| Author |
Message |
    
mamatamu
Citizen
Username: Mamatamu
Post Number: 100
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:20 am: |     |
The latest headlines emphasize the illegality of the Transport Workers Union walkout.
They are criminalizing the workers.
The New York State Taylor Law is an unjust law.
Pataki's appointees administer the MTA & the Public Employment Relations Board.
His friends are wealthy, powerful, right wing, white guys who finance his campaign.
-(You know what I mean, so don’t make this racial.)
What do they know about work anyway
…especially Kalikow?
I bet he never had to take a battery of tests and wait in a line to get his job.
They do know how to make money.
They are breaking the law.
The Taylor Law is a check against civil servants and their rights to collective bargaining.
Association and assembly are first amendment liberties, which guard all citizens from gov’t abuse.
I bet that most cops, teachers, sanitation workers, firefighters, et.al.,in any NYS municipality, out rightly support, or privately endorse the local 100 TWU job action.
Public servants must freely exercise their civil liberties, especially since they (we) work for the government!
Government worker's must be guarded against the politician's abuse.
Moreover, civil servants are employed for the long haul, but politicians come and go.
And, as you see, without them (us) chaos reigns.
The strike is an act of civil disobedience.
Why don’t they simply give the workers what they want?
Who wants to contract to join the race to the bottom?..
There is enough for all.
|
Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 8219
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:25 am: | |
The trouble is it's not that simple. There are years of projected deficits for the MTA, which means if the workers get all they want, the brunt of the financial burden gets shifted onto people who ride transit. And that's mostly hourly wage earners. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 1505
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 8:49 am: | |
There is something called the big picture.... check it out sometime. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 69
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 9:12 am: | |
Do any other states have similar Taylor Laws? Has the law ever been challenged in federal court/upheld?
It's piqued my curiosity. |
Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 784
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 9:14 am: | |
mamatamu, that is the biggest pile of balderdash I have read in a long time.
You say 'dont make this racial' immediately after YOU make it racial?? That brings new meaning to the word 'chuzpah'.
These 'public servants' are striking against the public good. May I remind you that when private sector workers go out on strike, the public has alternatives. When the public sector goes out, the people have no alternative. And that is the reason for the Taylor law. To protect those most at risk. The poor and the middle class who have no alternatives. The rich can take care of themselves.
These TWU workers have job security. Most working people do not. They have excellent benefits. Most working people do not. They have great, free health care. Most working people have little or no coverage. They make great salaries, far more than in the private sector. And they have a wonderful pension, which is utterly alien to most working New Yorkers.
Give them what they want? Who pays for that?
The working class does.
This strike is a direct assault by a privileged class against all working people. Who, by the way, pay the taxes that support those union thugs. |
Jonathan Teixeira
Citizen
Username: Jhntxr
Post Number: 317
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 9:31 am: | |
" His friends are wealthy , powerful , right wing , white guys , who finance his campaign. "
( you know what I mean , so don't make this racial )
Why not drop the color thing if you don't want to make it a racial thing ???????
You don't just give workers what they want .Do you remember the days when the MTA was running at a loss ? It's just greed , maybe if these people got off their fat asses and work , the MTA would become even more effecient , and then everyone could get a decent salary and benefits . But in that kind of enviroment there is no incentive for people to be productive . |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 72
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 9:38 am: | |
C'mon now, the MTA is the most corrupt, mismanaged public organization in the history of Mankind. At one point, they wanted to build a new skyscraper in Mid-Town for their Executive headquarters? In spite of already having one that is hard to justify? I disagree that the MTA needs a Headquarters across the street from Citibank.
Need I remind you that this organization purposefully hid a $100MM surplus, in order to jam us riders with a fare increase (subsequantly followed by another fare increase).
The union may be striking illegally, but spare any sympathy for the crooks who run the organization. |
Sgt. Pepper
Citizen
Username: Jjkatz
Post Number: 1529
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:00 am: | |
Then everyone on both sides should be tossed out on their a***s. Whether you agree with the Taylor Law or not, it is currently the law and the union is violating it. And if you saw what transit workers' starting salaries are you'd stop weeping for them. They've got a lot of nerve complaining and even more nerve making the demands they're making (8% increases per year????).
