide. Managers received this training last year.
To determine whether our efforts are having their intended effect, we will also be doing more to measure and share our progress and inviting feedback on a more regular basis.
Creating a more supportive work culture is, in part, about clarifying expectations and providing the tools we need to become more effective in our work with one another.
But, ultimately, this is something we all must take ownership of.
In practice, that means recognizing and celebrating good work, lifting up our co-workers, and being receptive to new ideas and perspectives. Every interaction we have is an opportunity to strengthen our work culture.
Thank you for your help making Metro Transit a great place to work, and for showing us how we can support you in this important shared effort.
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To thank Minnesotans who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency, Frontline Worker Payments will be provided to eligible workers, including transit workers.
Here is what you need to know:
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Applications will be accepted through Friday, July 22, 2022. It does not matter when you apply – all applications will be processed at the same time.
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To be eligible, you must have been employed for at least 120 hours between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021. During that time period, you must not have been able to telework and worked in close proximity to people outside your household. Other requirements, including maximum income, apply.
When you apply, you will need to provide this information:
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Employer name: Metropolitan Council
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Employer address: 390 Robert Street N., St. Paul, MN 55101
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Employer phone number: 651-602-1000
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Employer email address: HumanResources@metc.state.mn.us
Metro Transit’s Bus Roadeo is returning later this month. Here is what you need to know if you plan to compete, observe or support the event.
What is the Bus Roadeo?
The Bus Roadeo (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) is a skills competition for bus operators. Operators are scored while completing a course that includes several “obstacles,” like backing up and deploying the ramp onto a target. Operators also complete a customer service test and are scored on their uniform appearance. Top finishers are typically invited to compete at state and national competitions. Fun fact: The Bus Roadeo was first held in 1975, at the old Metropolitan Stadium.
Who can compete?
Any bus operator can compete between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, and Wednesday, June 22, and between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 23. Top finishers will be invited to compete in a championship round on Saturday, June 25. Operators who wish to compete should speak with the safety specialist at their garage. If schedule adjustments are needed, speak with an assistant transportation manager.
What else is happening on Saturday?
On Saturday, festivities will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Operators will compete in the morning and a celebrity competition and award ceremony will be held in the afternoon. Entertainment and exhibitors will be on-site throughout the day, along with vintage and vaccine buses. In addition, job seekers can apply and interview throughout the day.
Where is it?
All events will be held near the Mall of America, at 2601 East 82nd Street, Bloomington (view map).
What else can I do to support this event?
Print, post and share this flyer in your neighborhood, volunteer to help administer the customer service and safety written test (contact Pam Steffen for more information) and come cheer on competitors on Saturday morning.
For more information, visit metrotransit.org/bus-roadeo or contact Amina Wolf.
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Many people who work at Metro Transit take on new responsibilities and roles throughout their careers. Career Tracks highlights the paths employees have taken to their latest assignment and where they see themselves going next. To learn more about career opportunities at Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council, visit metrocouncil.org/Employment
How did you begin your career at Metro Transit?
As a lifelong resident of Minneapolis, I grew up riding the bus back when Metro Transit was called the Metropolitan Transit Commission, or MTC. I started my career at Metro Transit, like many, as a part-time operator. I enjoyed being with the public and experiencing the Twin Cities behind the wheel of a bus. I’ve already put in 30 years behind the wheel.
What were your career goals and what steps did you take to achieve them?
While working part-time at Metro Transit, I was enrolled full-time at Minneapolis Community College. I studied hard but hadn’t quite decided on a career path. In 1992, Metro Transit helped me decide by offering me a full-time job. Back then, it could take years to go full-time, so I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by and I knew I couldn’t do both. Today, bus operators go full-time immediately.
Over the years, I enjoyed my time, worked hard, and gained seniority. But eventually I started looking around to see where else I could use my abilities in the company. Twenty-five years after I began, I took my first step toward my next career path after an assistant transportation manager gave me the necessary push to apply for the Leadership Academy. After that, I immediately stepped into a relief instructor position. At this point, I realized my calling was to help others, which was the driving force behind my pursuit for the ATM position, which I hold today.
What advice do you have for others who want to take on more or different responsibilities?
Wherever you are now, be the best you can be. What you do now helps you move into different places and your reputation travels with you wherever you go.
We're hiring
Please encourage job seekers to attend operator hiring events at the Instruction Center on Saturday, June 11, and Wednesday, June 15. Information about operator careers will also be shared at the Metro Transit Bus Roadeo on Saturday, June 25.
In addition to full-time operators, Metro Transit is now also hiring part-time bus operators who work weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Relief Instructor and Train Operator Phil Wostrel had to leave Metro Transit to discover what he really liked about it.
First hired in the mid-1990s as a part-time bus operator, Wostrel left after four years to work full time in shipping and receiving for a local printer. When their healthcare benefits became unaffordable, he came back.
Wostrel rejoined Metro Transit as a part-time bus operator six years ago, with a goal of quickly transferring to light rail. Today, he is among eight relief instructors who both train operators and operate in-service vehicles.
"It’s a good paying job if you stick around," Wostrel said. "You get great benefits, and you get a pension when you retire."
More than that, he enjoys helping his peers, spotting wild turkeys and hawks as he navigates past Fort Snelling, and serving the community.
