Huberman Under Fire

[trainman8119]

Anyone notice that Ron Huberman looked like a deer in head lights during the power outage on the 3rd of July ???? At least he didn't have a flourescent yellow jacket on.

[Busjack]

I think what he needs to do is use his business school experience to appoint competent people to manage the CTA operating departments. Frank's act of being in the yellow slicker at breakdowns doesn't really work for Ron (if it ever worked for Frank).

Again, though, this reinforces that it was a political appointment, instead of the CTA Board doing a nationwide search for the best person with transit experience.

[RIPTA42]

And yet the front page of today's Tribune shows Huberman acting as platform conductor. If he isn't wearing the yellow jacket, shouldn't he be written up for a uniform violation?

[busfan]

Again, though, this reinforces that it was a political appointment, instead of the CTA Board doing a nationwide search for the best person with transit experience.

Exactly right !

From some research I did Huberman is a big fan of "efficiency". He believes in charts, graphs, and performance. Thats all fine and dandy in school but in the real world of buses and trains there is no way to predict breakdowns and how long old equiptment will last. About 8 years ago or so CTA eliminated supervisors. They created more jobs and named them "managers". Now the Transportation Manager in each garage is in charge of the whole garage including Maintenance. Problem is... they were mostly bus operators that are now in charge of the garage. They have no idea how the Maintenance dept. works. Thye might need 200 buses to make schedule in the morning, and only 185 buses are available. They come in the back "maint. dept." and see buses all over waiting for parts, not enough people to work on them and they want to know "why them buses aint on the street". They have eliminated so many jobs the last few years and the fleet of buses has grown. Usually when a company "downsizes" its because they loose buisness and customers. CTA has the most riders it ever had the last 2 years, they eliminate jobs on a older fleet that needs more attention. Right now they require a "degree" to qualify for a Management Position. It would make more sense to have someone in charge that has mechanical and transportation skills.

[Busjack]

Now the Transportation Manager in each garage is in charge of the whole garage including Maintenance. Problem is... they were mostly bus operators that are now in charge of the garage. They have no idea how the Maintenance dept. works. Usually when a company "downsizes" its because they loose business and customers.

Not always true with the last point, since I know of companies that downsized because they wanted to raise their margin from 20% to 30%. CTA has about a 66% deficit.

Notwithstanding that, you are right about the composition of management. The current management theory in business is to have a team of mixed skills. In any event, it would make more sense to have a garage run by the mechanical people, as it isn't clear that driving a bus gives one the other necessary skills (including understanding maintenance and scheduling problems; the street supervisors can't even keep service regular). I'm sure that the result you now have is due to seniority and with the vast majority of employees either being or having been bus operators. In effect, you reinforced my view "I think what [Huberman] needs to do is use his business school experience to appoint competent people to manage the CTA operating departments," including with the proper mix of skills. Another approach would have the maintenance people reporting to managers in the South Shops, even if they are located in the other garages.

[Nabi 7702]

Why is everyone blaming the power outage on the evening of Julz 3rd on Ron Huberman? I mean come on, it is not his fault that the electrical power on an old train system went out Noone can be blamed for an incedent like this.

[trainman8119]

Why is everyone blaming the power outage on the evening of Julz 3rd on Ron Huberman? I mean come on, it is not his fault that the electrical power on an old train system went out Noone can be blamed for an incedent like this.

I don't know of anyone who blamed Ron Huberman for the problems caused on July 3rd.

The point that was made was that he was there (caught on camera) and looked like a 3 year old who was lost at Wal Mart. There was a panic in his eyes and he clearly didn't know what to do, say or how to act. He was a lost kitten. The underlying message, and the point that was being made, is that once again, someone is in control who does not know the first thing about buses, trains and how they work, even if you explained it to him !!!!!

[Busjack]

Why is everyone blaming the power outage on the evening of Julz 3rd on Ron Huberman? I mean come on, it is not his fault that the electrical power on an old train system went out Noone can be blamed for an incedent like this.

Why do you keep blaming Noone? He had a rock band on TV in the 60s, but that's the last anyone has seen of him (or maybe not).

[real cta fan]

Why is it a problem that Hunberman looked as if he didnt know what he was doing. We all would probably looked the same way at our first major mishap as CTA president. Im sure Kruesi wasnt cool,calm and collective at his first or last mishap.

Please give the man a break.

What was he to do jump up on the L track, re-attach the broken spring, turn back on the power, give water to stranded passengers and say all clear all by hisself.

