MBTA still needs Pacheco waiver
State government does not work for labor unions, it works for the taxpayers of the commonwealth.
A big dose of privatization has helped the cash-strapped MBTA in recent years and we must do what is necessary to continue reaping the rewards.
As the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter reports, the T’s annual report to the Legislature this month pegs the savings from the so-called Pacheco waiver of the past three years at $450 million over the next 10 years, up from the $400 million expected over the same time frame a year ago.
The Pacheco law restricts the MBTA from out- sourcing work that its own employees could theoretically do. In the wake of systemwide failures in the winter of 2015, Gov. Charlie Baker sought and was granted a three-year waiver from the law.
During that time, the T contracted out a range of services such as fare collection and renegotiated several contracts. The largest savings — $218 million — will come from the contract renegotiation with the Carmen’s Union, which wrapped up in 2016 as the option for contracting their work out suddenly loomed.
Other services such as the call center and money transfer were also outsourced.
Now, the waiver has expired.
Gov. Baker should have pushed for an extension of the law before it lapsed in July, but for whatever reason he did not. It would have been a tough slog with the MBTA’s labor unions opposing it fiercely, but if any governor is uniquely situated to get it done it is Baker.
Extending the Pacheco law waiver and thus saving money at the MBTA is a must-do. State government does not work for labor unions, it works for the taxpayers of the commonwealth. Gov. Baker should work with the legislature to make sure that the MBTA is run as efficiently as possible.