I thought there was already a blog post with this title, and I was looking for it to add a few links.
So here is the gist of what I thought I'd already posted:
Metro and Bi State need to be separated. Metro carries the dinky little Bi-State Development Agency (the airport, arch trams and parking, etc). Metro needs to be run by people that have experience in Metro- in particular former drivers. John Nations has ridden the bus a few times as publicity stunt. A Metro executive told me that it wasn't feasible for someone like John Nations to commute from Chesterfield to Metro (via the Olive bus and the Metrolink). Why? Public transit in St. Louis is too slow.
The CEO appointment is to groom political careers. John Nations wants to be governor. Nations is famous for telling his drivers during negotiations that "As soon as I become Governor I'm changing Missouri to a Right To Work state and elimination the unions."
He gave himself a raise a while back. For $325K a year heading an agency where ALL monies are public- $350 million a year in government subsidies and grants, and rider fares- he can't ride his own transit 4 hours a day to get to and from work?
The people that work in minimum wage job in Chesterfield and live downtown do.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/08/26/big-raise-for-metro-ceo-angers-union-bus-drivers/
Metro's drivers went 6 years without a contract. If you don't know about this please take a look:
From 2013:
http://labortribune.com/after-18-months-transit-union-talks-with-metro-going-nowhere/
2014 "oreo" incident:
http://fox2now.com/2014/09/12/racial-elements-fuel-dispute-between-metro-and-transit-union/#
"Rally for Respect" 2014
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-transit-union-approves-first-contract-metro-five-years-protests-oreo-incident
Page 5 of the doc, from the Union's magazine:
http://www.atu.org/atu-pdfs/SO_IT14_USWEB.pdf
Health care and pensions secure:
http://www.atu.org/media/releases/st-louis-metro-workers-declare-victory-secure-agreement-preserving-retirement-security
Don't forget that Metro is raising fares again this July. They need $5 million, the same amount of money they spend every year in "contributions to outside entities". This is usually political campaign contributions. By appointing CEO, the governor guarantees a contribution to his campaign. Call Metro if you think this is wrong. Call them and demand an explanation. Call them and demand the CEO salary be lowered - not to the $250K he received before, but 1/2 that- $125K. Demand the CEO ride public transit at least once a week.
OPTINSTL
OCCUPY! PUBLIC TRANSIT Image by Eric Drooker for Occupy Wall Street, click on image for Drooker's website
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
FIGHT FOR 15
Even if you can't be out in the streets today with the striking fast food workers, you can still support a livable wage for all workers.
Call your Congress Person. (Call, don't email or write.) Make sure to tell them if you are a registered voter, and your name, address, etc. They've never called me back, and neither MO (R) Roy Blunt (573-334-7044) or MO (D) Claire McCaskill (573-651-0964) has ever added me to their mailing list, even though I have called and emailed with my address. But part of this process is to tie up their phone lines and time, and make them at least pretend to listen to their constituents.
Call the locals too- your mayor, state representative, etc. It's important to jam the phone lines as much as possible on this issue. Remember, the person answering the phones might be making minimum wage, too.
Call the Corporate Headquarters of Fast Food and Retail Giants:
McDonalds 1-800-244-6227
Burger King 1 866 394 2493
Taco Bell 1-800-822-6235
Jack In the Box 1-858-522-4716
KFC 1-800-225-5532
Fortune 500 list of top corporations in the US
National Retailers list of top 100
Wal-Mart 1-800-925-6278
CVS 1-800-746-7287
Apple 1-800-692-7753
Kroger 1-800-576-4377
Walgreens 1-888-782-8443
Target 1-800-440-0680
Lowes 1-800-445-6937
Home Depot 1-800-466-3337
Amazon 1-866-486-2360
Best Buy 1-877-415-3487
Safeway 1-877-723-3929
Family Dollar 1-866-377-6420
When you call you can simply say:
"I support a living wage for all workers in the USA. Raise the minimum wage to $15. And I believe all workers should have the right to form a union."
But you don't have to stop there. (And if you are reading this after 10 November 2015, you can call anytime.) You can also say:
"I support raising the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees to $131,000 a year." (Note: after doing the math I realized $75k is too low, if you read previous posts where I was supporting that. I think that figure came from a proposal by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. $75k is still too low.
168 X $15 = $2520. Yearly = $131,040. See below.)
Exempt employee salary minimum is currently $23,660 a year, or $455 a week. That is what McDonalds pays their store managers. In a state like Missouri, with almost no workers rights, that means that McD's can legally require that employee to be available for work 168 hours a week, with no breaks allotted for sleep or time off.
They can also deduct up to half the weeks pay if the exempt employee is unavailable for work for PART OF one day. (Read the FLSA exempt employee rules here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/ )
168 hours in a week X $7.65 per hour MO minimum wage = $1285.20 per week, which is a yearly salary of $66,830.40
This shouldn't even be legal right now. If an exempt employee is REQUIRED to always be available for work, then they should be paid minimum wage for every hour of the week.
(Yes, that's right, they don't have let you take any breaks in Missouri, even to go to the bathroom. There is a state mandate for 6 hours of night relief for sleep in nursing homes and residential care facilities where the manager lives on the premises, but the employer can stipulate a waiver of that in the employment agreement.)
You can also bring up Executive to Worker salary ratios. Ask "What is the average pay of a McDonald's worker? What is the average pay- with bonuses- of McDonald's executives?"
Ask them how much their corporation pays in taxes to the US government every year? Ask if they have actually paid that amount or if the payment has been deferred?
Ask them what their company's net profits were? How many minimum wage hours their company paid in that same year. If your calculator can handle the numbers do the math. IE, total non exempt, minimum wage employee hours paid (that means all the hours worked by all the minimum wage employees) times the additional $7.50 per hour with the wage increase = a number probably too big for a calculator. Then subtract that number from the $5-29 Billion in net profits McD's made in 2014.
Remind them that the minimum wage hasn't not increased with inflation since 1970. Worker productivity has increased and with that factor the minimum wage should really be closer to $20. Remind them that what has increased since 1970 is corporate profits, executive salaries and bonuses, and credit card debt. Remind them they are paying $17-20 in other countries like Denmark and Australia. Ask them why American workers don't deserve a livable wage?
And don't let anyone get away with "well those people should know that is a character building job" or "those people should get a college degree and a real job." Fast food and retail are the biggest job markets, and are in every neighborhood. If these jobs are so unimportant why are there so many of them. If we all become nurses and lawyers and secretaries, will we stop eating fast food? Who will serve it and cook it?
These big corporations get subsidies for development and construction from state and local governments. Local governments give them sales tax breaks for moving in and "creating jobs". Local retailers and restaurants do not get those tax breaks or development funds.
Retailers like WalMart make huge profits from food stamp sales, and many of their full time workers are on public assistance. Don't like welfare? Raise the wage.