When did we ever see Kruesi get his hands dirty during a break down, evacuation or any other common CTA mishap. Would you all know what to do if you were in his position. Its always easy to look in from the outside and judge and say what you would have done until youre there. :D

[Busjack]

When did we ever see Kruesi get his hands dirty during a break down, evacuation or any other common CTA mishap. Would you all know what to do if you were in his position.

When didn't you see Kruesi in his slicker at a disaster? Don't you remember the Blue Line subway fire almost exactly a year ago? Frank was there. What we were later told is that the track inspectors falsified that the tracks were in repair. However, their union rep called the fired inspectors scapegoats.

Again, no one is blaming Huberman either for the bad spring or for the suicide attempt on the Red Line reported this morning, where the riders were again forced to evacuate trains because there was no power to the air conditioning. Traninman and I are saying all this proves is that the CTA Board abdicated its responsibility in not doing a search for a competent transit official instead of saying "yes sir" to Mayor Daley's handpicked choice, who has no transit experience. And if Huberman is a good manager, he will get rid of the incompetents, about whom even the Mayor (according to the Tribune) "has questions about the reported failure to keep stranded rail passengers apprised of what was happening." After all, the CTA is his patronage army.

It seems like all CTA apologists can say is "don't blame" Kruesi, Huberman, the scapegoats, whatever. Why doesn't someone say "I at the CTA will take responsibility?" The Red Eye posts of tonight and July 5 are dead on. Apparently only the airlines and the CTA think that they can treat the customers like garbage and get away with it.

[geneking7320]

I think there is a culture in the Daley administration that high level managers should make a public appearance at the site of a disaster if it relevant to your department, hence Kruesi and Huberman being seen. That said, I think the real issue here is the tendancy to appoint managers whom the mayor feels are trustworthy vs being experienced in a particular discipline. That is [insert name here] has been a good for me so I'll put him/her in charge of CTA (even though the person may have no work history in transit).

[Busjack]

According to the Tribune and other media reports, at least Huberman is now stepping up to take some responsibility for errors regarding communications and how passengers self-evacuated. The question is whether the underlings (such as the operator that didn't direct the riders to the rear car or that operator's supervisor) also will. Maybe Huberman's experience in the 911 center might help here.

[trainman8119]

According to the Tribune and other media reports, at least Huberman is now stepping up to take some responsibility for errors regarding communications and how passengers self-evacuated. The question is whether the underlings (such as the operator that didn't direct the riders to the rear car or that operator's supervisor) also will. Maybe Huberman's experience in the 911 center might help here.

Has it occurred to anyone that the power was in fact out...as evidenced by no a/c or lights. If there is no power, how do you figure the operator to notify anyone of what was going on, over an intercom that I am sure is tied into the electric. I don't think you could expect someone to walk through an overcrowded train (6 or 8 cars) and advise someone of what to do. If the stuck trains were filled to any extent our trains were, there was no way anyone was going to move throughout the train.

As for the power out with the attempted suicide...why were those trains ever allowed to leave a platform with the possibility of power being shut off. This is another blunder CTA and Metra execs constantly make...ordering trains to leave areas where people can bail of their own accord, thus keeping them hostage.

911 experience I don't think is the issue here, but more like knowing how the equipment operates...once again showing the importance of someone knowing something about transit being in charge.

I am so tired of the pols pretending to know what is going on. Every time they step up to the podium they act so foolish, I pull my hair out (go back to the so called Chicago 911 experts stating to use your cell phone when encountering a suspicious package).

[Busjack]

Has it occurred to anyone that the power was in fact out...as evidenced by no a/c or lights. If there is no power, how do you figure the operator to notify anyone of what was going on, over an intercom that I am sure is tied into the electric. I don't think you could expect someone to walk through an overcrowded train (6 or 8 cars) and advise someone of what to do. If the stuck trains were filled to any extent our trains were, there was no way anyone was going to move throughout the train.

There was some talk, after the July, 2006 fire, about battery backup for the communications system. (There was also talk that because of the exigencies of the fire, the operator couldn't get to it.) Does anyone here work on the L and know if it exists? Now, with three incidents (the 2005 one and the two last week) demonstrating the problem, if a battery backup hasn't been installed, it should be, pronteau.

In any event, it doesn't appear that CTA learned anything from the 2006 incident. Maybe now it will.

[RIPTA42]

Why do you keep blaming Noone? He had a rock band on TV in the 60s, but that's the last anyone has seen of him (or maybe not).

He appeared in Bensenville in August, 2005. The owner of Two Chefs said he was a jerk.