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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: Frank- are you walking to work?
Posted By: Frank Fimmano In Response To: Re: Frank- are you walking to work? (Tommy)
Date: Thursday, 22 December 2005, at 2:08 a.m.
Thanks, Tommy.
Andre....yes, I'm walking from the PATH train (from NJ) at 33rd and 6th to my office at 52nd and Park...22 blocks. Since you and UV were at my office in '03, figure it's like walking from the hotel you all stayed at on 32nd and Madison. A nice stroll if you're shopping on 5th Avenue, but a real PITA on these cold mornings. I've got it easy compared to most people, though.
Can't resist the soap box opportunity here....As you know, I'm in the employee benefits business....but any of us who work in the private sector, and most in the public sector, are painfully aware of the decline in our benefits and the increases in costs for the reduced benefits we do get. It's been going on steadily for 20+ years. The reasons are myriad....some valid, many not....but it's the way it is and that's reality. The MTA agreed on Monday to almost all of the union's demands...10.5% wage increase over 3 years( current average pay $55k+); continued FREE medical coverage; reduced disciplinary actions (50% 0f the Transit workforce was disciplined last year....wonder why); age 55 retirement at half pay(present and future employees), and (big one here)MLK's birthday off. The strike, then, is only over the MTA's demand that future employees contribute 6% of pay to their pension fund. Oh....and the union wants "respect".
All over the private corporate world pension plans are being frozen and new employees are only offered the opportunity to contribute to 401k's....forget defined benefit pensions. Also, retiree medical plans are being terminated left and right. Also, under the new catchphrase of "Consumer Directed Health Care", employees are presented with higher deductibles, co-pays and premium contributions...."but if you use medical services wisely, you'll save money". Makes Managed Care look good in comparison. All of these are MAJOR trends...not isolated incidents.
The point simply is that these union guys are already waaayyy ahead of the rest of the world on benefits and job "rights", and they're sticking up the City of New York for the BS principal of "protecting" their future members from having to contribute to their pension plan. I say the City should not do any more bargaining until they return to work and, if that doesn't happen by next Monday morning, do what Reagan did to the ATC and fire the whole bunch of them. I'll be happy to walk to work for the next year to see that happen.
BTW....I'm the son of a retired NYPD Detective and grandson of a (now deceased) NY subway motorman. I agree that everybody's gotta make a fair living, but these monkeys have gone too far. It's the reason the unions are dying, and they're the reason General Motors, among others, is dying. Next year, Toyota will surpass GM as the world's biggest car maker. We won the "battle" in 1945....but the unions, unless and until they get with reality, are gonna cost us the war.
My $.02.
FF
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