--- Dan McGuire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I listened to P Bell on WCCO (before the Gopher game and during > breaks) last evening. He was not being polite to Ron Lloyd, did not > seem at all interested in negotiating, and continued to belittle the > union's position with a very dismissive attitude. The ATU needs some > help from the mayor and the city council, specifically, and everyone > else in this city who works for a wage and is on a group health plan. > P Bell is hurting us all by his treatment of the transit workers.
[TB] I first met Peter Bell back in the mid-1980's when he ran Minnesota Institute of Black Chemical Abuse (as I recall, he founded the organization). MIBCA was a client of a public accounting firm that I worked for at the time. Since then our paths have crossed on a number of occasions. Peter is probably more moderate than most of the people he hangs out with in government. I think Peter is doing exactly what his boss is telling him to do. It is my belief that is why arbitration was not accepted prior to the strike beginning. I think Peter is accurate when he is saying that they don't have any more money, remember that the MN Senate DFL caved to all of the Republican budget demands last year and virtually everyone lost in that deal. Had John Hottinger not rolled over we MIGHT not be in this situation. Peter's problem is that his boss is trying to find a way to control health care costs. To his credit he's done more at the state level than nearly anyone else (which doesn't take one heck of a lot) with his internet drug store and Durenburger Commission. Not being a person covered by a group health plan, I have a hard time developing a large amount of sympathy for those who want an increase in their $1,000 plus a month plan. I paid Blue Cross $167.77 last month. That's up from $121 per month because I had a birthday (big increase) and a general rate increase (smaller increase). A deductible of $2,000 per year keeps the cost down. It seems to me that when Metro Transit pays more for the employees health insurance, that constitutes a pay increase. The union acts like it thinks there is no cost involved. Sorry, but that just isn't the case. It seems that both sides to this dispute have drawn lines in the sand. Nobody is moving off positions they had a month ago when this strike started. The people who are really getting hurt in this thing aren't parties to the dispute. They are the people who either can't get to where they need to be or need to pay for a cab that they can't afford. Somebody needs to move off dead center and find a way to settle this thing. Meanwhile, the folks sitting outside at Brit's yesterday were enjoying a pleasant day without bus fumes as the mall was rather quiet. Terrell Brown Loring Park __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/ 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