Some pink and white collar workers that make $15 an hour think it is unfair that fast food workers will receive the same pay. It's likely that other wages will increase once the minimum wage goes up. And don't forget, this is not just about fast food. This is about nursing assistants, home health workers, 911 dispatchers in many states. Pink and white collar workers, please be honest and ask yourself some questions. Is the only thing that makes your $15 an hour job worthwhile is that you are making more than the current minimum wage? And the fear that you will be a minimum wage employee if your company doesn't raise your pay after the wage increase?
Shouldn't you be fighting for more too? Better wages, more benefits, unions and workers cooperatives. The entire relationship between employers and employees has to change. It cannot be "corporate profits over people" or "shareholders over employees."
If a business can't survive without paying poverty wages maybe that business should close. Many small businesses are just as bad WalMart and Amazon and Exxon in terms of what they pay versus what they keep for the executives. And small businesses generally have fewer benefits, and close more frequently.
Workers need to take more control of the workplace. Hiring needs to be transparent on both sides. Employers should be drug tested, credit checked, and payroll accounts should be transparent. Employers should have more qualifications than simply having the money to start a business. They should have to demonstrate that they know what they are doing!
Take the first step today and make some calls! Demand a better world for all of us! Demand a working relationship with your employer! Demand a living wage!
Anyone who works full time deserves a livable wage. $15 IS the minimum wage. It's just not THE LAW... yet. These companies are not going to give it to us. We have to demand it.
Call your Congress Person. (Call, don't email or write.) Make sure to tell them if you are a registered voter, and your name, address, etc. They've never called me back, and neither MO (R) Roy Blunt (573-334-7044) or MO (D) Claire McCaskill (573-651-0964) has ever added me to their mailing list, even though I have called and emailed with my address. But part of this process is to tie up their phone lines and time, and make them at least pretend to listen to their constituents.
Call the locals too- your mayor, state representative, etc. It's important to jam the phone lines as much as possible on this issue. Remember, the person answering the phones might be making minimum wage, too.
Call the Corporate Headquarters of Fast Food and Retail Giants:
McDonalds 1-800-244-6227
Burger King 1 866 394 2493
Taco Bell 1-800-822-6235
Jack In the Box 1-858-522-4716
KFC 1-800-225-5532
Fortune 500 list of top corporations in the US
National Retailers list of top 100
Wal-Mart 1-800-925-6278
CVS 1-800-746-7287
Apple 1-800-692-7753
Kroger 1-800-576-4377
Walgreens 1-888-782-8443
Target 1-800-440-0680
Lowes 1-800-445-6937
Home Depot 1-800-466-3337
Amazon 1-866-486-2360
Best Buy 1-877-415-3487
Safeway 1-877-723-3929
Family Dollar 1-866-377-6420
When you call you can simply say:
"I support a living wage for all workers in the USA. Raise the minimum wage to $15. And I believe all workers should have the right to form a union."
But you don't have to stop there. (And if you are reading this after 10 November 2015, you can call anytime.) You can also say:
"I support raising the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees to $131,000 a year." (Note: after doing the math I realized $75k is too low, if you read previous posts where I was supporting that. I think that figure came from a proposal by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. $75k is still too low.
168 X $15 = $2520. Yearly = $131,040. See below.)
Exempt employee salary minimum is currently $23,660 a year, or $455 a week. That is what McDonalds pays their store managers. In a state like Missouri, with almost no workers rights, that means that McD's can legally require that employee to be available for work 168 hours a week, with no breaks allotted for sleep or time off.
They can also deduct up to half the weeks pay if the exempt employee is unavailable for work for PART OF one day. (Read the FLSA exempt employee rules here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/ )
168 hours in a week X $7.65 per hour MO minimum wage = $1285.20 per week, which is a yearly salary of $66,830.40
This shouldn't even be legal right now. If an exempt employee is REQUIRED to always be available for work, then they should be paid minimum wage for every hour of the week.
(Yes, that's right, they don't have let you take any breaks in Missouri, even to go to the bathroom. There is a state mandate for 6 hours of night relief for sleep in nursing homes and residential care facilities where the manager lives on the premises, but the employer can stipulate a waiver of that in the employment agreement.)
You can also bring up Executive to Worker salary ratios. Ask "What is the average pay of a McDonald's worker? What is the average pay- with bonuses- of McDonald's executives?"
Ask them how much their corporation pays in taxes to the US government every year? Ask if they have actually paid that amount or if the payment has been deferred?
Ask them what their company's net profits were? How many minimum wage hours their company paid in that same year. If your calculator can handle the numbers do the math. IE, total non exempt, minimum wage employee hours paid (that means all the hours worked by all the minimum wage employees) times the additional $7.50 per hour with the wage increase = a number probably too big for a calculator. Then subtract that number from the $5-29 Billion in net profits McD's made in 2014.
Remind them that the minimum wage hasn't not increased with inflation since 1970. Worker productivity has increased and with that factor the minimum wage should really be closer to $20. Remind them that what has increased since 1970 is corporate profits, executive salaries and bonuses, and credit card debt. Remind them they are paying $17-20 in other countries like Denmark and Australia. Ask them why American workers don't deserve a livable wage?
And don't let anyone get away with "well those people should know that is a character building job" or "those people should get a college degree and a real job." Fast food and retail are the biggest job markets, and are in every neighborhood. If these jobs are so unimportant why are there so many of them. If we all become nurses and lawyers and secretaries, will we stop eating fast food? Who will serve it and cook it?
These big corporations get subsidies for development and construction from state and local governments. Local governments give them sales tax breaks for moving in and "creating jobs". Local retailers and restaurants do not get those tax breaks or development funds.
Retailers like WalMart make huge profits from food stamp sales, and many of their full time workers are on public assistance. Don't like welfare? Raise the wage.
Some pink and white collar workers that make $15 an hour think it is unfair that fast food workers will receive the same pay. It's likely that other wages will increase once the minimum wage goes up. And don't forget, this is not just about fast food. This is about nursing assistants, home health workers, 911 dispatchers in many states. Pink and white collar workers, please be honest and ask yourself some questions. Is the only thing that makes your $15 an hour job worthwhile is that you are making more than the current minimum wage? And the fear that you will be a minimum wage employee if your company doesn't raise your pay after the wage increase?
Shouldn't you be fighting for more too? Better wages, more benefits, unions and workers cooperatives. The entire relationship between employers and employees has to change. It cannot be "corporate profits over people" or "shareholders over employees."
If a business can't survive without paying poverty wages maybe that business should close. Many small businesses are just as bad WalMart and Amazon and Exxon in terms of what they pay versus what they keep for the executives. And small businesses generally have fewer benefits, and close more frequently.
Workers need to take more control of the workplace. Hiring needs to be transparent on both sides. Employers should be drug tested, credit checked, and payroll accounts should be transparent. Employers should have more qualifications than simply having the money to start a business. They should have to demonstrate that they know what they are doing!
Take the first step today and make some calls! Demand a better world for all of us! Demand a working relationship with your employer! Demand a living wage!
Anyone who works full time deserves a livable wage. $15 IS the minimum wage. It's just not THE LAW... yet. These companies are not going to give it to us. We have to demand it.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
JOHN NATIONS NEEDS TO BE FIRED, NOT GIVEN A $75,000 A YEAR RAISE!
