What's chronically missing from these apples to oranges comaprisons in wages and benefits is that union workers organize for better wages and benefits! So-called 'average' workers are hardly in agreement that their wages and benefits are great and should be the norm for everyone. The fact is, if you're non-union, employers can and will continue to pass the rising cost of healthcare on to you and there is nothing you can do about it. Union workers are on the front-line of the healthcare crisis and as they stand united in refusing to take pay cuts (as Liz points out) to fund spiraling healthcare costs, their employers are forced to take on some of those expenses themselves. Eventually, corporations are going to have to join the chorus of us regular folks demanding reform in the health-care system. When unions refuse to accept these fee hikes, they strengthen the position of ALL workers, union or not.
And as an aside, strikes are always the port of last resort. In this economy especially, transit workers do not relish the notion of being out of work. It's the Met Council that's playing my-way-or-the-highway (literally) with the Union. I, for one, support any union's efort to make a stand against passing these costs along to workers.
Dorian Eder Windom Park
lizski wrote:
I must first mention a disclaimer of sorts as my father-in-law is a retired transit worker. Why when a union is in negotiations must we always hear that what they are demanding is better than what the average Joe gets so tell them to suck it up and get on with it. I for one am thrilled that someone is fighting for better benefits. The "private" company I work for has been chopping away at every benefit we have. One month before my due date they changed from 100% coverage to 80/20. I fought it and won a transitional care benefit but why did I have to at 8 months pregnant. And if I hadn't been such a [EMAIL PROTECTED] and made a human resources flunky cry what would I have-squat. Workers deserve a living wage and if we had a better health care system we wouldn't have this employer ax hanging over our heads. My point in all of this is...no pay raises and increasing the employee cost of benefits is a PAY CUT and Peter Bell can pit us against them but I'm more of a they deserve better and SO DO WE!!!!
Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park
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