By : Subuk Hasnain
Wed, 09/11/2013 - 3:27pm
The Chicago Transit Authority Board on Wednesday approved the elimination of 149 positions as part of an effort to save $13 million per year.
Of the positions eliminated, about 45 are currently vacant, according to CTA officials. Forty of the positions are filled by union employees, and each union worker will have the opportunity to apply for a different position or will be reassigned to another position. About 64 non-union employees affected by the cuts will be let go on Nov. 11.
Some of the eliminations are connected to the new Ventra system and the discontinuation of the current fare system, according to officials. Ventra will be fully implemented by the end of 2013, after which, many positions for fare payment and collections will not be needed.
In a Wednesday press release, CTA President Forrest Claypool affirmed the job cuts were made to establish an efficient and cost-effective organization.
“By reorganizing and streamlining, we gain immediate savings while maintaining the current level and quality of service provided customers,” Claypool said in the release.
Other measures approved today:
-The CTA Board approved a project labor agreement with labor leaders and the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council. The agreement will require contractors working on CTA projects to provide employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged workers as established by the Federal Workforce Investment Act. The agreement was modeled after successful efforts to promote job opportunities on the Red Line South Reconstruction project.
-The board approved a new agreement with Metra to continue the operation of the No. 128 Soldier Field Express Service, a non-stop bus service from two Metra rail stations in the West Loop to Chicago Bears’ games at Soldier Field.
-An update on the new Ventra system revealed that 2.3 million taps for Tuesday. Eighteen-thousand Ventra cards have been sold through retailers and vending machines in the past two days. Ventra has distributed 375,000 cards in total and 15,000 more were scheduled to be sent in the mail Wednesday.
This article was originally published on the Daily Whale website in 2013.