On what planet does CEO John Nations think he deserves a $75,000 pay raise? Now he makes $325,000 dollars a year.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-CEO-gets-pay-rise-despite-contract-impasse-rate-hikes-272799461.html
And whether you ride public transportation or not, YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT.
If you are one of the many public transit riders that is already calling Governor Nixon (who appointed Nations) about Michael Brown's murder, why not take another minute to demand he fire Nations? Call Illinois Governor Quinn, too!
If this outrageous pay raise weren't enough, have a look at how racist Nations treats his mostly African-American drivers at the bargaining table. He is the modern day equivalent of a slave master.
St. Louis, MO – The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has called on Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to remove Metro CEO John Nations for his failure to “correct the outrageous conduct of his staff at the bargaining table” in a letter to the Governors.
In the letter, ATU points to evidence of race baiting by members of Metro’s negotiating committee who offered members of ATU Local 788 a recipe for OREO Cookies at the end of a very heated bargaining session. There have been no contract talks since. Metro workers have gone three years without a new contract and six years without a wage increase.
“While the majority of the bus operators at ATU Local 788 are African-American, most mechanics are White, as is the President,” ATU International President wrote in the letter. “The obvious message to us with the recipe was that our union is white on the inside and black on the outside, like the cookie. This transparent race baiting went well beyond the bounds of human decency.”
The incident occurred as Nations engaged in illegal activity by encouraging mechanics to leave the ATU and form their own union. He has publically dismissed the “OREO” incident as a Metro employee sharing his baking hobby.
What a load of crap. Nations is so firmly entrenched in the St. Louis "Good Ole Boy" Network he think that he answers to no one and can act with impunity! I hope transit riders will join Metro drivers in challenging this, and in getting him fired!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/videos/metro-workers-picket-outside-offices/html_2a08c1df-30ce-56b5-9bbb-3f4733fa665a.html
Read the whole report from the Union here:
http://www.atu.org/media/releases/atu-calls-on-govs-nixon-and-quinn-to-remove-metro-ceo-nations
Other posts about Nations:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/do-metro-executives-ride-public-transit.html
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-CEO-gets-pay-rise-despite-contract-impasse-rate-hikes-272799461.html
And whether you ride public transportation or not, YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT.
If you are one of the many public transit riders that is already calling Governor Nixon (who appointed Nations) about Michael Brown's murder, why not take another minute to demand he fire Nations? Call Illinois Governor Quinn, too!
If this outrageous pay raise weren't enough, have a look at how racist Nations treats his mostly African-American drivers at the bargaining table. He is the modern day equivalent of a slave master.
St. Louis, MO – The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has called on Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to remove Metro CEO John Nations for his failure to “correct the outrageous conduct of his staff at the bargaining table” in a letter to the Governors.
In the letter, ATU points to evidence of race baiting by members of Metro’s negotiating committee who offered members of ATU Local 788 a recipe for OREO Cookies at the end of a very heated bargaining session. There have been no contract talks since. Metro workers have gone three years without a new contract and six years without a wage increase.
“While the majority of the bus operators at ATU Local 788 are African-American, most mechanics are White, as is the President,” ATU International President wrote in the letter. “The obvious message to us with the recipe was that our union is white on the inside and black on the outside, like the cookie. This transparent race baiting went well beyond the bounds of human decency.”
The incident occurred as Nations engaged in illegal activity by encouraging mechanics to leave the ATU and form their own union. He has publically dismissed the “OREO” incident as a Metro employee sharing his baking hobby.
What a load of crap. Nations is so firmly entrenched in the St. Louis "Good Ole Boy" Network he think that he answers to no one and can act with impunity! I hope transit riders will join Metro drivers in challenging this, and in getting him fired!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/videos/metro-workers-picket-outside-offices/html_2a08c1df-30ce-56b5-9bbb-3f4733fa665a.html
Read the whole report from the Union here:
http://www.atu.org/media/releases/atu-calls-on-govs-nixon-and-quinn-to-remove-metro-ceo-nations
Other posts about Nations:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/do-metro-executives-ride-public-transit.html
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
AMENDMENT 7 SHOWDOWN
I can't seem to shut up about Amendment 7. It is not just an outrage and highway robbery, but also a very clear example of the kind of widespread insolvency our governments are facing nationally. (It might seem that it started in 2008, but our current corporate plutocracy and income inequality actually go back to 1981 and Reagan.)
I don't even need to point out that it is no coincidence that this comes during the "fight" to pass the highway transportation bill.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/holden_pass_the_highway_transportation_bill-222461-1.html?pg=2&dczone=opinion
The Laborers International Union of North America have joined the construction cartels and made themselves into panhandlers for the proposed statewide sales tax increase.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/money-flowing-to-missouri-transportation-tax-group/article_5905897d-aa61-55da-814a-fa1faf4c8a6a.html
Theatrical panhandlers with a scare tactic. They are traveling around with a bus that has a bridge (foam sculpture) crashing down on top of it.
http://kplr11.com/2014/07/14/local-group-to-use-bus-wreck-to-support-transportation-tax-hike/
I don't blame these guys for working it to get some work. And I support the unions. But this sales tax increase is panhandling. These workers are just some of the recipients of the beggar's cup, even though they know they, too, will pay for it.
Government officials want to do everything BUT raise taxes on the wealthy and increase effective tax rates on the corporate oligarchs. None of our great leaders is the least bit interested in doing what is right for the people. All they want is their nice fat campaign contributions and lobbyist gifts to keep coming.
As I-- and many others-- have said before, Metro is not about public transit. Public Transit is just the excuse for Bi-State Development Agency to funnel government funds for business development and political networking.
The Government is not about Government services, including transportation infrastructure. Government services are just the excuse for extracting more tax money.
If the government and big business wants more of our (coin) change, they need to create some real change!
Amendment 7 is a good opportunity for we, the people, to demand real change!
These threats of infrastructure collapse and bus crashes, these are scare tactics. They need to be afraid of us!
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” -V For Vendetta
OPTINSTL'S previous posts on Amendment 7:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-you-should-vote-no-on-proposed.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/07/more-on-amendment-7-highway-robbery.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/sales-tax-is-new-cash-cow.html
I don't even need to point out that it is no coincidence that this comes during the "fight" to pass the highway transportation bill.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/holden_pass_the_highway_transportation_bill-222461-1.html?pg=2&dczone=opinion
The Laborers International Union of North America have joined the construction cartels and made themselves into panhandlers for the proposed statewide sales tax increase.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/money-flowing-to-missouri-transportation-tax-group/article_5905897d-aa61-55da-814a-fa1faf4c8a6a.html
Theatrical panhandlers with a scare tactic. They are traveling around with a bus that has a bridge (foam sculpture) crashing down on top of it.
http://kplr11.com/2014/07/14/local-group-to-use-bus-wreck-to-support-transportation-tax-hike/
I don't blame these guys for working it to get some work. And I support the unions. But this sales tax increase is panhandling. These workers are just some of the recipients of the beggar's cup, even though they know they, too, will pay for it.
