The twu can argue it's point all it wants to, however their failure to be realistic is what gets to me. They should be more willing to go to negotiations with an intent to actually negotiate not have this all or nothing approach which is what I think they are doing. They want more money, so do i. They want the mta to not file grievances, i want to be paid to do nothing too. They want to leave the retirement age as is, i want to be able to retire. What most people don't get about this retirement stuff is that in most if not all cases, when at age 55 someone retires form the mta and start collecting their pension, they usually get a job somewhere else as well. so the get to collect the pension and have all the benefits, and work for another company taking a job from someone that needs it.
It's just not right for the poor people that work in new York to have to pay for the mta's big awful mistakes all the time. if the twu really wanted to do damage to the mta, why don't they let riders in for free. Becuase that will hurt the mta tons and it won't affect the riders. but it's all about squeezing that last dime from the pockets of those people that are not doing well to begin with.
I am ashamed that they can be so selfish and it saddens me that it comes to this. I hope this gets resolved as quickly as possible. Otherwise, I will lose the last bit of faith i have in people.
2 comments:
Ee-El,
I'm saying that I think it's a collusive effort by the MTA, the Mayor & the wanna-be-president-so-I-gotta-look-tough-on-labor governor to break the union and set back the labor movement. I don't think they came to the table to make a deal.
I don't see why you think the union hasn't been willing to negotiate. Days before the deadline, I remember hearing that Kalikow of the MTA SAID he didn't want to negotiate, just to go to arbitration. And I have heard that the union originally asked for 30% over 3 yrs, then 28%, then 24%. What's that? Negotiation. On two occasions I've heard that the MTA has said "take it or leave it" and "final offer". Now, oviously, I'm not in the negotiating room, and I'm just getting my info from the news (NY1 specifically), but it seems that if anything it's the MTA that never intended to negotiate. And remember, the TWU could have gone out on Friday, but they didn't. Seems to me like they were bending over backwards to work something out.
I wouldn't say that the TWU workers get paid to do nothing. Some of them are in the tunnels all day, exposed to all kinds of health hazards and stuff. Not to mention they're our first-responders in case "something" happens. I've read that their working conditions are terrible and they're treated like crap. As far as the retirement age goes, where are 55 year olds taking jobs from people that need it?
The TWU is working-class all the way through. There is some scepticism regarding this strike, but I this the benefit of the doubt should always be with labor. They are us and we are them.
(sorry this is so long).
I'm not going to arugue with you - let's just say I'm angry and you're not.
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