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Post by JGRobinson on Aug 16, 2011 5:12:34 GMT -5
It passed, the headline reads, "Deal saves thousands of jobs!". It includes givebacks, three years without broad-based raises, then 2% for the next 2 years after and a 9 unpaid furlough days, but provides protection against job cuts for the union's 66,000 members.
I wonder what the Union itself gave up? Did they decrease their dues or cut a few Administrators? I didnt hear anything like that.
I dont know all of what the workers gave up yet but hopefully this is good for the taxpayers. No less jobs in the public coffer doesn't speak well for it! They took away another Legislator last year because of the census, were shrinking in case nobody noticed. That just means that in 5 years, there will still be the same amount of bodies serving less New Yorkers and costing us more!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2011 6:37:12 GMT -5
I don't see Andy boy cutting his own staff. Or giving up free copter rides to his mansion {or his girlfriend's} in Westchester County. I guess the Gov's mansion in Albany doesn't provide the comfort that Cuomo is used to having. Cuomo talks a good game, but he's a hypocrite. Shared sacrifice? Yea, that's what Cuomo expects from everybody except the coddled son of Mario. He's a typical politician living high on the taxpayer's dime, while preaching to the rest of us.
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Post by dgriffin on Aug 19, 2011 7:52:37 GMT -5
Agreed. But there hasn't been a governor who wanted to live in Albany in the last hundred years. They're all from NY City.
We're not living through the reign of a new governor here, and that phrase is inept given he may be a reincarnation of his father, but rather we're all on his ride to the Presidency. He hopes. We've been kidnapped and taken on the campaign trail of the 2016 election.
Andrew probably wants to be the heir apparent if the Hillary Package (e.g., Hillary and a strong male VP, she'll also pre-announce her cabinet) doesn't fly. He'll be 59 y.o. in 2016 and the next two cycles catch him still in his sixties.
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Post by dgriffin on Aug 19, 2011 8:03:31 GMT -5
JG, the unions were asked to agree to a salary freeze and then further to make greater employee contributions to pensions and health benefits, the real killers in the state budget. Here's a run-down from the NY Times back in March, peppered with their opinions, of course, but it is an editorial. www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/opinion/06sun1.html?pagewanted=allThe unions (CSEA, PEF) did agree to some of the above, but I don't have the details. |
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Post by firstamendment on Aug 19, 2011 8:46:57 GMT -5
Step in the right direction. The taxpayers cannot afford to continue union contracts and public pensions. This is nothing against the union employees themselves, but it is a fiscal fact.
Remember a year or two ago when the Union for Oneida County workers wouldn't deal. They would not forego raises and caused about 70-80 union workers to get laid off. Some were called back because the County needed them, but it is unbelievable that a Union supposed to be out for the interests of their members would not give up anything to save the jobs of some of their own members. Unbelievable.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2011 9:26:25 GMT -5
Step in the right direction. The taxpayers cannot afford to continue union contracts and public pensions. This is nothing against the union employees themselves, but it is a fiscal fact. Remember a year or two ago when the Union for Oneida County workers wouldn't deal. They would not forego raises and caused about 70-80 union workers to get laid off. Some were called back because the County needed them, but it is unbelievable that a Union supposed to be out for the interests of their members would not give up anything to save the jobs of some of their own members. Unbelievable. O.C. & the union that represents the employees in question had a binding contract. A contract which is a legal document that both parties agree to abide by. When the next union contract is being negotiated I'm sure that county employees will agree to concessions. Just because Picente feels that he doesn't have to abide by a legal document, that doesn't mean that the union must bow down to him. I'm sure that O.C. has contracts with vendors, etc. Let's see Picente try to change the terms of any of these contracts mid stream & see what happens. They'll tell him to shove it, which they should do. |
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Post by firstamendment on Aug 19, 2011 9:41:54 GMT -5
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Post by dgriffin on Aug 19, 2011 12:16:45 GMT -5
FA Wrote: " ... it is unbelievable that a Union supposed to be out for the interests of their members would not give up anything to save the jobs of some of their own members."
I'm convinced the union leadership is out for itself, not necessarily for it's members. A number of unions members feel the same way.
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Post by firstamendment on Aug 19, 2011 12:32:13 GMT -5
Agreed, Dave. After being a member of the UFCW at one time, I can say it certainly seems the case.