Government officials want to do everything BUT raise taxes on the wealthy and increase effective tax rates on the corporate oligarchs. None of our great leaders is the least bit interested in doing what is right for the people. All they want is their nice fat campaign contributions and lobbyist gifts to keep coming.
As I-- and many others-- have said before, Metro is not about public transit. Public Transit is just the excuse for Bi-State Development Agency to funnel government funds for business development and political networking.
The Government is not about Government services, including transportation infrastructure. Government services are just the excuse for extracting more tax money.
If the government and big business wants more of our (coin) change, they need to create some real change!
Amendment 7 is a good opportunity for we, the people, to demand real change!
These threats of infrastructure collapse and bus crashes, these are scare tactics. They need to be afraid of us!
“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” -John Basil Barnill
OPTINSTL'S previous posts on Amendment 7:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-you-should-vote-no-on-proposed.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/07/more-on-amendment-7-highway-robbery.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/sales-tax-is-new-cash-cow.html
ST LOUIS SPIKES
There was a Metro bus crash yesterday because a passenger attacked the driver.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/metro-bus-crashes-downtown-after-passenger-assaults-driver/article_b7f39fe2-f03a-5bce-ab54-5a84646ac304.html
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Metro-Bus-driver-hospitalized-after-being-assaulted-while-driving-266954791.html
If I had to guess which bus line I'd say the #41. And as the union comments, this type of thing is far too common on buses.
Bus driver's take all the anger for everything that is wrong with Metro, and the heat for a lot of what is wrong in the city.
These spikes in violence and crime seem to be so bewildering to our "leaders". It's as if they live in a completely different city, in fact, a different WORLD, than the rest of us.
Look at the crime maps of St. Louis, and it is obvious that these spikes are happening in the poorest and most downtrodden parts of the city.
The financial crisis of 2008, which we supposedly are "recovering" from, is not over. In fact, it hasn't even begun. The bank bailouts did NOTHING to fix the economy. The bailouts simply shifted the problem.
And all of this screaming you hear about our roads and infrastructure, the insolvency of our state and government bodies, where do you think this money crunch is being felt the most?
At the bottom.
Yes, you can keep taking a few dollars a week from SNAP recipients, make unemployment benefits harder to obtain, raise sales taxes, ignore our failing school systems, and keep adding more police to already overly-policed neighborhoods (more cops make bad neighborhoods worse), and all of us will pay the price.
This city treats North St. Louis like a concentration camp. Half of this city doesn't exist, except for the crime reports (and the poor of this city making our legal system and lawyers and private prison owners wealthier).
And the more desperate the people become, the harder the state cracks down, the more explosive it is going to get. The less they will be able to "contain" the spikes to the areas where no "decent" person will go.
I wish that not only were Metro officials required to ride the buses, I wish all the local politicians were required to actually walk the streets and ride transit and talk to people.
And police should be required to "walk the beat" and get to know the people in the communities they police.
And, yes, Metro needs more security. And they need to pay their drivers more. Bus drivers take a lot of crap, and while some of them are jerks-- or jerks sometimes, they are people, after all, like the rest of us-- they deserve to be treated with more respect, not just from riders, but from the company that employs them.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/metro-bus-crashes-downtown-after-passenger-assaults-driver/article_b7f39fe2-f03a-5bce-ab54-5a84646ac304.html
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Metro-Bus-driver-hospitalized-after-being-assaulted-while-driving-266954791.html
If I had to guess which bus line I'd say the #41. And as the union comments, this type of thing is far too common on buses.
Bus driver's take all the anger for everything that is wrong with Metro, and the heat for a lot of what is wrong in the city.
These spikes in violence and crime seem to be so bewildering to our "leaders". It's as if they live in a completely different city, in fact, a different WORLD, than the rest of us.
Look at the crime maps of St. Louis, and it is obvious that these spikes are happening in the poorest and most downtrodden parts of the city.
The financial crisis of 2008, which we supposedly are "recovering" from, is not over. In fact, it hasn't even begun. The bank bailouts did NOTHING to fix the economy. The bailouts simply shifted the problem.
And all of this screaming you hear about our roads and infrastructure, the insolvency of our state and government bodies, where do you think this money crunch is being felt the most?
At the bottom.
Yes, you can keep taking a few dollars a week from SNAP recipients, make unemployment benefits harder to obtain, raise sales taxes, ignore our failing school systems, and keep adding more police to already overly-policed neighborhoods (more cops make bad neighborhoods worse), and all of us will pay the price.
This city treats North St. Louis like a concentration camp. Half of this city doesn't exist, except for the crime reports (and the poor of this city making our legal system and lawyers and private prison owners wealthier).
And the more desperate the people become, the harder the state cracks down, the more explosive it is going to get. The less they will be able to "contain" the spikes to the areas where no "decent" person will go.
I wish that not only were Metro officials required to ride the buses, I wish all the local politicians were required to actually walk the streets and ride transit and talk to people.
And police should be required to "walk the beat" and get to know the people in the communities they police.
And, yes, Metro needs more security. And they need to pay their drivers more. Bus drivers take a lot of crap, and while some of them are jerks-- or jerks sometimes, they are people, after all, like the rest of us-- they deserve to be treated with more respect, not just from riders, but from the company that employs them.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
NEW YORK TRANSIT WORKERS ARE ABOUT TO STRIKE
Metro likes to brag that it is the best transit agency of its size, and that it is just doing "what all the other agencies are doing."
http://news.yahoo.com/congress-asked-help-derail-threatened-york-transit-strike-163542997.html
Long Island Rail transit workers are set to strike. Like Metro, their agency has refused to negotiate a new contract (but for only four years, instead of six years), and eroding pensions and benefits.
(Also Philly and San Francisco:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html)
Public transit needs to change nationwide. And it's not going to be the people in charge that change it, it is going to have to be those of us that actually rely on transit-- both riders and workers.
TIME FOR CHANGE!
http://news.yahoo.com/congress-asked-help-derail-threatened-york-transit-strike-163542997.html
Long Island Rail transit workers are set to strike. Like Metro, their agency has refused to negotiate a new contract (but for only four years, instead of six years), and eroding pensions and benefits.
(Also Philly and San Francisco:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html)
Public transit needs to change nationwide. And it's not going to be the people in charge that change it, it is going to have to be those of us that actually rely on transit-- both riders and workers.
TIME FOR CHANGE!
Friday, July 4, 2014
RED WHITE AND BLUE FLU
The news media really downplayed the Metrolink Blue Flu today. That's usually a good sign. It means the union is getting visible public support and the Ole Boy Network has made the proper phone calls to media station managers and senior editors.
http://fox2now.com/2014/07/04/possible-blue-flu-halts-metrolink-fair-st-louis-parking-rates-drop-to-20/
Of course, it appeared that not nearly as many people attended Fare St. Louis in Forest Park than had been anticipated, and also that fewer Fare-goers used Metrolink than expected.
