November, 2005
Those of you that follow this column have realized that I have been away for a few months. But I'm now back and feeling better than ever, so it is time to climb back on my advocacy horse and start slaying those dragons again! I guess I might as well start out with a bang and take on my favorite fire-breathing dragon - METRO. As of today, the bus driver's strike is entering its' 22nd day and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. Maybe by the time this is printed, in about 2 weeks, the strike will be over; but at what cost? If you read the papers or watch the TV reports, most of the reporting is about the fact that management says they can't afford to keep paying exorbitant benefits; and the drivers claim they can't afford to lose some kind of general time off or pay more for their medical benefits. Will I pretend to understand the intricacies of their negotiations? No.
But I do know how this strike is affecting people with disabilities who depend on METRO bus service to get around Santa Cruz County. You've read many times about my son in this column. Let me tell you how this strike is affecting him and his life! Living in Watsonville and working in Santa Cruz, he depends on the bus to get to/from work. But with the strike he was forced to use his vacation time for the first 2 weeks of the strike until someone worked out a vanpool that delivers him and the rest of his crew to work. Before the strike he and friends would take the bus each weekend to the Capitola Mall or the Flea Market and spend the day shopping and having fun. But. since the strike, he has been forced to stay home, bored beyond belief.
And he's not alone. I spoke with one organization that provides after school tutoring services to at risk children with the help of UCSC students, to learn about the impact the strike is having on their service. Since they can't get reliable bus transportation down from the college, this organization has only one tutor for approximately 22 children, instead of the normal 5-6. I am told some of these children may now be in danger of failing because they are not getting the remediation they need. Imagine Supported Living Services, an organization that provides services to people with disabilities, tells me they are transporting their consumers in their own personal vehicles, further straining the time available to provide services, not to mention depleting the agency budget resources (gas ain't cheap). I've gotten calls from people with disabilities that can't get to the pharmacy to get medications; individuals who are on special diets and haven't been able to get to the grocery store for over a week. Several people with disabilities have been unable to get to work and may lose their jobs, or at the least are losing much needed income. A recent Sentinel story told of how bus drivers are having a hard time getting by on their $600 a month strike pay. Sorry, no sympathy here. Many people with disabilities in this county are trying to get by on only their Social Security benefits, sometimes totaling less than this per month. Go back to work for the sake of the people who depend on bus transportation.
And I'm sure there are a lot more stories out there from people whose lives have been totally disrupted because of the bus driver's strike. Please don't suggest that they use other forms of transportation because they've tried that and everything is booked up well in advance. I'm sure a little community assistance would be appreciated. So if you know a person with a disability that is waiting for the strike to end in order to begin using transportation services again, perhaps you can make a friendly call and offer of a ride!
As if this weren't bad enough, some of my callers have told me that when they have tried to talk with the media they have been turned away because "they've already done that type of a story". Maybe if more of "that type of story" appeared in our local papers and on the TV, there would be more community pressure for the strike to end. So please do me a favor. Next time you drive by the strikers, with their little tailgate parties outside of the METRO facilities remember who this strike is really hurting - the riders.
Remember - Disability is a random event that can occur in any life, at any moment.
- Michael Bradshaw, Central Coast Center for Independent Living