Bell should agree to NON-binding arbitration. I have to wonder if he is ok with the strike as the state saves $220,000 every week the buses are not running.
The drivers are paid well. The Met Council detailed their pay scales and compared them to other cities and local private companies. Comparing top pay, the MTC drivers make $6 to $9/hour more than their suburban equals (or 27% to 41% more/hour). If you don't believe the Met Council's data, show us yours. The Poor are screwed. If you really care about the poor, you would be advocating for increased taxes AND better cost control (yes, lower wages and benefits too). The goal should be to decrease fares and improve access. Otherwise, you are exploiting the poor for your "no tax"/"better pay" agenda. (1) The future of Transit is bleak. Our Government (Bell & the workers) are so self involved they are willing to destroy this infrastructure rather then work to build it up. We should be debating the Northstar Commuter Rail and other transit improvement projects. Sad. Very sad. Loaned out my pickup and drove two tenants today. I wonder what my insurance carrier would say.... Regards, Bill Cullen Whittier Landlord. (1) Please don't give me this "better pay gives better employees" stuff. The suburban bus systems operate very well on lower wages. The school bus system is not a good comparison. It is more likely to have trouble attracting great employees because of split shifts, seasonal and part time work. Pay might be a factor too, but the system is so different, it is impossible to know. 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