This did force them to lower that $30 parking price tag to $20. Maybe that kept a lot of people away. The local government, in keeping with the state and federal government, has been doing a fine job of making plain that constituents are just cash cows to be milked at every opportunity. Land of the free indeed.
You know, they could have made public transit free today. Even if you don't ride it, you pay for it. That would have been a true gesture of celebration and thanks. And probably attracted a lot of new riders.
The city leaders are walking on eggshells right now. The spike in violence and crime in the poorest areas of the city are always harbingers of larger problems, about to boil over. The government is broke, but they won't raise taxes on corporations, or any of the other necessary changes.
One thing I found myself musing on, as I watched the parade on television, is how lackluster the parade seemed going through the park. Not just the sparse attendance. It just didn't strike the same response as seeing the same marching bands and floats glide down the streets of downtown.
Part of what makes a parade so exciting is the way it takes over and transforms the ordinary streets. I wonder if Saint Louisans won't feel a emptiness, a need to fill the streets?
I think the city leaders, for their own sake, should have kept the parade downtown. Parades, in times of strife, are "demonstrations by proxy".
The Metrolink operators deserve our support. They are fighting for their union, their pensions, and their pay. We should all join them in securing those things for ourselves. We can start by calling Metro and telling them we support the drivers, and demanding they negotiate a new contract.
And we need to demand a few "Fare Free" days a year for the city.
http://fox2now.com/2014/07/04/possible-blue-flu-halts-metrolink-fair-st-louis-parking-rates-drop-to-20/
Of course, it appeared that not nearly as many people attended Fare St. Louis in Forest Park than had been anticipated, and also that fewer Fare-goers used Metrolink than expected.
This did force them to lower that $30 parking price tag to $20. Maybe that kept a lot of people away. The local government, in keeping with the state and federal government, has been doing a fine job of making plain that constituents are just cash cows to be milked at every opportunity. Land of the free indeed.
You know, they could have made public transit free today. Even if you don't ride it, you pay for it. That would have been a true gesture of celebration and thanks. And probably attracted a lot of new riders.
The city leaders are walking on eggshells right now. The spike in violence and crime in the poorest areas of the city are always harbingers of larger problems, about to boil over. The government is broke, but they won't raise taxes on corporations, or any of the other necessary changes.
One thing I found myself musing on, as I watched the parade on television, is how lackluster the parade seemed going through the park. Not just the sparse attendance. It just didn't strike the same response as seeing the same marching bands and floats glide down the streets of downtown.
Part of what makes a parade so exciting is the way it takes over and transforms the ordinary streets. I wonder if Saint Louisans won't feel a emptiness, a need to fill the streets?
I think the city leaders, for their own sake, should have kept the parade downtown. Parades, in times of strife, are "demonstrations by proxy".
The Metrolink operators deserve our support. They are fighting for their union, their pensions, and their pay. We should all join them in securing those things for ourselves. We can start by calling Metro and telling them we support the drivers, and demanding they negotiate a new contract.
And we need to demand a few "Fare Free" days a year for the city.
Friday, June 27, 2014
WHAT THE METRO JOB FAIR ON JUNE 28TH IS REALLY ABOUT
Someone commented to me the other day that Metro must be worried about OPTINSTL's call for a boycott of Metro on July 1st.
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
Sunday, June 15, 2014
PHILADELPHIA TRANSIT WORKERS STRIKE BECOMES PRESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY
This is what happens when you have a Republican governor. The Philly transit workers had barely declared their strike when they were ordered back to work via declaration of a "Presidential Emergency".
The real emergency is the appalling lack of worker's right in the world's richest nation. The real emergency is the collapse of unions and the rise of "Right To Work" legislation.
The transit agency should have been forced to mediate to stop the strike- not the other way around!
I hope the Philly transit workers won't back down. They deserve better!
We all do!
http://news.yahoo.com/philly-rail-resumes-obama-intervenes-100013464--finance.html
The real emergency is the appalling lack of worker's right in the world's richest nation. The real emergency is the collapse of unions and the rise of "Right To Work" legislation.
The transit agency should have been forced to mediate to stop the strike- not the other way around!
I hope the Philly transit workers won't back down. They deserve better!
We all do!
http://news.yahoo.com/philly-rail-resumes-obama-intervenes-100013464--finance.html
Monday, June 2, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO'S TRANSIT WORKER'S BLUE FLU
http://news.yahoo.com/bay-area-commuters-face-delays-transit-workers-call-204813890.html
Way to go, San Francisco!
It sounds like their situation is similar to Metro drivers. Of course, union-busting Metro CEO John Nations** has let his drivers go for six years without a new bargaining contract, raise, and also eroding the pension plan, especially for new hires.
Nations himself, however, has been receiving his $250,000 a year salary, and his bonuses. As are the other executives.
Politicians, and civic leaders, and "powerful" businessmen keep telling us what a great job they are doing, and how we can't live without them. It would be chaos and anarchy, nothing would get done without them.
But the truth is, they need us much more than we need them.
BOYCOTT METRO JULY 1ST!
Time to show our strength!
**Nations is fond of telling his drivers that the first thing he will do when he gets out of Metro and becomes governor or senator is to pass "Right To Work". Legislation that makes it possible to hire non-union employees to do the same work for lower pay. We need more unions, not fewer.
Way to go, San Francisco!
It sounds like their situation is similar to Metro drivers. Of course, union-busting Metro CEO John Nations** has let his drivers go for six years without a new bargaining contract, raise, and also eroding the pension plan, especially for new hires.
Nations himself, however, has been receiving his $250,000 a year salary, and his bonuses. As are the other executives.
Politicians, and civic leaders, and "powerful" businessmen keep telling us what a great job they are doing, and how we can't live without them. It would be chaos and anarchy, nothing would get done without them.
But the truth is, they need us much more than we need them.
BOYCOTT METRO JULY 1ST!
Time to show our strength!
**Nations is fond of telling his drivers that the first thing he will do when he gets out of Metro and becomes governor or senator is to pass "Right To Work". Legislation that makes it possible to hire non-union employees to do the same work for lower pay. We need more unions, not fewer.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
MAY 15TH: OCCUPY A MINIMUM WAGE OF $15 AN HOUR!
On May 15th in 150 cities, including St. Louis and Show Me 15!, fast food workers will be on strike for a higher minimum wage.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/07/1297522/-Fast-food-strikes-to-spread-around-the-world
Join the strike: http://lowpayisnotok.org/strike-kit/
Sign the Petition: http://lowpayisnotok.org/mcpriceless-sign/
According to Raise The Minimum Wage website, if minimum wage had risen with inflation, it would be $10.86. (In 2012 I read a study that said $13.38, but I can't find the link.)
http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/facts/entry/amount-with-inflation/
And according to a study covered by HuffPost, if the wage had increased with worker productivity, it would be $21.72.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/minimum-wage-productivity_n_2680639.html
$15 really is the minimum. $10.86 is still too low. $21.72 is very justified though.
