IMPACT OF LABOR CONTRACT PROVISIONS ON TRANSIT OPERATOR PRODUCTIVITY

The research was designed to obtain a better understanding of the cost impacts of different labor contract provisions. Three main items within the labor contract influence costs and productivity: work rules, absenteeism, and fringe benefits. The cumulative impact of the provisions was measured using the ratio of pay hour to platform hour. To quantify how these contract provisions affect costs, an extensive literature review was conducted, followed by case studies of the transit systems in Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. The contract provisions added an average of 47 min to the basic service hour, measured in terms of platform time. A system must therefore pay for an average of 1 hr 47 min to put 1 hr of service on the street. Performance within the three case study systems ranged from a low of 1 hr 36 min to a high of 2 hr 4 min. The research demonstrated the importance of considering the three components of labor contract provisions simultaneously; focusing on the one element does not measure the overall productivity impact accurately. When local cost reduction and productivity improvement strategies are developed, they should encompass all labor contract provisions.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1990/1266/1266-003.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=IMPACT+OF+LABOR+CONTRACT+PROVISIONS+ON+TRANSIT+OPERATOR+PRODUCTIVITY&author=S.+Mundle&author=J.+Kraus&author=G.+Hoge&publication_year=1990
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1266, Urban Public Transportation Research 1990. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Mundle, Subhash R
  • Kraus, Janet E
  • Hoge, Glenn A
• Publication Date: 1990

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 23-30
• Monograph Title: Urban public transportation research
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1266
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Impacts; Labor costs; Productivity; Reviews; Transit operators
• Old TRIS Terms: Labor contracts
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00602742
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309050189
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 31 1990 12:00AM