On 3/30/04 4:55 AM, "Bill Cullen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On 3/29/04 10:10 PM, "Bill Cullen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Since the drivers are paid well. I am surprised you (and others on this > board) focus your anger solely at the Gov & Met Council. Compared to other > cities and local private companies, the MTC drivers make $6 to $9/hour more > per hour (when comparing top pay). That is 27% to 41% more! [snip] > I am just amazed the drivers (and some supporters) are using stranded poor > folk as a reason to support their agenda. 1) Most of the riders DEPENDANT on > the MTC don't receive the pay and benefits the MTC drivers refuse to work for. > 2) Given the no new taxes message, the result of a drivers victory will likely > lead to a fare increase and/or service decrease. > > If we really want to help the poor, we would argue for increased funding of > transit AND reduced driver benefit package. Then we could increase service > AND lower fares. That is helping the poor. > > I believe both sides are selfish. I see the agony of it everyday. Maybe Bill is onto something. Let's play with some numbers and see where those take us. Bill mentions that Metro Transit drivers at top pay make $6-9 more per hour than bus drivers for private firms. So let's assume that Metro Transit drivers were to make $13.50 an hour, or an average of $7.50 less than their current top rate of $21 an hour. At $13.50 an hour, monthly salaries would be about $2160. Net pay after taxes and FICA is going to be around $1700. Based on Met Council's own figures that Bill has cited in the past, monthly health care premiums for dependent coverage will run $300 (and rise to $400 in 2005) to continue the existing coverage, which bus drivers need because of all the health issues related to their jobs. So (for now) we're left with $1400. Now, assuming 30% of the employee's pay goes towards housing, that gives us about $650 to spend. Which pretty much eliminates owning a house, since there are no houses to be bought in the Twin Cities that will come with a mortgage payment of only $650 a month. So we look for an apartment. For a family, I would assume you'd want at least two bedrooms. Do you have any 2BR apartments renting for $650 a month, Bill? I bet not, since I was paying $600 a month for a kinda crappy 2BR back in 1996-97 and I've heard rents have kinda gone up since then. But assuming the answer is yes, that brings us down to $750. That's if Joe or Jane Bus Driver is lucky enough to find a place that rents for that much, or more likely, a bunch less since a quick check online shows rents for 2BRs running closer to $750-800 a month than $650, so there's probably only $600-650 left to play with. Still to be paid for are phone and electricity, groceries, shoes/diapers/clothes for the kid(s) and since David Strom insists, a car with the requisite insurance and whatever gas you need. I guess it's a good thing bus drivers don't need no edjumacation or there'd probably be student loans to pay off, too. I'm single and childless, so I have no idea how much all that would cost, but based on my own monthly bills, I think a family trying to get by on the bus driver salary that Bill thinks they should live with is going to be kinda screwed and certainly isn't going to be able to get ahead. Now, in these modern times, maybe both parents could work, but then you gotta find day care for the kid(s) and that's a whole 'nother can of worms. I have a friend who has a bachelor's in psychology and a master's in elementary education who is currently staying at home with her two daughters (one is 2 years old and the other is 2 months old) because there's no teaching jobs available and her day care worker job from before becoming a mom wouldn't pay enough to cover the cost of day care for her own kids if she went back to work (how messed up is that?). Good thing her husband is a mechanical engineer and not a bus driver, huh? In summary, it looks like Bill Cullen's approach for helping the poor is to swell their ranks even more. Yeah, that'll help, Bill. Mark Snyder Windom Park 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
