The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is flawed. We are reminded again and again of the fact, from the winters of 2014 and 2015 to this week’s latest train derailment at Copley. From the enormous amount of turnover of leadership positions to iffy service (remember late night T service?), the MBTA is a nightmare.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has finally announced a battle of sorts against the prehistoric beast. Baker announced the privatization of jobs in the cash-counting department by outsourcing the jobs to Virginia-headquartered Brink’s, according to a Boston Globe article.
The announcement followed incriminating findings from an outside consultant, which included over-employment and minimal productivity. The Globe also reported that the consultant found “security lapses, from duct-taped vault doors and missing cameras to a lax tracking system for keys” related to the department. Baker once even ridiculed the department for “cutting sunroofs” into its armored vehicles, a claim that union officials decried as false.
Inevitably, privatization implies job cutting. This is an unavoidable fact. Cutting jobs under any circumstance seems bleak, but if the roles were not being completed in the first place, then a re-evaluation is necessary. Based on the descriptions, an assumption that productivity is at an all time low could be a reasonable assessment. One must also remember that the MBTA is a public entity and therefore funded by taxpayers. Boston residents deserve to fund high levels of productivity, particularly when they are directly receiving the benefits of the funded services.
Furthermore, the issue of the cash-counting is very unlike a small business. The Globe cited nearly $200 million in cash counted for the MBTA. A sum that large could make a major difference in Boston’s public transportation.
The debate of public versus private jurisdiction, particularly with a public good like public transportation, has been longwinded. In this situation, privatization has the potential to overcome the faults of bureaucracy. By shifting the hands from people who have far more other things going on than the priority of a morning commute to people who dedicate their careers to such a thing is not a bad move. In fact, it is incredibly strategic and Boston residents are begging for such a change, any change.
The public and private sectors need to collaborate to better our city. When the two put their differences aside, we have the potential to achieve great things. There is no better example of them failing to do so than with the discontinuation of late night T service. Not funded by the government and without the intervention of private entities, the service ceased, once again leaving a city stranded after midnight.
The raw projected numbers speak for themselves in terms of justification. The partnership projects a savings of $8.6 million in the first year alone, according to the Globe article. Much like the large sum cited above, $8.6 million year after year can substantially impact benefits for daily riders.
Certainly jobs are going to be cut, but at what cost? The average Joe who dutifully works in the cash-counting room will be without a job, but what about all of the other average Joes who rely on the T to get to work each day? Boston workers rely on public transportation to get to and from work and cannot contribute to the economy in their fullest ability if hindered from commuting. Outsourcing jobs needs to be viewed as a move for the greater good.