Consider this:
Employers have been under-paying their employees for forty years. Productivity is up, so they are paying less for more. Do I need to make the point about where those big executive salaries are coming from?
The ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay is 273-1, down from a high of 383-1 in 2000, but up from 20-1 in 1965.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/26/congrats-ceos-youre-making-273-times-the-pay-of-the-average-worker/
At the beginning of Reagan's presidency our country had the least unequal income gap in the world, now we have the greatest income gap.
From the same article:
CEO pay has increased faster than wages to high-skilled workers, suggesting that the salary market isn't very efficient. "Consequently, if CEOs earned less or were taxed more, there would be no adverse impact on output or employment," the report concludes.
We are doing the work- and doing it faster and better- but we are not getting any benefit.
You know what grew instead of worker's earnings? Credit cards and credit card debt. If you are over 50 you probably remember when credit cards were American Express and Diner's Club for rich people and executive expense accounts (back when their salaries were only 20 times bigger than the average worker's).
Unions have been losing strength since Reagan. The "Right To Work" states are union-busting. Right to work means "you have the right to work as a non-union employee at a union shop". For non-union wages, that is. It's not right, it is totally wrong! (Every job should have a union! http://occupyurlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/occupy-right-to-work.html
And now with the economic collapse in 2008, things just keep getting worse. This statistic tells the whole story:
The National Employment Law Project reports that that low wage industries employ 1.85 million MORE workers now than at the start of the recession while mid-and higher-wage industries employ 1.83 million LESS.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/corporate-profits-bigger-than-ever-so-companies-can-afford-to-raise-the-minimum-wage--henry-blodget-142907469.html
Basically, all of the people that lost their white collar jobs are taking over the low wage jobs. (This explains the 200 applications a week for part-time mall jobs.)
Did you know that wealth grows at a faster rate than economic growth? The rich get richer, no matter what happens to the rest of us.
As a general rule wealth grows faster than economic output, he explains, a concept he captures in the expression r > g (where r is the rate of return to wealth and g is the economic growth rate). Other things being equal, faster economic growth will diminish the importance of wealth in a society, whereas slower growth will increase it (and demographic change that slows global growth will make capital more dominant). But there are no natural forces pushing against the steady concentration of wealth.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/05/economist-explains
(You might like this, too, on Piketty's book: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/28/thomas-piketty-capital-surprise-bestseller)
There is no shortage of work. There is plenty to do. And there is no shortage of money, either. No executive deserves 273 times the amount of money his employees make. That is ridiculous.
And as for this argument that it will "hurt" small businesses. Well, low wages are already hurting their employees, and a higher minimum wage would actually help in weeding out unprofitable businesses. Too many people with a little inherited wealth start businesses that are really hobbies.
(And then there are places like this: http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/-Metro-East-health-clinic-raided-by-federal-authorities-258572511.html )
The people at the top-- the wealthy people, and job "Creators"-- are not going to give us decent pay of their own accord. Take Metro for example. The CEO of Metro, John Nations, makes 5 times what his drivers do (and while that isn't 273 or even 20 times what they make, this is public transit agency, not a Wall Street brokerage). Metro drivers have been working for 6 years without a new bargaining contract or a raise.
CEO John Nations is fond of reminding everyone that he is only at Metro to prepare his political career as governor or senator. He promises Right To Work will be first on his agenda, I've been told by five or six people that know him personally. Basically, we the people are paying him to advance his own interest.
I don't think these people should be running our society or keeping such big chunks of the money for themselves. I don't think a business of any size, large or small, should ask workers to live below the poverty level.
Do you?
If you agree that things need to change, support the worker's by not eating fast food on May 15th. Call the corporate headquarters of McDonald's, Taco Bell, etc, and tell them you stand with the striking workers. Call Mayor Slay and tell him you support $15 an hour in St. Louis.
Seattle will have a $15 minimum wage in three years. Let's put St. Louis on the map. SHOW ME 15!
OCCUPY $15 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE!
More reasons not to eat fast food: http://naturalhealthwarriors.com/chef-jamie-oliver-proves-mcdonalds-burgers-unfit-for-human-consumption/
You might also like this post, on my Occupy Your Life blog:
http://occupyurlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/occupy-work.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/07/1297522/-Fast-food-strikes-to-spread-around-the-world
Join the strike: http://lowpayisnotok.org/strike-kit/
Sign the Petition: http://lowpayisnotok.org/mcpriceless-sign/
According to Raise The Minimum Wage website, if minimum wage had risen with inflation, it would be $10.86. (In 2012 I read a study that said $13.38, but I can't find the link.)
http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/facts/entry/amount-with-inflation/
And according to a study covered by HuffPost, if the wage had increased with worker productivity, it would be $21.72.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/minimum-wage-productivity_n_2680639.html
$15 really is the minimum. $10.86 is still too low. $21.72 is very justified though.
Consider this:
Employers have been under-paying their employees for forty years. Productivity is up, so they are paying less for more. Do I need to make the point about where those big executive salaries are coming from?
The ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay is 273-1, down from a high of 383-1 in 2000, but up from 20-1 in 1965.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/26/congrats-ceos-youre-making-273-times-the-pay-of-the-average-worker/
At the beginning of Reagan's presidency our country had the least unequal income gap in the world, now we have the greatest income gap.
From the same article:
CEO pay has increased faster than wages to high-skilled workers, suggesting that the salary market isn't very efficient. "Consequently, if CEOs earned less or were taxed more, there would be no adverse impact on output or employment," the report concludes.
We are doing the work- and doing it faster and better- but we are not getting any benefit.
You know what grew instead of worker's earnings? Credit cards and credit card debt. If you are over 50 you probably remember when credit cards were American Express and Diner's Club for rich people and executive expense accounts (back when their salaries were only 20 times bigger than the average worker's).
Unions have been losing strength since Reagan. The "Right To Work" states are union-busting. Right to work means "you have the right to work as a non-union employee at a union shop". For non-union wages, that is. It's not right, it is totally wrong! (Every job should have a union! http://occupyurlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/occupy-right-to-work.html
And now with the economic collapse in 2008, things just keep getting worse. This statistic tells the whole story:
The National Employment Law Project reports that that low wage industries employ 1.85 million MORE workers now than at the start of the recession while mid-and higher-wage industries employ 1.83 million LESS.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/corporate-profits-bigger-than-ever-so-companies-can-afford-to-raise-the-minimum-wage--henry-blodget-142907469.html
Basically, all of the people that lost their white collar jobs are taking over the low wage jobs. (This explains the 200 applications a week for part-time mall jobs.)
Did you know that wealth grows at a faster rate than economic growth? The rich get richer, no matter what happens to the rest of us.
As a general rule wealth grows faster than economic output, he explains, a concept he captures in the expression r > g (where r is the rate of return to wealth and g is the economic growth rate). Other things being equal, faster economic growth will diminish the importance of wealth in a society, whereas slower growth will increase it (and demographic change that slows global growth will make capital more dominant). But there are no natural forces pushing against the steady concentration of wealth.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/05/economist-explains
(You might like this, too, on Piketty's book: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/28/thomas-piketty-capital-surprise-bestseller)
There is no shortage of work. There is plenty to do. And there is no shortage of money, either. No executive deserves 273 times the amount of money his employees make. That is ridiculous.
