MTA transit strike was RE: unions was Re: [Shotimes] Re: (OT) How to avoid the pitfalls of pricing Former Porsche boss: There's no 'right price' for a car

[Bill Murray]

Ian, Philly and NYC don't really compare in terms of size.  Philly is much
smaller and doesn't have near the public transit system that NYC has.  In
subway tracks alone, the NYC subway can stretch from NYC to Detroit.
Philadelphia's subway is tiny in comparison.  This doesn't include all the
bus lines that NYC has.  Philly relies more on buses than NYC, but even that
is a much smaller system as well.

Manhattan alone grows in population by almost 1.5 million people during the
work day.  There are 4 other boroughs of the city that also increase in
population during the day and are serviced by MTA as well.  The population
of Philly is only 1.5 million!!  That is why the NYC MTA strike is such a
huge deal!

Bill
Glad I didn't have to go into NYC today like originally thought.


-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Fisher [mailto:dataflash@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 6:46 PM
To: Peter Chase; techsho@topica.com; Sholist
Subject: unions was Re: [Shotimes] Re: (OT) How to avoid the pitfalls of
pricing Former Porsche boss: There's no 'right price' for a car

I find the outrage over the NY MTA strike to be a bit
humorous. SEPTA strikes in Philadelphia at least once
a year and people around here don't get as upset.

I feel that unions are necessary for protecting
worker's rights. I wish I had one in my previous job.
I was abused by my manager, humiliated and forced into
situations that I felt were unethical and
unprofessional. Our Human Resources rep was usually a
joke so I had nowhere to turn. I actually investigated
the possibility of unionizing but it would have been
difficult. Thank god I am no longer with that company.

I agree that some unions seem to have questionable
interests in mind and I feel that these  particular
few give a bad name to a lot of other unions out there
that do make a positive difference. With so many jobs
being outsourced overseas, tight budgets and stressful
work environments, it's nice to have the power of
unity  whenever possible. I have learned that a 
single worker by him or herself is powerless to affect
change or stand up for their rights by themself.

I am working part time at the moment; I had the option
of joining my particular union but I'm going to hold
off until I am full time next year as it will be more
beneficial to me at that time. I'm happy with my
current job but I can't wait to finally be part of a
union.

Ian

--- Peter Chase <pbchase@gmail.com> wrote:

> Yeah, with the NY MTA strike going on right now (god
> bless any of y'all who
> work in NYC), it makes me wonder (even more) why we
> still have unions.  I
> totally understand how during the industrial
> revolution, unions allowed
> workers better bargaining power for REASONABLE
> wages, better safety in
> plants, and keeping limits on # of hours worked per
> day, week, etc.  Now
> that we have federal minimum wage rates, OSHA, and
> other labor laws, aren't
> unions kind of unnecesary these days?  (Leaving
> myself wide open for
> enlightenment if I seem ignorant, here)
> 
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> On 12/20/05, Mark Nunnally
> <marknunnally@joimail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >Remember one of the major issues with the
> "employee pricing". The Big 3
> > are
> > >saddled with the "pay me anyway" UAW contracts,
> so they don't save squat
> > >when they shut down a line.
> >
> > That and the obvious healthcare costs (at least
> for GM), are what are
> > killing them (or have already killed them).  That
> and the endless line
> (save
> > a few) of ho hum cars that nobody cares about
> anyway!
> >
> > The '98 convention plant tour of the 3.0L and 2.5L
> duratech motors was a
> > real eye opener for me.  The little 5th grade
> reading level charts (with
> > pictures!) at each of the various work stations so
> they could just swap
> > workers around and "learn" a new skill and fill in
> at any station.  I will
> > never forget the connecting rod station, where a
> box of 6 end caps and rods
> > would come floating down the line at 1/2 mph while
> 6 workers (3 on each
> > side) sat on cushy stools dropping bearings in the
> caps and rods.  A stupid
> > 5th grader could do that, was 7 yrs ago, and they
> were probably making
> close
> > to 2x then what I make now in 2005!
> >
> > mark
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