Author: johnrothwellblog

Members of the local branch of the NACCP and family members of Honestie Hodges in front of city hall/John Rothwell

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Leaders of the Greater Grand Rapids Branch of the NAACP and family members of 11-year-old Honestie Hodges gathered on Calder Plaza in front of City Hall Tuesday morning.  The supporters are asking that Grand Rapids Police Department conduct a full internal investigation, collaborate with the officers’ union, an immediate release all body-camera footage within the next 12 to 24 hours and provide counseling to Hodges and her mother at the city’s expense.

11 year old Honestie Hodges

These demands are in response to police actions stemming from the handling of  Hodges.  She was detained during a December 6th incident when Grand Rapids Police officers handcuffed the 11-year-old black girl, placing her in the back of a police car during their search for a 40-year-old white woman

“The NAACP of greater grand rapids can not and will not stand by to watch our children be aggressively and strategically targeted and terrorized by the police sworn to protect them,” said Local NAACP President Cle Jackson.

Honestie Hodges and NAACP local president
Cle Jackson address the media

The NAACP Youth Council commended GRDP Chief David Rahinsky for taking the first steps in solving this injustice. This incident was the latest that has involved GRPD and youth of color over the past year.  Rahinsky acknowledged there is a problem and is addressing the issue head-on.   

Bill DeVries (on the left) has been mentoring seniors riding The Rapid for 10 years/photo courtesy of the Rapid.

On this episode of Transit Talk I sat down with The Rapid Travel Training Coordinator Sarah Green and took a ride on The Rapid with Senior Mentor, Bill DeVries. We talked about the senior mentorship program that The Rapid offers.

For more information here is the link to The Rapid online resources page:

https://www.ridetherapid.org/howtoride/online-resources

After being without a contract for more than twenty-seven months, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 836 which represents most of The Rapids bus drivers and mechanics voted in favor of a new contract on Thursday.  The new contract is a three year deal  that will start upon ratification by The Rapid Board.  Prior to Thursday’s vote there were two other ratification meetings in which a contract offer was voted down by ATU members.

The Rapids released the following statement through email on Friday.  “The Union successfully ratified the new tentative agreement last night. However, the board of directors has not ratified the agreement yet. The board will convene for a public meeting tomorrow morning at at Rapid Central Station to discuss the tentative agreement and vote on ratification. Pending the outcome of the board’s decision, we will be releasing a statement immediately following the meeting, after which Peter will be available for comment.”

According to ATU Local 836 President RiChard Jackson, Union representatives met with the company on November 27 where they had some very direct and upfront conversation about how to resolve the issues with the company.  The bargaining parties were able to reach a tentative agreement.

On December 3rd a telephone town-hall style conference call was held among ATU members explaining the agreement.  Ratification meetings were then held in the morning. afternoon, and evening of December 7th with union membership passing the vote in upwards of sixty percent.

“It has been a long road and there was mixture of feelings between the members where some wanted to keep fighting,”  Jackson said .”The reality is we passed it and we are going to move as family and rebuild on that family. We have some more work to do.”

During the period of no contract many employees faced financial hardships between pay and healthcare costs, some with healthcare premiums as much as $900 a month.   

“I don’t think we are happy with it more so than we are relieved that the expense of the insurance is going to go down and people are going to get their raises.” said Rapid driver and Union Activist Louis Deshane. “But at the same time we feel like we had no choice but to cave in”.
Rapid Board chairwoman Barbara Holt responded through Facebook Messenger with this statement. “I am very happy that the Board is scheduled to ratify the union contract tomorrow. At this very important time of the year, we are giving our employees, not only added benefits, but the assurance that they are valued and that they are the essential component to keeping the Rapid rolling in the region.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Hundreds of people gathered at Rosa Parks Circle on Friday night to kick off the holiday season with the tree-lighting ceremony, “Light Up Downtown” organized by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

88.1 WYCE station manager Quinn Matthews and radio personality Gabriela de la Vega hosted the event that provided holiday themed music. Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss was featured counting down the clock to flipping the switch, turning on the holiday lights just after 5:30 p.m.

The Western Michigan University Synchronized Ice Skating Team was on hand, entertaining the crowd with their skills at Rosa Parks Circle ice rink. Adults as well as kids enjoyed the free ice skating at the rink too. Randy Finch of Ice Sculptures Ltd carved and sculpted a Rudolph-like reindeer with a flashing red nose. Many lined up to visit with Santa and Mrs Claus, while hungry festival goers purchased food from several food trucks lined near the event.

Louis DeShane speaking at the August 30, 2017 Rapid Board Meeting.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Misdemeanor trespassing charges against Rapid Bus Driver and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 836 Union Member Louis DeShane were lowered to a civil infraction on November 28, 2017.

