Estimating the Cost of Work Rule Changes in Transit

Federal Transit Administration 50th Anniversaryhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15273141984PDFTech ReportATE Management and Service CompanyUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Office of Planning AssistanceUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationWashington (District of Columbia);United StatesCollective bargainingLinear programmingOperating costsProductivityWork rulesAdministration and ManagementPublic Transportationreport no. DOT-I-84-48Final ReportIn this report, new ways to improve productivity focuses on the cost of work rules in the union cantract. The objectives of this study are: 1) to install and calibrate a mathematical model for analyzing the cost implications of work rule changes for labor negotiations; and 2) to test and verify that the model predictions are valide and accurate. This report examines the feasibility of using computer modeling techniques to accurately and rapidly predict the impact of work rule changes on operating cost. A new tool for estimating the cost of work rule changes--HASTUS--was subjected to in-depth testing and evaluation. The Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) served as a case study for the application and demonstration of HASTUS. HASTUS, the mathematical model installed at SCRTD and developed at the University of Montreal, uses linear programming techniques (detailed description of model in Chapter 4 and mathematical formula in Appendix A). In 1981, HASTUS was awarded distinction as "the outstanding operations research application of the year" by the Canadian Operations Research Society. The experience gained in this study suggests that HASTUS is a promising and effective tool for estimating costs of proposed work rule changes. HASTUS's features of speed, flexibility, user ease and low cost suggest that the model can be effectively used to evaluate the numerous combinations of potential work rule changes for labor negotiations. Two other unanticipated uses of HASTUS were identified: a goal for the relative efficiency of each runcut, and a preprocessor for runcutting to provide the runcutter a strategy for efficient runcutting.138