Come on. |
Jonathan Teixeira
Citizen
Username: Jhntxr
Post Number: 321
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:08 am: | |
no , it's c'mon now... |
buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 3365
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:14 am: | |
I don't feel sorry for the workers OR the MTA. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Think about teachers that work without contracts EVERYDAY.
This is a very selfish strike and I hope they throw the union bosses in jail and hire people who need jobs.
I know many hardworking people (white, black, red, brown...) that live day to day and can not get to work because of this are are being hurt badly.
A one day strike I could have lived with. This reflects poorly on the transit workers union. The union has put this city in a possibly unsafe situation. And guess which part of the city is hurting most - the downtown stores and restaurants. The same demographic that felt the biggest part of the post 9/11 economic backlash.
|
CageyD
Citizen
Username: Cageyd
Post Number: 519
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:23 am: | |
Whatkills me about this strike is that the Union workers who have job security and incrediable salaries in spite of being unskilled, have a much better deal than the white collar MTA workers - by far.
We have MTA employees in the family and they
- have no job security
- pay into two different pensions, - one of which most employees never get to collect
- pay a portion of their health care premiums
- go year after year with out raises.
- do not get bonuses, holiday parties, or any other perks
These are poeple who put in considerable effort and expense to get degrees and chose to work for the public sector and they are getting screwed. Who do you think is working right now to keep things running at phone banks, commuter parking lots, at PEnn and GCT? The white collar MTA employees who are not getting overtime for this mandatory work that extends their work days by as much as 6-8 hours during the xmas rush.
Sympathy for the union????? My a**. Making $40-50K starting with overtime??? FOr what, standing in a token booth being rude to passengers, saying "stand clear of the closing doors" They are overpaid anyway and they have the balls to complain!? They should see how the rest of the MTA employees or even the rest of the world functions and count their blessings. |
Richard Steele
Citizen
Username: Brookwood
Post Number: 43
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:29 am: | |
Who the eff cares.if you are so concerned rent a van and start taking people to work.These people are taking a stand against a crooked ••• company, mayor and gov. trying to strong arm them w/threats.Put yourself in there shoes.They are losing money and time just like any other person.From what I see through my travels everyday to the city people are doing what they have to do to get to work.And MTA is doing what they have to do. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 74
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:35 am: | |
Do you think you could raise a family on $40-$50k in the New York metro area, if you were the sole bread winner? Since when did this become incredible money to be making?
If the deal was so good, why won't the White-Collar MTA employees take the Blue-Collar MTA employees jobs? The answer is because they don't want those jobs, because they are tough jobs.
As far as making pensions harder and harder for them to achieve? Would you rather these people be under paid, retire with no pension, and then suffer below the poverty level on Social Security alone when they are old? That certainly doesn't help the city.
Anybody have data on the top 10 MTA executive pay packages?
Anybody see the real proposal on what to do with the record setting $$ surplus? I think a healthy raise is at least an IDEA worth considerting. COLA is 3-4%, so 8% is actually only a 4% raise.
Anybody know why the MTA has only spent $50 MM of the approximate $400 MM given to the MTA by the Federal Goverment after 9-11? This was granted to upgrade safety, interestly, that was spent on CONSULTANTS, not on actual safety measures.
These "unskilled" employees are now the front line of anti-terrorist activity, and are unofficially expected to be an on-site bomb-squad. In my eyes, they are way underpaid for that service.
|
Richard Steele
Citizen
Username: Brookwood
Post Number: 44
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:35 am: | |
Sympathy for the union????? My a**. Making $40-50K starting with overtime??? FOr what, standing in a token booth being rude to passengers, saying "stand clear of the closing doors" They are overpaid anyway and they have the balls to complain!? They should see how the rest of the MTA employees or even the rest of the world functions and count their blessings
Wow! Cagey 50k That's friggin wealthy.What was I thinking about.That's always enough to survive for the rest of there lives especially if the have a family to fend for. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 75
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 10:52 am: | |
 |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 76
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:08 am: | |
Strike just ended anyway. We'll have all forgotten this conversation by Saturday.
Signing off of this thread..... |
Phenixrising
Citizen
Username: Phenixrising
Post Number: 1336
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:19 am: | |
Not yet.