After requesting a bench trial to be heard in front of Judge David Buter, DeShane accepted an offer to plead responsible to a civil infraction, pay a fine and the original charges of trespassing were dropped.

Grand Rapids police arrested DeShane on Wednesday, August 30 after he stood up voicing his opposition of the merit raise for Rapid CEO Peter Varga. DeShane faced board members and began yelling “Not today. No contract, no vote.” He rallied other activist union members, leading them in a chant of resistance before the expulsion from the room.

As he was being arrested, board members adjourned the meeting, and exited the room. Returning a short time later, the boarded approved Varga’s merit raise before ending the public meeting and heading into a closed door session.

ATU members had been without a contract for the two years and had recently voted down a contract proposal at the time of his arrest.

They are still without a contract.

You can watch Louis DeShane being arrested here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EESJku5TYZ0

I was saddened when I heard about the passing of David Cassidy.  Like most anyone of my generation, the Partridge Family was ‘must see TV’ on Friday nights in the early 1970’s.

There was a girl named Sissy, a die hard fan of the show who would visit her father that lived just down the street me. She had all the Partridge Family albums, knew all the words to the songs, and was in love with the Keith Partridge. I do not know what ever happen to Sissy. I did try a Facebook search once for Sissy, but nothing ever came up. I have not seen her since 1973.

It was not until the early 1990’s that David Cassidy would again pop into my life.  Cassidy was in a musical that was playing in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan at Devos Hall. I was drinking at Mulligan’s pub where i engaged in conversation with the owner of ‘One Man’s Junk’ on Leonard Street.  We were talking about the musical and Cassidy being in town. It was big news for our city back then. I told him I knew of a secret tunnel that ran between Devos Hall and The Amway Grand Plaza. It was the hotel where the cast would be staying.  He had a David Cassidy trading card in his store and was hoping I could get it signed.

The next day I went and picked up the card at the store.  Saturday night I headed to the hotel, waiting patiently in the nearly empty lobby.  Just after 10pm, the “janitor door” where Cassidy walked out wearing blue overalls and sun glasses.

I approached him asking if he would mind signing this card for me. He seemed shocked that he had been ‘made’ so soon.  He looked me in the eye and told me ‘no’, and walked away.  The TV idol from my youth had shunned me.  

Voters in the Grand Rapids metro area went to the polls on November 7th, 2017 to vote on a millage renewal for The Rapid transit system. Watch below as the millage is explained and what it’s passing means for area residents.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Property owners in the six cities that provide The Rapid service will continue to pay an added tax to support the bus system for the next twelve years. The transit millage renewal passed Tuesday, November 7th with a 61 percent ‘yes’ vote.

Voters from Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville passed the renewal, while Walker voters rejected the proposal. Both supporters and opponents of the proposed renewal gathered at Johnny B’s on Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids to watch the election results.  A loud cheer echoed throughout the restaurant around 10 pm when it was realized that results from all 127 voting precincts were in, and the renewal proposal had passed.

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Rapid CEO Peter Varga was very happy with the fact that voters expressed their support for the transit system.

“They had confidence in our ability to move forward to support what we have created in the last twenty years,” Varga said.  “I am very great full to the voters for expressing their support.”

Involved in a contract dispute that has left members of the local Amalgamated Transit Union without a contract the past two years, some ATU members had been calling for a no contract –  no millage vote.

“The union never took an official position on the millage.  There is no downside to the millage passing much like there would have no up side to it not passing,” said Richard Jackson, President of Local ATU 836.

Barbara Holt, Chairwoman of The Rapid Board of Directors was noticeably jubilant upon learning of the election results.

“It’s a wonderful mandate for us to continue Rapid transit in the six cities surrounding Grand Rapids and we are incredibly excited that the communities support the Rapid,” Holt said.  “It means we move forward. We put together all the positive improvements that we have planned on. We work on our contract with our mechanics and our drivers to get that settled, and we get a lot of things done that we were in kind of a limbo, wondering how the millage was going to turn out.  Now we go full bore, straight forward for good.”

With the passing of the millage voters have said to the riders of The Rapid that there will be a dependable, ongoing form of transportation around the Grand Rapids metro area for the next twelve years.

For over two years,  ATU local 836 has been with out a contract. This situation is bringing stress and uncertainty to both sides.  ATU members are making their displeasure heard by speaking up at public meetings and event. The Interurban Transit Board is also speaking out about their displeasure with the Union. Please listen below to ‘Voices of Dispute.’

September 27, 2017

It has been over two years that members of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 836 in Grand Rapids, Michigan have been working with out a contract. In this episode of Transit Talk I sit down with union president RiChard Jackson to discuss the issues that ATU 836 members are dealing with in the last week of September, 2017.