By a 96% margin, transit workers have rejected the Metro Council's contract offer.
Here is the Trib story: http://startribune.com/stories/462/4292484.html Where is the negotiating leverage? Why should the Republicans who control almost everything care if the buses go on strike? Do suburban Republicans care if low-wage workers lose their jobs, or if older people break their legs and end up in nuring homes? Horses and old folks die from broken legs. Dogs and American workers don't have any rights anymore. Our rights as dogs have been outsourced. Public employees might lose PELRA if a bus strike lasted long enough. Here is one way the union could win: If the Met Council locked out the transit workers or declared an impasse and unilaterally imposed a contract, that would make the Republican state government the aggressors, not the union. In the event of a strike, how much Minneapolis police overtime money should be spent protecting scabs, or trying to catch anarchists who leave junker cars on freeways? The city might be sued if the police did anything during a strike. Maybe the last penny in the city budget has already been spent. Maybe the last penny in the city budget was spent when the city gave a $75,000 settlement to the blankety-blank who assaulted Sen. Carol Flynn on stairs at the state Capitol. Here is that story: http://startribune.com/stories/462/4292298.html Carol Flynn and a prominent Dakota elder fell down the stairs as a result of Greenburg's assault. Oh, well. Pie war is hell. You have to expect civilian casualties and collateral damage in a pie war. There is a Clinton-era federal law that encourages police brutality suits against municipalities. The Republican Congress hasn't gotten around to repealing it yet. Ed Fesler [EMAIL PROTECTED] Corcoran __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003 http://search.yahoo.com/top2003 REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