Toussaint is going to his union at 1:00 PM and will recommend that his workers go back to work. They will probably take a vote and more than likely go back to work. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 1507
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:28 am: | |
COLA:
00-01 2.9%
01-02 1.6%
02-03 2.3%
03-04 2.6%
04-05 3.4%
8% raises look pretty damn good but are very unrealistic. I would give my you-now-what for 8% raises. The cumulative effect of 8% versus 4% year after year is quite large.
Strike will end but they are still negotiating, no agreement yet.
|
Phenixrising
Citizen
Username: Phenixrising
Post Number: 1337
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:39 am: | |
We have MTA employees in the family and they
- have no job security
- pay into two different pensions, - one of which most employees never get to collect
- pay a portion of their health care premiums
- go year after year with out raises.
- do not get bonuses, holiday parties, or any other perks
CageyD
That's not totally true!
On Management…
Management pays into 2 different pensions, one guaranteed, the other you are guaranteed after 5 years of service.
You forgot to include FREE MEDICAL for LIFE after retirement.
They HAVE received raises in the past SIX years. 3% average PLUS some are given merit increases on top of that.
Vacation time… 4 weeks after serving a year plus 12 paid holidays & 1-3 personal days (depending on years of service). You can carry-over sick time, so that adds-up.
$2000 dollars for EACH family member for dental expenses. Free eyewear and vision care.
As far as job security… nobody ever leaves! They know they have it pretty good.
I should know… I'm one of THEM (management). 
BTW… I just worked 12 hours yesterday. It's all part of the job (management) when crisis such as the strike happens. Its not fun, but it IS made aware when applying and accepting the job. No overtime pay but I WILL get comp time.
|
Natb
Citizen
Username: Natb
Post Number: 83
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:43 am: | |
I don't know about some of you but $40-50.0 is pretty good for a starting salary, many of the workers make an average of $60.0 for what is essentially unskilled labor. While I agree that it would be almost impossible to support a family of 4 on that salary, if you were the sole bread winner in your family then maybe that isn't the job for you.
I went to college and am not in an entry level position and make at the bottom of that starting salary and have to pay for my own benefits (which are not cheap). I don't have the option to go out on strike if I don't get the raise I would like or if my beneifits become more expensive. It is ludicrous to expect an 8% raise, I have only received that kind of increase on one occasion for a regular yearly review.
These workers would be in for a huge reality check if they had to work in the private sector where your raise and benefits are based on performance.
I say give them until tomorrow to get back to work whoever doesn't show up is out of a job. I'm sure there are many people who would be in line for their jobs on Monday morning. |
James
Citizen
Username: Mcgregorj
Post Number: 79
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:47 am: | |
NatB: You certainly have the right to band together with your fellow employees and go on strike.
29 USC 151, the NLRA. Read it. |
James
Citizen
Username: Mcgregorj
Post Number: 80
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 11:48 am: | |
Everyone else: Here's my thoughts on the arguments against the strike (which may, of course, be rendered moot by the latest news).
(1) The MTA is running a $1 billion surplus.
(2) The other municipal unions (teachers, fire, police) did give plenty of concessions to the city, but received significantly higher raises than the TWU would get.
(3) On healthcare and pensions: Dividing the union between the current employees and the new hires is purely an attempt at unionbusting. That's what management is supposed to do, I guess - but that doesn't mean we should let them get away with it. By creating 2 tiers of employees, the MTA hopes to sow division within the membership, turning workers against each other in future bargaining. That's reprehensible - I was happy to hear that TWU members were unwilling to "mortgage" the future employees in order to get quick gains.
Furthermore, on Monday night the MTA introduced a new last-minute pension proposal that changed new hire pension contributions from 2% to 6% - a major change that led to the strike. Interestingly, the NY Times reports that this proposal would save the MTA a paltry $20 million over 3 years.
See http://workinglife.typepad.com/daily_blog/2005/12/a_shameful_20_m.html
(4) The MTA has a particularly draconian set of disciplinary rules and procedures. With 34,000 employees, there are current 15,000+ active grievances relating just to discipline. The TWU has said repeatedly that they will compromise on the wage increases (which hardly amount to 25%) if the MTA will lighten up in this area.
