Chris Johnson wrote: ... I do agree with Mr. Hohmann in principle: taxpayers should not be subsidizing luxury or extravagant benefits far above and beyond what is available to average workers in the workplace.
My response: This is why most of the community is quiet about this strike. It is hard for the private sector to support a strike when the Met Council's position paper clearly outlines that the drivers receive above average pay and benefits compared to private sector employees doing the same job (http://www.metrocouncil.org/labor/METCposition.pdf). Couple that with the fact that most of us in the private sector have been hurt by dismal pay and increasing job losses over the past few years and we cannot figure out what the drivers are talking about. Most of my tenants would love their job. Many of you complained when Strom wrote "the bus strike shows decisively that proponents of transit are simply not telling the truth when they say that transit ridership reduces congestion." Strom's response was to THE MEDIA PREDICTIONS that traffic would be crippled without the bus system. Well, it hasn't happened. Rybak claims traffic is flowing ok because he "[put] five times the normal number of traffic control officers on duty in downtown Minneapolis the first week of the strike." Come on... Traffic cops don't have that much impact. Most of my tenants are low income folk. Many depend on the bus system. Every single day of this strike, I have heard from multiple tenants about how this strike has messed up their lives. They are having trouble getting to jobs, school and social events. Everyday I have loaned out my pickup or drove someone, someplace. I am horribly frustrated. It appears the drivers are demanding pay/benefits exceeding others doing the same job. The poor -- who are the ones primarily hurt by this strike -- work for less than the drivers refuse to work for. Meanwhile the Met Council won't even attempt NON-binding arbitration. I have no respect for either side. They are both out of touch with their customers. Our government is out of touch. Regards, Bill Cullen. Whittier Landlord. 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