And as for this argument that it will "hurt" small businesses. Well, low wages are already hurting their employees, and a higher minimum wage would actually help in weeding out unprofitable businesses. Too many people with a little inherited wealth start businesses that are really hobbies.
(And then there are places like this: http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/-Metro-East-health-clinic-raided-by-federal-authorities-258572511.html )
The people at the top-- the wealthy people, and job "Creators"-- are not going to give us decent pay of their own accord. Take Metro for example. The CEO of Metro, John Nations, makes 5 times what his drivers do (and while that isn't 273 or even 20 times what they make, this is public transit agency, not a Wall Street brokerage). Metro drivers have been working for 6 years without a new bargaining contract or a raise.
CEO John Nations is fond of reminding everyone that he is only at Metro to prepare his political career as governor or senator. He promises Right To Work will be first on his agenda, I've been told by five or six people that know him personally. Basically, we the people are paying him to advance his own interest.
I don't think these people should be running our society or keeping such big chunks of the money for themselves. I don't think a business of any size, large or small, should ask workers to live below the poverty level.
Do you?
If you agree that things need to change, support the worker's by not eating fast food on May 15th. Call the corporate headquarters of McDonald's, Taco Bell, etc, and tell them you stand with the striking workers. Call Mayor Slay and tell him you support $15 an hour in St. Louis.
Seattle will have a $15 minimum wage in three years. Let's put St. Louis on the map. SHOW ME 15!
OCCUPY $15 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE!
More reasons not to eat fast food: http://naturalhealthwarriors.com/chef-jamie-oliver-proves-mcdonalds-burgers-unfit-for-human-consumption/
You might also like this post, on my Occupy Your Life blog:
http://occupyurlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/occupy-work.html
Thursday, April 10, 2014
METRO: YOUR TRANSPARENCY IS VERY OPAQUE, UNTIL IT WORKS IN YOUR FAVOR
When I emailed Metro with my long list of questions, including how many buses in operation, and bus drivers working, on an average weekday, they responded with the number of buses, actual vehicles on the road for all of the lines, 310, they said, but told me I had to file a Sunshine Act request to find out the amount of bus drivers.
Yesterday they posted this: http://www.nextstopstl.org/11397/metro-explains-monday-metrobus-delays/
70 bus drivers out of a total of 572 total called out. Guess things are only readily transparent when it serves their purposes.
(My estimate, supported by questioning random bus drivers, is that about 360 work on any given regular weekday, not including paratransit.)
In working to uncover the utter mismanagement of funds that led to the shut down of 24 lines in 2009, and which Metro blames the impending July fare hike necessity, I have uncovered more and more corruption, scandal, and mismanagement, not too mention outright deception to the public.
ST. LOUIS, PLEASE BEGIN DEMANDING TOTAL TRANSPARENCY AT METRO AND ALL OTHER AGENCIES THAT RECEIVE FEDERAL MONIES!
THIS IS YOUR CITY! OCCUPY IT!
THERE NEEDS TO BE A PUBLIC AUDIT OF METRO BI-STATE! http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/call-for-public-audit-of-metro-bi-state.html
(Metro insists that my desire to know these details is "irrelevant" and "ridiculous". Only by dissecting every aspect of their daily operations can we really come to the truth about where our money is really going. Since the operation of the buses and trains is supposed to be their primary function, I thought it was best to start with that. Of course, now I need to find out how many of these drivers are part-time, etc.)
Yesterday they posted this: http://www.nextstopstl.org/11397/metro-explains-monday-metrobus-delays/
70 bus drivers out of a total of 572 total called out. Guess things are only readily transparent when it serves their purposes.
(My estimate, supported by questioning random bus drivers, is that about 360 work on any given regular weekday, not including paratransit.)
In working to uncover the utter mismanagement of funds that led to the shut down of 24 lines in 2009, and which Metro blames the impending July fare hike necessity, I have uncovered more and more corruption, scandal, and mismanagement, not too mention outright deception to the public.
ST. LOUIS, PLEASE BEGIN DEMANDING TOTAL TRANSPARENCY AT METRO AND ALL OTHER AGENCIES THAT RECEIVE FEDERAL MONIES!
THIS IS YOUR CITY! OCCUPY IT!
THERE NEEDS TO BE A PUBLIC AUDIT OF METRO BI-STATE! http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/call-for-public-audit-of-metro-bi-state.html
(Metro insists that my desire to know these details is "irrelevant" and "ridiculous". Only by dissecting every aspect of their daily operations can we really come to the truth about where our money is really going. Since the operation of the buses and trains is supposed to be their primary function, I thought it was best to start with that. Of course, now I need to find out how many of these drivers are part-time, etc.)
Monday, April 7, 2014
WILL THINGS GO BACK TO NORMAL?
I missed the news tonight and didn't see the coverage of the Metro Blue Flu.
I found this video http://youtu.be/s_qm4eUrqqo
(The person that posted it is mostly whining about how the drivers "pulled this crap" and made everyone late for work.)
Bus drivers take the brunt of the riders' hatred for Metro. But for the most part they don't deserve it.
I understand it is an inconvenience. But as I've said before, no change comes without inconvenience.
You know who was inconvenient? Rosa Parks. No one on that bus got home on time that day.
The people of this city deserve a decent transit system, and that means taking care of the drivers.
And if you make less than $15 an hour, maybe you should consider striking, too. A job should pay enough to live on. All the countries that pay a livable minimum wage had people that were willing to make the sacrifices and suffer the inconveniences necessary to make society better for everyone.
I don't understand why every single profession doesn't have a union.
Tomorrow, if there is another blue flu or a full out strike, let's be clear that as much as Metro executives whine that they have to follow ALL the federal guidelines to the letter, they WILL bring in people to drive the buses that don't have the proper driver's license or DOT certification.
Metro is (currently) not about Public Transportation. That is just the way they funnel funds for "business development." I think that is about to change.
I hope the bus drivers strike, and if they do, I hope it goes citywide.
Saint Louis, you get what you ask for, but you have to ask.
And sometimes that means you have to be inconvenient.
EDIT: This state needs to abolish "right to work". Right to work means "an employer has the right to fire you for any reason, offer any wage and any condition, and destroy the labor unions". Citizens of this "greatest country in the world" are not even granted the right to a bathroom break, except in five states. (The federal government only regulates how breaks are paid, if an employer decides to give them. The government does not provide for any breaks. Not a lot of state offer meal breaks that are legally enforceable, Missouri is not one of them. )
An employer can check your credit and background, record you, track you, but an employee is not allowed to check out an employer. Do they handle their money responsibly? Do they have adequate knowledge and training in business to manage payroll and other responsibilities of owning a business? As I said, all jobs should have unions, and minimum wage should be $15. That amount is not random. It is the basic need. And bus drivers deserve at least $25.