(5) Pataki and Bloomberg have been acting in a particularly "reprehensible" fashion (to use Bloomberg's new favorite word) in this dispute. Both kept low profiles and said they had no control during the negotiations. Now, both are grandstanding and saying that the MTA should not negotiate until the strike is called off. Talk about two-faced!
For a bonus bit of pot-calling-the-kettle-black, see the Village Voice - http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/000983.php
(6) The strike has been called illegal under the Taylor Law. I'm uncomfortable with telling *anyone* not to strike, but I can see fire and police. Still, the strike is illegal - fine. But would you have opposed law-breaking in the civil rights movement? Ever hear of civil disobedience? Sometimes the rule of law isn't everything. This union will pay a penalty for their actions - if they pay the consequences, how are they not justified?
(7) Pataki and Bloomberg rail against the TWU - but who holds *them* and the *MTA* accountable? Both in terms of money and public policy, this agency is out of control. Remember fare-hike upon fare-hike? Remember when the MTA got caught keeping two sets of books?
(8) So the police, fire, and teachers didn't take a strong stand to keep their level of pensions and benefits - and now Bloomberg says that the TWA is failing workers? Perhaps it was the lack of solidarity on the part of those other municipal unions as they folded before the government that is failing *the workers*, including the TWU!
(9) The International Labor Organization guarantees the right to strike as a fundamental human right. With the exception of emergency services, this right should be absolute. The US Government has, of course, little to no respect for the ILO conventions. Still, much of the world sees this as a human rights issue, equal to anything in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights.
(10) People say "oh, but nobody has a pension anymore!" Shouldn't we be working to stop this downward spiral? Shouldn't working people say that the buck stops here instead of fighting for the scraps that corporate America is willing to give out? "But walmart only pays $5.75 hour and has no pension!" is no justification for anything.
|
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 77
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:03 pm: | |
NatB- All very good points, but you can't have a long-lasting MTA employee force if in order to have the job, you have to accept only having a family of 1-2. Longterm, that doesn't work.
The difference between your private sector job, and the MTA employees jobs, is that the MTA has a Monopoly on offering Jobs to Subway operators. They can't get any other job that applies their skills unless they move to another city with a subway system.
So an MTA employee MUST have a guarentee of security, health care, pension and health care in order to dedicate themselves to these jobs.
Phenix, thank you for your honesty in that post...very interesting, and enlightening. Keep up the good work! |
CageyD
Citizen
Username: Cageyd
Post Number: 520
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:06 pm: | |
Phoenix
Glad you got a raise for 6 years running - beyond the 1.5%-2% Cola my spouse hasn't had one in 7 years - without question, we are making less now than before
.
You are wrong about the guaranteed pension after 5 years - talk to your benefits administrator we have been advised by the MTA that we will probably never see that money 2-3% per year.
$50K a year - guess what, I know many white collar MTA who make just about that amount - with no opportunity for over time and they do pay into both pensions and they pay for their health care -
Lifetime medical, yeah nice if you can stand the low salaries for 20+ years.
Vacation - 4 weeks we do get that, we need to sell it back in order to survive.
Glad to know you get the comp time. My spouse,who has gone in at 4:00am the last three days is NOT getting comp time.
Glad to know you got a nice cushy job at the MTA Phoenix I imagine your live in the rarified six figure MTA world- you may want to leave your ivory tower some time to see how the other MTA white collar folks live.
Finally I know white collar MTA employees who have actually applied for MTA blue collar jobs recently because the Blue collar folks are treated so much better.
\
SOrry for the vitriol Phonix but this is a REALLY sensitive issue for me. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 80
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:30 pm: | |
Cagey, why have you no sympathy for the workers unions gripes over $50k per year, when you yourself have declared it a low salary that requires you to sell your vacation back in order to make ends meet? You acknowledge it's nearly unlivable, yet rail against them for wanting to make their situations better?
The TWU workers aren't taking from the white-collar management. There's an enormous surplus ( and more fare hikes coming ) and this isn't an us or them situation. |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1137
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:45 pm: | |
$50k + lots of Overtime opportunity may not be something to aspire to in the white-collar world, but if you don't have much in the way of an education or marketable skills, and you land this gig, I'd say that's pretty good.
Smarty -- what did you mean by:
NatB- All very good points, but you can't have a long-lasting MTA employee force if in order to have the job, you have to accept only having a family of 1-2. Longterm, that doesn't work.
