Commissioner Lumon May this afternoon toured the Rosa L. Parks Transit Complex to see firsthand the work conditions at the facility. Inweekly accompanied the commissioner on the visit.
Yesterday, the bus drivers’ Union voted for the county commissioners to remove County Administrator Janice Gilley from her post. In their press release, the ECAT workers cited the “extremely poor conditions” at the ECAT facility as one of the reasons for Gilley’s removal.
Gilley later responded, “I have always taken their concerns and their salaries seriously and will continue to do so.”
Really?
Commissioner May observed deplorable work conditions for the frontline workers and the ECAT management team – leaking roofs, broken ceiling tiles and offices unusable because of mold conditions.
Some of the roof leaks are pre-Hurricane Sally, but have gotten worse since the September 2020 storm.
“This is unacceptable,” May told Inweekly. “We have other facilities that are pristine and given daily attention, but this place has been essentially ignored. All workers deserve safe, healthy work environments.”
Third World countries have better maintained public buildings.
Maybe the county administrator and her leadership team should relocate their offices to the Rosa L. Parks Transit Complex. Then we might see repairs done.
About 3 weeks ago we were strolling downtown, about 5 p.m. or so, we were passing in front of the ECAT terminal in front of city hall. There were four big buses. When up close you can see in them. One started to pull off, it was empty, except driver. Two were stopped with the drivers standing out side talking to 2 potential passengers, the buses were empty. The forth bus pulled up as we waved to the driver. Her bus was empty. Reminds me of the old phrase “That is no way to run a railroad”.
Wee R Patriots, I lot of people don’t realize–I sure didn’t, until a couple of years ago–that the reason for the big buses is the way that the federal grant programs for buses work. The grant for buses requires that size, along with a huge amount of other bells and whistles, as a built in favor to the companies that manufacture that type of bus. They also fall under the American steal act, which requires a certain percentage to be manufactured with domestic. Which we all know is through the roof. I agree that it’s ridiculous waste, but it isn’t coming from the county’s selection–it’s the federal government literally driving that bus.
If they were really concerned with tax payer money, they would trade in those big dinosaur buses “I have not seen many buses even full full in the last 10 or 20 years” replace them with the smaller E class buses, close that so called repair-facility down and sub it out to local businesses. This so call rent mechanics is a waste in tax payers dollars. What is the budget to pay this company to work on the buses. ??? Most people have no idea the technicians at the bus garage are employed by a company from out of town. Something is fishy over yander. She Dept. runs and hires its own people which saves the county a ton of money.
As an employee of Ecat pensacola I have witnessed many things that should not happen including the decrease in our number of employees! I have seen a major problem with operators constantly being called in to work over time to fulfill routes that have no operator available or assigned because of low staff. Supervisors have also been operating to fill vacant positions. The technicians have limited room to work in because of the shop is so cluttered and unorganized. I have seen technicians become completely frustrated with other people in their department because of the equipment they need are not being provided or properly maintained . I personally feel that moral has been completely destroyed within the company as a whole. Respect for our county leaders has dropped to a new level of sadness.
It’s terrible, but why has it taken this to happen for commissioner May to visit one of the departments. All the commissioners should visit departments and talk to employees, maybe it would help the employees feel that their job is important to the commissioners. It just might improve moral.
Gilley has adopted Commisioner Underhill’s attitude towards ECAT. He’s said plenty of times that he doesn’t even see a reason for buses to run, so Gilley has let it go downhill.
This is absolutely disgusting and more lawsuits waiting to happen. Janice Gilley doesn’t give a damn about ECAT or the workers, she’s made that real clear. It’s time for her to be fired on the spot!!!!!