I'm taking a vacation day today so I can put on my Citizen Nikki hat for transit. This post is me speaking out as a believer in public transportation and a non-union public service municipal employee.  To be clear, these are my opinions and my opinions only.

A consequence of the Governor's Budget Repair Bill (SS SB 11) is that if approved without a solution for transit, many transit systems in the state (including Valley Transit) will lose nearly $47 million in federal transit aid.  There's a Dept of Labor rule (13c) that says if a transit system union has changes to their collective bargaining rights, transit agencies can not receive their federal funding. We can debate about whether or not it's a good law but the fact is, it's a law and unless something changes in this Bill as a consequence of our transit union workers losing their bargaining rights, transit agencies lose their funding.  That means thousands of people lose a critical community service as a consequence of this bill. Here's a link to all the details: http://www.appleton.org/alerts/58b07c76315f/

We need a solution in this bill to save transit. Without a solution, transit in the Fox Cities and most of Wisconsin will end this year. Valley Transit provided more than 1.14 million rides last year on their services.  Many of those trips are for employment purposes. What happens to those people if transit goes away? How will seniors remain mobile? What about the people who depend on transit to get to medical appointments?  Do we really want to be a community without a reliable transportation system for those who don't have or choose not to have a car?  I believe the ability and right to get around in a community is a basic need and simply can't imagine a community without public transportation.  Let's not forget that only 2 years ago gas prices were over $4.00/gallon which prompted thousands of people to turn to public transportation.  With the unrest in the Middle East, we could easily see gas prices go up again.  

Hundreds of transit employee jobs (both union and non-union) are in jeopardy and in the interest of full disclosure, this includes my job as a non-union transit employee. But this isn't just about transit jobs, it's also about the jobs and livelihood of the thousands of people who depend on transit to get to work. 

I consider myself an Independent. Fiscally a bit more conservative and socially liberal. I have never been in a union and honestly, never expected to be speaking out for a group of union members but without a solution in place for transit in this Budget Repair Bill, transit in my community and much of Wisconsin will go away. This year. I believe in public transportation and yes, I'd like to keep the non-union job that I am dedicated to and love. People always say you should do what you love. I'm fortunate. I get to do that every day. I believe that the car isn't the only transportation solution. I believe public transportation is a vital community service and I don't want to see it go away. 

So today I'm taking a vacation day for transit. I'm using social media to inform my friends about this important issue. I'm organizing a petition to give our riders a voice. I'm speaking out for a job I love and more importantly for the survival of public transportation in my community. Some would say this is a bad idea. I'm in PR and I get it. I might be crossing the line. But if I don't speak up for myself and my beliefs, who am I?  I can't just sit back in the hope that other people will speak up and somehow it will all work out. If I do gown, it will be for what I believe in. That's why I'm speaking out today as citizen Nikki. Of course I am smart and believe in CYA so I've cleared my vacation day and actions with my boss, the City Attorney and the Mayor. 

I know we are all on different sides of this issue and honestly, I believe that something needs to be done to fix the financial problems in our state and certainly pay and benefits should be discussed along with a myriad of other things in the private sector but I'm not weighing in on that. This is about the unintended consequence of a bill that could end public transportation. We need a solution for transit in this bill. 

Please contact your state legislators today and ask them to find a solution for transit in Special Session Senate Bill 11.  Here's a link to contact them: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

It seems appropriate that I'm doing all of this on February 18th. This day is always marked with a bit of sadness for me because on this day twenty-five years ago, I lost my favorite aunt to cancer. It's appropriate that I'm doing this today because my Aunt Monica didn't have a car and rode Milwaukee County Transit for years. I know she wouldn't have wanted transit to end. I hope she's proud of me today.