Are you saying that we should give someone more money for the job they're doing (regardless of industry) if they have more kids to support? Maybe I'm missing your point there... |
Phenixrising
Citizen
Username: Phenixrising
Post Number: 1338
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 12:47 pm: | |
CageyD
I beg to disagree.
Lifetime medical, yeah nice if you can stand the low salaries for 20+ years.
Low salaries? MTA management salaries are comparable to what the private sector makes depending on your occupation. (I've done the search.)
We have a programs where graduates can start at $58,000. They're in training for 2-3 years thereafter placed in their occupatioon with salaries between ranging 65-72,000. Not bad eh?
Vacation - 4 weeks we do get that, we need to sell it back in order to survive.
Don't see many selling back unless they have accumlated several weeks beyond the 4 weeks. Thats because the taxes taken-out is not worth the buy-back unless its a week.
$50K a year - guess what, I know many white collar MTA who make just about that amount - with no opportunity for over time and they do pay into both pensions and they pay for their health care -
Half of 50K? Where? I don't see that in the job postings. And we get ALL the comapanies (LIRR, Metro-North, Bridge & Tunnels, Transit)
Glad to know you get the comp time. My spouse,who has gone in at 4:00am the last three days is NOT getting comp time.
Depending on the job, the majority I know DO receive comp time especially when it is out of their occupation (handling union jobs).
You are wrong about the guaranteed pension after 5 years - talk to your benefits administrator we have been advised by the MTA that we will probably never see that money 2-3% per year.
Not true. Their is Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 is like social security, the only difference, they take more out of your salary than social security. However, after you retire you do recieve MORE than if you were to get social security.
The other is railroad retirement. The rule before is that you had to work 10 years before you are entitled to any of the contributions. I beleive 3 years ago that was changed to 5 years. If you leave before 5 years you LOSE your contributions.
Glad to know you got a nice cushy job at the MTA Phoenix I imagine your live in the rarified six figure MTA world- you may want to leave your ivory tower some time to see how the other MTA white collar folks live.
Don't have a cushy job tho, worked hard to get here. But I have worked in the private sector for over 20 years and I KNOW there are folks who DO have white collar jobs at the MTA with limited experience and make a bundle.
Lots of dead weight that needs to be lifted.
|
Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 5345
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 1:00 pm: | |
Quote:The New York State Taylor Law is an unjust law
That may well be true, but it is a law. Can we now become selective as to what laws we wish to disobey and expect to do so without penalty?
I am a member of two unions so it's not like I am out to break a union. But, for now, the Taylor law is a law. A judge ruling on that law ordered the TWU back to work. They didn't go. They broke the law and must pay. Don't ever jail a civil employee, as Koch said, because you make them a martyr..but fine the hell out of them. Public safety is at risk here.
|
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 84
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 1:03 pm: | |
LilB: My point is that many people would like to liken these jobs to Low hourly wage jobs, which one clearly can't support a family upon, nor ever will. These aren't, and never should be $6/hour jobs. If you want a workforce to dedicate themselves to a career at the MTA, you will not get employees to commit to the career unless the prospect exists of being able to support and raise a family. (in no way am I suggesting linking pay to the # of children they have). MTA employees need to live in the NYC metro area, which is the most expensive metro area in the Country. If they have no hope of supporting a family on their wages, then you will not have any luck recruiting/retaining a consistant work force.
The NYC police dept has run into similar problems throughout the years. They used to be required to live in their respective districts, but then the city couldn't afford to pay them enough to afford living there anymore. In the seventies, that rule was relaxed, and they all moved out to Long Island/Staten Island because they just couldn't afford to live in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn on those salaries. It's a problem, becuase the cost of living on Long Island and Staten Island is racing up too, and this no longer provides economic refuge for city workers.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify. |
CageyD
Citizen
Username: Cageyd
Post Number: 521
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 1:19 pm: | |
Phnix
Again your experiences are not necessarily typical -
That does sound like a nice program go in at $58 advance to $72K That is not the norm. IS it still true that for rank and file even significant promotions at most yield a bump of 15% but that is highly unusual. More typically it is at most 10%. I know employees who barely make $72K despite being there many years. I guess the MTA saves the nice package you describe for the newbies who are not vested yet.