I found this video http://youtu.be/s_qm4eUrqqo
(The person that posted it is mostly whining about how the drivers "pulled this crap" and made everyone late for work.)
Bus drivers take the brunt of the riders' hatred for Metro. But for the most part they don't deserve it.
I understand it is an inconvenience. But as I've said before, no change comes without inconvenience.
You know who was inconvenient? Rosa Parks. No one on that bus got home on time that day.
The people of this city deserve a decent transit system, and that means taking care of the drivers.
And if you make less than $15 an hour, maybe you should consider striking, too. A job should pay enough to live on. All the countries that pay a livable minimum wage had people that were willing to make the sacrifices and suffer the inconveniences necessary to make society better for everyone.
I don't understand why every single profession doesn't have a union.
Tomorrow, if there is another blue flu or a full out strike, let's be clear that as much as Metro executives whine that they have to follow ALL the federal guidelines to the letter, they WILL bring in people to drive the buses that don't have the proper driver's license or DOT certification.
Metro is (currently) not about Public Transportation. That is just the way they funnel funds for "business development." I think that is about to change.
I hope the bus drivers strike, and if they do, I hope it goes citywide.
Saint Louis, you get what you ask for, but you have to ask.
And sometimes that means you have to be inconvenient.
EDIT: This state needs to abolish "right to work". Right to work means "an employer has the right to fire you for any reason, offer any wage and any condition, and destroy the labor unions". Citizens of this "greatest country in the world" are not even granted the right to a bathroom break, except in five states. (The federal government only regulates how breaks are paid, if an employer decides to give them. The government does not provide for any breaks. Not a lot of state offer meal breaks that are legally enforceable, Missouri is not one of them. )
An employer can check your credit and background, record you, track you, but an employee is not allowed to check out an employer. Do they handle their money responsibly? Do they have adequate knowledge and training in business to manage payroll and other responsibilities of owning a business? As I said, all jobs should have unions, and minimum wage should be $15. That amount is not random. It is the basic need. And bus drivers deserve at least $25.
RIDER ALERT: METRO WHINES ABOUT ONE DAY OF BLUE FLU AFTER IGNORING BUS DRIVER CONTRACTS FOR SIX YEARS
Please also see this post: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/bus-drivers-are-sick-of-metro-too-blue.html
Metro, you are a rip-off to your riders and your bus drivers. And this entire city! In 2009, after you mismanaged your federal funds and rider revenues, you cut 24 bus lines and 30% of services. You keep congratulating yourself on what a great job you are doing, but you still have to jack up fares to keep the current system in operation.
You let your drivers work for 6 years (!) without a contract, and no raises-- not too mention cutting back full-time to part-time, and trying to erode the pension plan-- and you complain about ONE DAY OF SERVICE INTERRUPTION?!
SHAME ON YOU!
YOU NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR TERRIBLE SERVICE, NOT YOUR WORKER'S DEMANDING THEIR DUE!
You have nothing to say about the fact that a public transit rider faces an average of ONE HOUR ON THE BUS for a trip that would take 15 minutes on city streets. You have no apologies for the lack of toilets provided. You have no explanation for why you consistently ignore the needs of the people that need you most, and your excessive consideration for people that only ride the Metrolink, and only ride it to Cardinals games.
SHAME ON YOU METRO!
Also, quite frankly, why EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYED PERSON IN MISSOURI IS NOT "VIOLATING MISSOURI LAW" is incomprehensible. Missouri labor laws need to be violated! They need to be trashed! WAKE UP AND GET YOUR REBELLION ON!
"Right to work" means "the right of employers to treat workers like crap and fire them for any reason" including going to the bathroom. (There is no federal rule that workers are allowed breaks of any kind, including to use the toilet, and regulate how breaks are to be paid for if the employer, at his discretion, offers his employees breaks. Only five states require employers to give employees break-time. So basically, you can be fired for going to the bathroom, and if you ride the bus, you will need to use the bathroom when you get to work!)
"Right to Work" says they are about letting workers "choose" if they want to be unionized, but what it really means is "you better choose if you want to open your mouth about a union or if you want to be fired."
METRO YOU HAD BETTER NOT FIRE-- OR EVEN DISCIPLINE-- ONE OF THOSE 70 WORKERS!
THEY ARE RIGHT AND YOU ARE SO WRONG!
From Metro's website at 13:27 today:
Service Delays Possible on MetroBus
Some MetroBus routes are experiencing major delays as a result of some operators not reporting to work. They know that a work action violates Missouri law. We apologize for the inconvenience this is causing our customers. It is unfortunate that our operators are choosing to disadvantage taxpayers and the riding public who depend on us to get to work. We expect our operators to report to work as scheduled. We are involved in contract negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 788, which represents our MetroBus and MetroLink operators as well as clerical workers.
Service Delays Possible on MetroBus
Some MetroBus routes are experiencing major delays as a result of some operators not reporting to work. They know that a work action violates Missouri law. We apologize for the inconvenience this is causing our customers. It is unfortunate that our operators are choosing to disadvantage taxpayers and the riding public who depend on us to get to work. We expect our operators to report to work as scheduled. We are involved in contract negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 788, which represents our MetroBus and MetroLink operators as well as clerical workers.
You let your drivers work for 6 years (!) without a contract, and no raises-- not too mention cutting back full-time to part-time, and trying to erode the pension plan-- and you complain about ONE DAY OF SERVICE INTERRUPTION?!
SHAME ON YOU!
YOU NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR TERRIBLE SERVICE, NOT YOUR WORKER'S DEMANDING THEIR DUE!
You have nothing to say about the fact that a public transit rider faces an average of ONE HOUR ON THE BUS for a trip that would take 15 minutes on city streets. You have no apologies for the lack of toilets provided. You have no explanation for why you consistently ignore the needs of the people that need you most, and your excessive consideration for people that only ride the Metrolink, and only ride it to Cardinals games.
SHAME ON YOU METRO!
Also, quite frankly, why EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYED PERSON IN MISSOURI IS NOT "VIOLATING MISSOURI LAW" is incomprehensible. Missouri labor laws need to be violated! They need to be trashed! WAKE UP AND GET YOUR REBELLION ON!
"Right to work" means "the right of employers to treat workers like crap and fire them for any reason" including going to the bathroom. (There is no federal rule that workers are allowed breaks of any kind, including to use the toilet, and regulate how breaks are to be paid for if the employer, at his discretion, offers his employees breaks. Only five states require employers to give employees break-time. So basically, you can be fired for going to the bathroom, and if you ride the bus, you will need to use the bathroom when you get to work!)
"Right to Work" says they are about letting workers "choose" if they want to be unionized, but what it really means is "you better choose if you want to open your mouth about a union or if you want to be fired."
METRO YOU HAD BETTER NOT FIRE-- OR EVEN DISCIPLINE-- ONE OF THOSE 70 WORKERS!
THEY ARE RIGHT AND YOU ARE SO WRONG!
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