Wages weren't so much the issue, though they did want wage increases to stay ahead of inflation (when wages fall behind inflation it amounts to a pay cut.) The more crucial issues were contributions to the pension fund and the retirement age for full pension qualification.
Since the pension contribution hike would have only saved the MTA something like 20 million, when the MTA is operating with a 1 Billion dollar SURPLUS, it was a really, really stupid provocation.
The transit workers are essential to the running of the city, their working conditions are crap. Our safety requires that they be competent: lower their benefits and wages and competent people will not look for careers there. I'd hate to have to ride the train knowing that the people running it couldn't get jobs anywhere else, you know?
I don't know the last time you took a good, hard look down a subway tunnel. Would you work there? I sure as hell wouldn't. But if I did, I'd want to get paid pretty darn well.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2005-12-21 07:16 pm (UTC)Since the pension contribution hike would have only saved the MTA something like 20 million, when the MTA is operating with a 1 Billion dollar SURPLUS, it was a really, really stupid provocation.
The transit workers are essential to the running of the city, their working conditions are crap. Our safety requires that they be competent: lower their benefits and wages and competent people will not look for careers there. I'd hate to have to ride the train knowing that the people running it couldn't get jobs anywhere else, you know?
I don't know the last time you took a good, hard look down a subway tunnel. Would you work there? I sure as hell wouldn't. But if I did, I'd want to get paid pretty darn well.