December 27, 2006
Transit Workers Union Voting Almost Too Close to Call
If it's December, it must be time for Transit Workers Union news! Last year, we had a transit strike. This year, it's all about a voting for new union leadership. In the middle of the month, Transit Workers Union members mailed in their ballots to elect a president and other positions. While Roger Toussaint was re-elected to a third term (did the autographs set him over the edge?), the votes were so close in other races that they were recounted five times.
One of the complicated things about TWU elections is that candidates must on a slate, with nominees for president, vice presidents, etc. The NY Times reports that Toussaint's slate won four vice-president positions, while an opposing slate won two. But the final vice-president slot was very close - and the two candidates happen to have the same last name!
In an initial count of the paper ballots with a scanning machine, Nelson Rivera emerged as the winner, leading Richard Rivera by just one vote, 965 to 964, according to a written decision by [neutral monitor Barbara C.] Deinhardt on Thursday. The decision was issued in response to a protest filed last week by lawyers for Richard Rivera.In the end, Toussaint ally Nelson Rivera won over Richard Rivera but just two votes. No one should ever think their votes don't count.The other two candidates in the race garnered about 560 votes between them, according to vote totals provided by the lawyers. Because the vote was so close, a second count was conducted using the scanning machine. Nelson Rivera continued to lead by one vote. But somehow, the two leading candidates had each picked up one more vote, for a tally of 966 to 965.
At that point, lawyers for Richard Rivera asked for a hand count. Two were conducted, but there is disagreement about the results.
Ivan D. Smith, one of Richard Rivera’s lawyers, said the first hand count put his client ahead by two votes, 967 to 965. In the second hand count, Mr. Smith said, Ms. Deinhardt disqualified two ballots that had previously been counted for Richard Rivera, and as a result the count ended in a tie between the two candidates, with 965 votes apiece.
And the image above shows the hourly wages for different transit employees taking account the transit contract the MTA offered, then the TWU rejected (then accepted), last year to end the strike. [Via Jarid, thanks!]
|
Whoa they're making some serious cash.
They don't need no DAMN pay raise.
candidates must on a slate
don't leave it up to my imagination . . .
good thing they went on strike for those wages.
This is why if my kid doesn't want to go to college, I'm sending him/her to work at the MTA, because you don't need much of an education to make the megabucks.
I don't know what burger-flipping jobs you have, Kojak and JW, but those wages aren't very high. I'm surprised you have jobs yourselves, obviously you guys aren't very good at math.
The highest-paying position on the sheet (Electronic Specialist) had a 2005 annual income of about $57K. I made more than that in 2005, and I know I'm definitely not making "serious cash", and I don't even have children to support.
Considering that the city has a median annual income of $75K, and a modest 1-bedroom apartment is close to $2K a month, these wages are definitely not "serious cash" or "megabucks".
not your hot air again is obviously 3/4 retarded. Do you even realize that the starting salary for a station cleaner is higher than the starting salary for a teacher, firefighter, or cop?
And a "modest 1 bedroom" is close to $2000? Where the bloody hell are you living? I live in a 2 bedroom with a terrace, 2 baths, and an indoor heated garage for $1500 a month. Maybe in Manhattan it's expensive, but how many of these people live there anyway?
Stop it. Most of these positions are unskilled labor and they make more than professionals that are educated appropriately in this city. That's a travesty.
transit workers ARE overpaid to begin with. your average college grad starts at $40k and in serious debt. turnover is low since the workers know they will be taken care of in retirement.
I'm glad to see you have a nice mansion in beautiful Queens, Vinny, but you're nuts not to see that apartments rents really do cost a lot.
So tell me, in this glorious free market country of ours, why on earth would someone *choose* to work for tens of thousands *less* than a station sweeper? Someone needs to grow some balls, quit their low-paying job, and start working for the MTA---otherwise stop bitching.
It really puzzles me: if a subway job pays so much more than your current job, why don't you change your job?
My philosophy is that subway workers aren't being overpaid, *you* guys are being severely *under* paid. But if you allow this to happen, then you deserve it.
It's like self-masochism. So many people like you bitch about your boss but never quit. So many people say they're underpaid but never look for another job. So many teachers and cops got screwed by Bloomberg yet still lined up to re-elect him.
Perhaps there really IS a gun to all of your heads, making you stay at jobs that pay less than a station sweeper?
it's a good thing that the TU prez is not any smarter! bloomberg pulled the wool over his eyes 2 years ago and last year, toussant accomplished nothing more than what they were already getting from the city. i'm not envious of their salary, but just comparing the tasks they are doing with other jobs, these are pretty high wages.
"I'm glad to see you have a nice mansion in beautiful Queens, Vinny, but you're nuts not to see that apartments rents really do cost a lot."
And you're a moron for thinking a 1 bedroom in the outer boroughs costs $2,000.
I don't do any of those jobs, but I think it's a disgrace that the guy who mops up puke on the platform who's most likely an uneducated guy (no offense, but I don't see a lot of college grads emptying garbage in the subways) makes more than a teacher, a firefighter, or a cop AND they're bitching like they're underpaid. $20.00+ an hour to clean garbage cans? Are you joking?
And you think that's UNDERPAID?
You're a damn moron, and chances are you probably jump up to bitch anytime someone says fares might be raised. Just shut up and go back under your fake-name-using-whiney-assed-rock.
Apologies, Vinny, you definitely aren't tuned into subtlety. Read it again, I insinuated that rents are expensive when you are NOT living in the outer boroughs. I'll spoon-feed it to you: you're right, rents really ARE cheap when you live a block away from your mom's house in the Bronx or Queens. I'm glad to see you're an over-achiever.
Wake up, cops are being paid near poverty-level wages. Cops deserve to be paid higher than subway workers, we agree on that. But I bet you voted for Bloomberg--thanks for making things worse for cops, and you directly contributed to that. I'm surprised cops don't arrest you on the spot for taking money out of their pockets.
The real solution is to raise the cops and teachers' wages to realistic levels. Your magical solution is to just lower everyone's wages to match the bullshit wages imposed by Bloomberg and his administration.
So whomever you are.. obviously you are assuming that most of us commenting flip burgers... and if you say that the pay scale on the chart isn't alot for most salaries...
how about let's compare one to a burger flipper... like station agent. they both provide customer service, but then a station agent doesn't do much except help people around with directions and their metrocards. but then a burger flipper cooks food for you to eat. i mean which is a much more difficult job, when you get paid $7 an hour vs $21 an hour? they are both similar in nature, with not much effort to do.
and if you read my comment, obvious i hope you have a good education to make your BIG megabuck salary, but since you are illiterate, you can see that i stated that if my child was not going to continue his education, i'd send him to the MTA, because he'd make more money starting out than most people do after college.
go back to your golden thrown, it's calling you, time to drop off them kids.