San Francisco Blog

I am shocked and dismayed that the official ATU website would allow anti-gay slurs to be posted about BART spokesman, Linton Johnson.

Linton Johnson is a hard-working BART professional and an out and proud gay man.

On top of an already tough job and an already contentious situation, he should not have to deal with responding to personal homophobic attacks.

I think ATU owes Linton, and the entire gay community an apology for this unacceptable tactic.

I don't think there was any underlying message in the picture or the caption. If anything what comes out of his mouth is filled with malicious content and mis-representation. On the other hand he is only doing his job. His is the face that represents the BART management and is the most accessible to the workers, as workers are to the riding public. If you think he deserves an apology then he should give one to every blue collar, Non-"Professional" worker in the country!

As someone who has only been in the Bay Area for the past 3 years, I have to say that I am very ashamed of the tactics of these clearly desperate Union Workers. I think their actions and defense of Linton Johnson's picture speak volumes to their mob mentality and immaturity.

Having lived in many other states with mass transit systems, never have I seen contract negotiations take on this personal of an attack. The President of the ATU needs to do the right thing and condemn the comments/actions of those he represents...clearly they are not deserving of anything, except unemployment.

To the members of the ATU responsible for the picture and comments I say this...."Grow up, take your ignorant attitudes and immaturity and move someplace else. The Bay Area and the United States can no longer afford folks who think and act like you."

Linton is doing what he gets paid to do. He doesn't make anything personal. He has never embarrassed anyone personally. Why must it come down to this? What is the point of this? I don't necessarily agree with the things he has been saying in the media, but I expect no less. I choose not to listen to him and sometimes laugh when I do listen. I would never attack him personally nor mention his life style preference. For Jesse Hunt to say he didn't know Linton is gay, that's a bunch of hooey. I don't believe that for one second. The unions have mentioned Linton and the pride parade in recent rumblings. At minimum Jesse should apologize to Linton and keep it to business attacks only. No personal more personal attacks.

Boo fucking hoo. The likelyhood of this being anti-gay coming from a union with many openly gay and lesbian employees is ludicrous. It was not posted anywhere else but the union's website and despite the man's many bald-faced lies there was no "personal" attack. No one has publicly said "shut up faggot" or anything of the sort. Nor would any of us.

This is not only making a mountain out of a molehill it is a patently ridiculous redirection away from the issues at hand and Linton's malicious and inexcusable behavior. Mike Healey certainly bent the truth a time or two - but on nowhere near the level that Linton has.

When your actions directly and negatively affect the working environment and livelihood of people they are going to be upset about it. I'm sure he'll cry his way to the bank after the massive bonus he gets for misrepresenting the situation to the media is done. If he wanted to play fair this wouldn't be happening.

Now if someone in ATU was offended that might be a different story. But this was not intended for the general public regardless.

Cute how he only refers to his fellow workers in dulcet tones only when blithely attempting to put himself above them.

I am sick and tired of these unions accusing Linton of "lying." I have read the information myself. BART is in serious financial trouble and needs to reduce the generous pay and benefits afforded to these union workers.

The union people call anyone who doesn't agree with them a "liar." So be it. The general public knows the truth.

Your comment is without merit John Healy - Linton has lied and provably so. Never once has any employee at BART gotten paid 2 hours for missing their lunch, he has given a different number each time about how much workers make and Sue Angeli caught him in making several lies on KTVU.

If the "general public" actually knew the financial conditions it would only be as a result of an audit as no one other than BART management knows why they never have money during negotiations even in banner years and consistently takes money out of the general fund and into the capital fund. Or why no money from the transit villages is coming back from the general fund. Or where all the money they get for running Amtrak Capitol Corridor goes. If San Francisco can have Harvey Rose independently audit their budget (and the GAO Congress's) there is no reason why BART's can't.

BART's management and board have a history of corruption, incompetence and anti-worker behavior. Yet you would reward that.

If you think that management actually cares about you you're even more foolish than I thought because there was *never* any need to raise fares in July. Their intent has never been to get us to take less because our own proposed budget would have saved hundreds of millions of dollars more than theirs. What they want is to break the unions pure and simple.

Nobody has a problem taking a pay cut if that's what needs to happen but eliminating the redress of grievances - which is what they are asking for - is *entirely different*.

But I'll leave you with these questions:
If you're in dire financial straights do you hire 3 ACTOs at approx. a quarter of a million dollars a piece? If you're in dire financial straits do you vote yourself a bonus? If you're in dire financial straits wouldn't you look at fare enforcement as an option? Wouldn't you try to maximise income first before decreasing everyone's quality of life? If you were a leader and demanding your underlings make less wouldn't you show yourself to be a leader by taking less upfront?

Does ANYONE commenting here know what the job of a spokesman is? He is told what to say from management, then he says it. His job isn't to have an opinion, but to parrot his bosses want him to say.
All you folks up there giving him shit about being a management lap dog and blah blah blah need to realize what the guy's job is, versus just attacking this guy.

It's f'd up that the gay topic came into play about this, but it was probably one stupid webdesigner that either knew about his sexuality and was an asshole, or it was unintentional and someone looked too deeply into a goofy picture.