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Post by Clipper on Aug 19, 2011 13:35:32 GMT -5
I remember well walking a picket line in the rain, and going to the Golden Teapot on Seneca Turnpike for a drink afterward back in the seventies.He I was a little shocked to see our teamster business agent laughing and having a great time while sharing Manhattans with management. We got a mere pittance in our negotiated settlement, but I always wondered how much the BA got in a kickback.
While we were striking at Central NY Coach Lines, the business agent would come by in his Lincoln Town Car, which belonged to the Union Local, pass a box of donuts out the window and pay for the pickets to have a burger and a beer at the Wyondotte. He encouraged those drivers to stay out until management simply shut the company down. I was only part time, just shook my head and went to work for Birnie Bus in Rome. At Birnie I didn't have to pay 5 cents in dues for every hour I worked to buy cigars for the corrupted union reps, and made more per hour to do the same Syracuse runs that I did at Central Coach, because Birnie took over the Syracuse line runs when Central Coach folded and Birnie wanted Central Coach drivers that knew the fare structure and the fare zones.
On the other side of the coin, I was president of the firefighters local at Griffiss for eight years. We got excellent support from our state and federal union headquarters for our dues. Whenever we had an arbitration case, a union arbitration lawyer came from Washington DC to represent our interests, and the State headquarters sent me to Cornell Labor College for courses in contract negotiation and other labor relations courses. Hotel, meals, mileage, and full tuition.
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Post by firstamendment on Aug 19, 2011 15:47:47 GMT -5
the interesting part, you don't get paid while on the picket lines. While you're going broke, the union reps aren't even breaking a sweat. Why? Because you guys on the picket line are doing all the heavy lifting for them.
When I was still with the UFCW, the scandal with the Talerico's broke. The Union Prez making over $600K a year had been skimming union dues to pay for landscaping and stuff at his home. Many of his family members were in high positions in the union. The VP for the union was either his brother who also was in trouble. I think they had been sporting around the governor in a plane for awhile also. From my experience, I have little faith in unions these days.
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Post by JGRobinson on Aug 20, 2011 4:43:01 GMT -5
That's a fact, union bosses get paid to convince others to work/ walk and not get paid! Thats a great deal if you can get it, get others to do their work for nothing. Ask all of those in New Process Gear if a job that pays less is better than none at all, I bet they are thinking differently today than a year ago when they shot down the last attempt to keep it open.
Verizon has had over 100 cases of sabotage since they went on strike, people cutting Fiber Optic Cables carrying customers information, hows that going to help? Coincidentally, some of those were in safety boxes that cant be opened by anyone without a key!
Tampering with the nations communications infrastructure to provoke fear risks human lives ans is a felony, Terrorists do that crap! If this is how they make their point, throw them in jail, tell them to wipe their butts with their contract!
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Post by Clipper on Aug 20, 2011 10:32:53 GMT -5
I have a friend here that works for Verizon as a lineman. While I sympathize somewhat with their plea to maintain their benefits, I can't feel too sorry for their plight salary wise. The lower paying Union jobs pay in excess of $20 per hour and upward from there or technicians and such.
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Post by firstamendment on Aug 20, 2011 11:09:27 GMT -5
In this economy, they are fortunate to have jobs and that is how their union shold also view it. Not to say give away the store, so to speak, but wow.
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Post by Clipper on Aug 20, 2011 11:30:10 GMT -5
Precisely FA. Anyone that is employed right now, better do what they have to do to remain employed. If they maintain what they have, they are lucky, and if they want to insure a secure future, they need to most likely make some concessions and take a bit of hit. Just having a JOB is a benefit in itself in todays economy.
I watched Central NY Coach Lines go from the area's biggest and probably the best charter bus company in the area, to GONE, because of greed. The company, as is the case with all bus lines running an intercity line, survived on a subsidy from the federal government. That subsidy included money for a bonus annually for each driver. Greed drove them to voting for teamster representation, and greed drove them to strike when the company was actually in dire straights. Mr. Sweet did better by dumping the drivers and the line runs and leased the coaches to other companies. The driver's greed struck them right out the door. Free hamburgers and union umbrellas while on the line, and at the end, NO JOB! I worked there full time until I went to Griffiss and then part time for a total of 23 years. Sad case for sure.
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