Union wary of T posting for manager of bus pact

The MBTA is searching for a senior executive to manage a private bus maintenance contract it has yet to even award, sending a strong signal that it intends to pursue an “upcoming” deal to run three bus garages despite heavy union opposition.

The position, posted in the past two weeks, comes as the chairman of the T’s Fiscal & Management Control

Board has called on officials to show board members how they’d manage a deal to cover bus maintenance at the Arborway, Quincy and Lynn garages.

The T, however, has shed little light on what interest it has received to outsource the work, nor have officials denied a mechanic union’s claims that just one company, First Transit, has actually submitted a bid. Also unclear is when officials intend to present a proposal for the board to vote on.

But the T is clear about what type of “senior” director of contract management it wants overseeing a potential deal. In the job posting — which doesn’t set a salary range — officials refer to the proposal as an “upcoming contract” and note the executive could help in negotiations.

The post reads that the T wants a new hire who can “define and articulate a vision for the successful implementation” of the private contract.

Board Chairman Joseph Aiello had specifically asked officials at the Nov. 27 board meeting for a plan on how they would oversee a private bus maintenance company, noting the T has “struggled with oversight of outsourced contracts.”

Mike Vartabedian — the business agent of IAM Local 264, which represents T bus mechanics — described the job posting as a thinly veiled move to “justify” jumping into a private deal. The union plans today to launch a TV, radio and print ad campaign railing against First Transit and the potential contract.

“They’re going to say, ‘We’re going to have someone watching over it and making sure it doesn’t go wrong.’ But they have someone doing that at Keolis right now, and there’s still problems,” Vartabedian said in reference to the T’s private commuter rail operator. “I do believe they’re going to use this as a justification.”

T officials said that the job posting doesn’t require them to fill the role, and framed it as “being prepared and flexible” for any decision the board makes on a contract.

Joe Pesaturo, a T spokesman, emphasized its search is “pending the ongoing procurement process” and a board vote.