Re: $50K I didn't say people earned half that. I said many earn about that much and still need to pay health costs and 2 pensions. FOr many it increasingly makes sense to forgo the white collar and done the blue collar.
If you worked in the private sector you have probably had a much different experience. When we joined the MTA from another public sector job, the policy was they would pay you x% more over what you previously earned. We joined the MTA after working in another state with somewhat lower salaries - in order to accomodate their rule, they LOWERED the starting salary becuase the bottom rung was more that x% of previous salary. IF you can from the private sector which really does pay better - you probabaly came in with a decent starting pay. I will say that there is some variation in pay and treatment depending on which area you work in (LIRR, NYTA,TBTA,M.North, LIBUS, MTA).
AGreed on the dead weight - but there is no house cleaning in sight. |
Phenixrising
Citizen
Username: Phenixrising
Post Number: 1339
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 1:51 pm: | |
I will say that there is some variation in pay and treatment depending on which area you work in (LIRR, NYTA,TBTA,M.North, LIBUS, MTA).
This is true. Perhaps this is where our disagreements lies.
Also, coming from the private sector I actually made a lower salary there than at the MTA. I must admit, looking over the benefits from my previous job and looking at the MTA, there was no comparison. The MTA benefits were WAY better than my previous job. Had to work 10 years before I saw 3 weeks vacation in the private sector.
I don't know where you work in the MTA, but I would definately look into the job postings made available through your company's intranet system. Each agencies policies, salaries et al are different. I know several folks who have moved from agency-to-agency for better jobs and salaries.
|
Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 793
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 3:31 pm: | |
Interesting how the one who started this thread has not participated.
Shades of Straw! |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 910
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 7:58 pm: | |
Ah, come on Chris... how many names could he possibly have?  |
mamatamu
Citizen
Username: Mamatamu
Post Number: 101
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 2:24 pm: | |
Yeah,
I started the thread, but my public sector duties called and only today was I able to return.
James made the greatest statements and salient points. Thank you sir. Numbers 6-10 were exceptional.
Yes, the Taylor law is unjust and the breaking of it is an act of civil disobedience. Sure, it is currently the law and will be the law until some group works to change that law. But as a law, it sucks.
How many laws have been changed...Many!
These 'public servants' are striking against the public good. May I remind you that when private sector workers go out on strike, the public has alternatives. When the public sector goes out, the people have no alternative. And that is the reason for the Taylor law. To protect those most at risk. The poor and the middle class who have no alternatives. The rich can take care of themselves.
These TWU workers have job security. Most working people do not. They have excellent benefits. Most working people do not. They have great, free health care. Most working people have little or no coverage. They make great salaries, far more than in the private sector. And they have a wonderful pension, which is utterly alien to most working New Yorkers.
Give them what they want? Who pays for that?
The working class does.
Well Chris, I had no alternatives or options when private sector oil companies were price gouging during the summer.
I have no viable or cheaper alternative to Comcast.
If one milk company goes on strike, what happens to the price of milk sold by the remaining companies?
I agree that the working class pays, but that's only because of the corrupt MTA, as others have very well pointed out in this tread.
Come to think of it, the Taylor law was not meant to help out those poor and at risk..
Who loses the most during any strike, certainly not the poorest. That's kinda short sighted of you to think that when the goal is the long run.
Sure others work without a contract, and live without a pension, does that make it right?
Yes, it is over, but the issue will not go away and at some point will resurface..just like all other issues do.
|
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 918
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, December 25, 2005 - 2:47 pm: | |
So... should the police and fire departments be allowed to strike?
|
tom connelly
Citizen
Username: Brightontom
Post Number: 29
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 5:38 pm: | |
Sure,
That's why we have a National Guard.
Oh sh*t, the Guard's in Iraq.
The PD & FD should not go out on full blown strikes. But job actions, selective slow downs, partial sick outs, and other non-public endangering activities should be allowed, if not encouraged from time to time.
The real issue, that the transit union bravely brought to light, is underfunded pensions and the feds allowing corporations to screw retirees out of money.
Blazes to Money Mayor Mike from Medford Mass(friend to fortune 500 CEO's and demonizer of the working man)and all his friends.
|
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page