Being held hostage
I consider myself to be somwhat liberal, but also a fairly-minded individual. Those who know me would probably assume that, under most circumstances, I would tend to back labor when they're pitted against big business and their employers.
Well, not this time folks. I'm quite incensed over what's been going on in New York the last two days. And learning more about the union demands and what they left on the table during the wee hours of Monday morning's last-ditch effort at negotiations makes me believe that the union leadership doesn't give a rats ass about anyone other than themselves.
The issue here is pension and benefits for new employees. The union wants new employees to enjoy the same benefits as the old ones and the MTA claims that they need to restructure the pension plans because of rising costs and simply because they won't be able to afford it in the long-term. At first, the MTA wanted to raise the retirement age for new employees to 62. The union would have none of that. Neither side budged- until Sunday night/Monday morning, when the MTA agreed to keep the retirement age at 55 and require new employees to pay 6% into their pension, an increase from the 2% that employees pay now. The MTA also caved on wages- instead of sticking to their 3% increase proposal (following inflation), they gave the union a 3.5% wage increase. But the union walked out anyways.
What else do they want, a new Lexus in the driveway? The MTA put a new package on the table and instead of giving a counter-offer, the union just walked away, crippling the city, forcing people to walk miles in the bitter cold to get to where they need to go- be it work, shopping, appointments, radiation and chemo treatments. Forcing my dad to open his shop but just sit there waiting in an empty garage for cars that need service that will never show up, because they can't get into the city. All the money that is being lost. Is it really worth it?
And now they have the nerve to complain that the penalties that are being levied on them for striking are too high. Did they bother reading the Taylor Law before deciding to walk off the job?
Ya know, I understand why unions exist. They protect labor from unfair practices and serve as a voice for those who wouldn't have one otherwise. But it's not like the transportation employees make a pittance. They make at least $45-50k for jobs that don't need higher education degrees, and they get all their benefits paid by their employers. Yes- other unions have the same benefits package. But police and firemen protect the general public from harm, with just a starting salary of $25k AND they require education and special training. Teachers- well, they teach. 'Nuf said.
So don't tell me that the union is refusing to compromise because they don't want to sellout the "unborn" (i.e., new workers). They're not selling out. Try telling that to millions who ride the subways and buses everyday, to those who get paid less and who even have retirement packages waiting for them at age 65.
Well, not this time folks. I'm quite incensed over what's been going on in New York the last two days. And learning more about the union demands and what they left on the table during the wee hours of Monday morning's last-ditch effort at negotiations makes me believe that the union leadership doesn't give a rats ass about anyone other than themselves.
The issue here is pension and benefits for new employees. The union wants new employees to enjoy the same benefits as the old ones and the MTA claims that they need to restructure the pension plans because of rising costs and simply because they won't be able to afford it in the long-term. At first, the MTA wanted to raise the retirement age for new employees to 62. The union would have none of that. Neither side budged- until Sunday night/Monday morning, when the MTA agreed to keep the retirement age at 55 and require new employees to pay 6% into their pension, an increase from the 2% that employees pay now. The MTA also caved on wages- instead of sticking to their 3% increase proposal (following inflation), they gave the union a 3.5% wage increase. But the union walked out anyways.
What else do they want, a new Lexus in the driveway? The MTA put a new package on the table and instead of giving a counter-offer, the union just walked away, crippling the city, forcing people to walk miles in the bitter cold to get to where they need to go- be it work, shopping, appointments, radiation and chemo treatments. Forcing my dad to open his shop but just sit there waiting in an empty garage for cars that need service that will never show up, because they can't get into the city. All the money that is being lost. Is it really worth it?
And now they have the nerve to complain that the penalties that are being levied on them for striking are too high. Did they bother reading the Taylor Law before deciding to walk off the job?
Ya know, I understand why unions exist. They protect labor from unfair practices and serve as a voice for those who wouldn't have one otherwise. But it's not like the transportation employees make a pittance. They make at least $45-50k for jobs that don't need higher education degrees, and they get all their benefits paid by their employers. Yes- other unions have the same benefits package. But police and firemen protect the general public from harm, with just a starting salary of $25k AND they require education and special training. Teachers- well, they teach. 'Nuf said.
So don't tell me that the union is refusing to compromise because they don't want to sellout the "unborn" (i.e., new workers). They're not selling out. Try telling that to millions who ride the subways and buses everyday, to those who get paid less and who even have retirement packages waiting for them at age 65.
posted by elanit | 9:09 AM
2 Comments:
I'm sooooo with you - I generally tend to be a Union supporter (hey, at least one Republican has to be, right?), but in this case, I'd say "fire them all."
These guys have now caused billions of dollars of damage to the city's economy, as well as putting the jobs of lots of low-wage people (think busboys) in jeopardy. Now THAT is a travesty - that for the greed of an 8% raise (geez! I haven't had an 8% raise for doing the same job at any point in my life!) they would make it so that people who are struggling much harder than they are suffer.
no sympathy.
My brother-in-law agrees with Michael about the jail part. I have finally figured out why it is good to live in New Jersey (as opposed to NYC, not anywhere else). All of their buses and trains are running, so everyone is able to get into the city without any trouble. Once they're there, on the other hand...
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