"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

unions
January 22, 2006 - 10:37 am

NYC transit workers reject new contract: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/20/transit.talks.ap/index.html

generally speaking, i think unions are outdated - but that's whole other topic.

what gets me about this is that a major reason for the rejection is that the transit workers don't want to pay any part of their healthcare -- this irks me on two levels.

first, why shouldn't they pay some? it's pretty standard for works to pay part of the healthcare costs -- it's a huge amount of money and considering wha the transit works make (yes, i know it costs more to live in NYC) they can and should pay some.

second, if they do pay some, they will value healthcare more -- and by that i mean, if something is free, you don't care about it. you use it and use and use it.. and that jacks up the cost. if you have to pay for part of it, then you go to the doc when you are sick. you help manage the cost.

another thing about this that irks me is that it's illegal in NYC for the transit workers to strike, but they did it anyway. per the article:

"The union was fined $3 million, and workers were docked two days' pay for each day on strike, though a Brooklyn judge has yet to determine exactly how much of those penalties the union and its employees will pay."

i don't get the last part -- the judge hasn't decided how much they should pay? they should pay the whole f'ing penalty. they choose to strike, they pay the fines.

perhaps i'm just in a crappy mood this morning, but what's the deal?

do some research and see how much the ticket-taker makes and you'll be shocked. check out the benifits they get and you'll be flabbergasted.

to jump back to unions, my biggest problem with them is that when times are good, they get better deals for workers (and that's good) -- but when times go bad, they don't want to give anything up. a huge part of what's wrong with GM and airlines are the unions. they won't let the company do what's needed to become more competitive.

it's like people think a factory has always been in once place and therefore it must always be there. perhaps that's how it should be.. but that's not reality.

i dunno. i hope the transit folks don't strike again -- that just fucks tons of other people. personally, i think they are just being greedy.. they think they are entitle to something and they aren't.. the trouble is, their leaders are being told they are.

oh and that's another thing.. union leaders. talk about hypocracy -- people lament how CEO's do this and do that.. check out union leaders. those people are the real bastards.