"If I get a grandmother or a little boy or girl to their destination, it’s worth it to me helping get that one person where they wanted to go,’’ Wostrel said.
To be a successful train operator, Wostrel said, you need to be equal parts patient and diligent.
"Some people say you just sit in a cab and make the train go forward. You need to have the right personality and follow the rules. Once you learn them, they’re easy to follow,’’ he said.
Apply to be a train operator by June 30
Bus operators who are interested in serving as train operators are invited to apply by Thursday, June 30. Operators who pass agility testing and an interview will go on an eligibility list according to seniority. Individuals on the eligibility list will be trained as positions open.
Learn more about applying to become a train operator
Hear what it's like to serve as a train operator
Previously: Benefits bring operators back to Metro Transit
East Metro Operator Richard Steffels recently received a commendation from a customer who appreciates his years of service as he retires.
Congratulations on your retirement! Many passengers on the 363 buses have said remarkable things about you being a good bus driver, and I cannot agree more. I have been riding the MTC buses to and from the University of Minnesota for many years, and you deserve to know this. The seriousness you show makes us feel our lives are protected, especially when driving through all those winter storms and rainstorms. Our roads are safer with drivers like you behind the wheel. Thank you for being extraordinary.
Longtime Route 363 customer
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Andrew Brody, who has been serving as the acting director of bus and rail safety since last August, will permanently fill the position.
Andrew joined the Metropolitan Council in 2019 as a business analyst in Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS). He was promoted to manager of bus safety, MTS, in late-2020. Before joining the Council, he spent 11 years in the aviation industry, managing and implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) for two air carriers in the Twin Cities.
His specialty skills include safety management, data analysis, regulatory compliance, project management, training, and large program development.
“Everyone in the Safety Department has been excellent to work with,” Andrew said. “I’m excited to permanently join the team and to work together to improve all aspects of our safety programs here at Metro Transit.”
Andrew lives in Hudson, Wis., with his wife, children and an energetic chocolate lab. When he’s not chasing kids around to activities, he enjoys spending time outdoors and on the lake.
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40 years
- William Berndt, Financial Analyst
30 years
- Richard Homa, Fare Collections Specialist
- James Chisholm, Assistant Manager-TCC
- John Polzer, Operator-East Metro
25 years
- Tashi Gyalsten Gangzey, Operator-South
- Rohan Scarlett, Operator-East Metro
- David Hanson, Assistant Director-Field Operations
20 years
- Dennis Anderson, Operator-Nicollet
- Brian Funk, Chief Operating Officer
- Peter Stumme, Assistant Transportation Manager-East Metro
Juneteenth, sometimes known as “America’s second Independence Day,” commemorates the freedom of enslaved people in the United States at the end of the Civil War. African American communities across the country have observed this holiday for more than 150 years. The Metropolitan Council this year declared Juneteenth a holiday for its employees.
To help commemorate, Metro Transit teamed up with local illustrator Leeya Jackson to create depictions of local and national figures who have made the celebration of Juneteenth a holiday a reality. The figures appear on artwork that has been installed on several buses. To help educate staff, one of the figures will be highlighted each week in Insights. Learn more at metrotransit.org.
Juneteenth Champion: Opal Lee, national activist, "Grandmother of Juneteenth"
Ms. Opal Lee began Opal’s Walk 2 DC in 2016 at age 89. She started with the plan to walk the 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to the nation’s capital in hopes of gaining support from Congress to officially name Juneteenth a national holiday. With the goal of 100,000 petition signatures, Ms. Opal set out on her mission and hasn’t stopped since. She has since reached over 1.5 million signatures.
At 94 years old, Opal Lee was a key figure in making sure that Juneteenth was made a federal holiday; something that happened when President Biden officially designated it an American holiday on June 10, 2021. Influenced by being a board member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, she understands the national relevance of celebrating freedom all across America, not just in Texas.
Celebrate Juneteenth with Metro Transit
Members of the Equity & Inclusion Team and BIPOC Employee Resource Group will represent Metro Transit at the West Broadway Block Party, a celebration of Juneteenth. For more information, contact Sarah Berres or Victoria Dan.
Employee Forum 2022 on Racial Equity
This summer, the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity and Human Resources will host the Met Council’s racial equity baseline training for employees, which is part of the Met Council’s Affirmative Action Plan. This training is required for all Met Council staff who are not managers or supervisors with direct reports. Learn more on MetNet.
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Managers' Meeting: All employees are invited to watch the June 8 Managers' Meeting, which focused on future transitway development and the need to begin preparing for staffing needs that will arise as new light rail and Bus Rapid Transit lines open. Watch the recording on Stream.
Schedule changes, events coming Saturday: Quarterly service changes take effect on Saturday, June 11. On that same day, the Twins, United and Saints each host home games, Eric Church plays U.S. Bank Stadium and the Walker Art Center hosts Rock the Garden, among other events. Customers are being encouraged to review schedules and plan their trips in advance. Eligible staff who would like to serve as ambassadors are encouraged to email ambassador@metrotransit.org.
Pride Month: To help celebrate Pride Month, Fit For Life invites all employees to join Ragen Chastain, certified health coach, functional training specialist, and LGBTQIA+ advocate, for a June 29 session on inclusion and belonging in health. The online event will begin at 1 p.m. Add the event to your calendar using this link or email fitforlife@metc.state.mn.us for more information. Participation is voluntary and on your own time.
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