If my friend is correct -- that the Met Council is planning to permanently
replace striking workers -- I wonder how many qualified people will apply
for jobs at the offered compensation package?
As a "qualified people" I am not motivated whatsoever to put in an application at Metro Council Transit Operations. Why should I accept a cut in pay, higher insurance costs, less vacation, and have to put off my retirement for over a decade?
And I am not alone. Despite Bush's recession there is still a shortage of qualified people to operate buses, trucks, and trains. Qualified mechanics are even harder to find.
Why? Because everyone sends there kids to college instead of technical schools. Because many younger workers can't stay clean long enough to pass the drug tests. And many older transportation workers can't pass the tough DOT physical exams anymore. And with 30 years and out retirement plans being the norm, transportation workers in there 50s are quickly becoming retirees. A teamster receiving a $3000 retirement check every month and used to sleeping in mornings in their luxury RV isn't about to trade it for a bus at 4 am.
As we speak Union Pacific railroad is desperately trying to hire 3000 conductors. The Postal Service is trying to weasel out of an early retirement agreement because they can't find enough qualified drivers to replace the ones retiring. Even after the bankruptcy of Consolidated Freightways and the merger of Roadway and Yellow they still can't find enough qualified drivers.
None the less there's no doubt that MCTO will manage to drag plenty of drunks, drug addicts, sex offenders, and such off the streets and turn them loose on our streets with 15 tons or more of bus. After letting half a billion dollars in rail investment rust for a while no doubt MCTO will put some Casey Jones wannabe's in the cab and let them try to negotiate 10 miles per hour switches and turns at 55. In short order they should manage to convert multimillion dollar railcars and stations into scrap metal.
Then again, I might put in an application at MCTO just for the fun of it...
scheming on the Northside,
Dyna
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