New York’s snow-plowing disaster was apparently a union labor slowdown, says the NYPost:
Selfish Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts — a disastrous move that turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, The Post has learned.
Miles of roads stretching from as north as Whitestone, Queens, to the south shore of Staten Island still remained treacherously unplowed last night because of the shameless job action, several sources and a city lawmaker said, which was over a raft of demotions, attrition and budget cuts.
Allowing government workers to unionize has always been a stupid idea, but that cow’s pretty much left the barn. For now.
“They sent a message to the rest of the city that these particular labor issues are more important,” said City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens), who was visited yesterday by a group of guilt-ridden sanitation workers who confessed the shameless plot.
With unions/Democrats (pardon the redundancy) at a low ebb nationwide, look for a lot more of this.
And bear in mind, I have nothing against unions. Just as companies and producers and wholesalers try to work the market for their products to their advantage in a free market, so should labor. Unlike most DFLers, I’ve actually been a union member.
But when unions control government – as they do in places like, well, the Twin Cities – this is what you get; public safety is a chip in the collective bargaining stakes.
Let me make sure I’ve got this right. Union bosses slowed the cleanup to a halt as a “protest,” and then kept completely silent about it. It took the Post nearly a week to find out that the union had done this.
That’s not how protests or union actions work. That means this was either the most incompetent “protest” I’ve ever heard of, or it’s just the Post’s usual stellar reporting. That’s Rupert Murdoch for you, though: We Propagandize, You Regurgitate.
They’re just following Rahm’s “Don’t Let a Crisis Go to Waste” motto.
I also think that any government union protest demanding that their employers — who are worse off than their union “employees” — should pay more is bound to be perceived as incompetent.
Jeff, it took a couple of deaths for some union workers to realize what we on the right call a “conscience” and decided to rat out the bosses.
We Observe, You Defend.
That’s not how protests or union actions work.
Okay Jeff, I’ll bite. How do they work?
Unions are simply relics of the 20th century that have been perverted by liberals and criminals into extortion rackets.
That’s not how protests or union actions work.
Of course it is. Slowdowns, sick-ins, they’re all about showing someone – management, the public, whomever – who’s really boss and how how bad things’ll get if they don’t toe the line. They happen all the time.
That means this was either the most incompetent “protest” I’ve ever heard of,
That last clause is apparently the qualifier.
or it’s just the Post’s usual stellar reporting.
The ad-hominem attack never gets old. Or more accurate. Do you have any specific issues with the actual reporting, or are we just bagging on institutions here?
That’s Rupert Murdoch for you, though: We Propagandize, You Regurgitate.
Now, Jeff, with all due and sincere respect, I don’t think MNPublius should be throwing that particular stone.
Can’t speak for the snowplowers, but the NYC transit workers tend to get a case of “disability” right around age 50. I am a conservative supporter of mass transit, but when I read how much NYC pays gov’t employees not to work, I have a hard time supporting additional funding.
That’s not how protests or union actions work.
Of course, JeffTheUnionAppologizer knows all about how Unions work. Of course the way in his fevered libeRAT mind this could only have been Union’s “fault”, is by Union announcing a work slowdown a week in advance, then waiting for the snowfall, to demonstrate their utter disregard for human life in exchange for member’s bigger pensions. No way could the Unions do this without notifying HIM first of the intent. It had never happened before that Unions put their self-interests before public safety, or have committed violence against other citizenry that disagree with them, etc ad nauseum.
Yet another reason that gubmint workers should not be allowed to unionize!
And these communities that are already crying about their budgets due to the number of snow events already this winter, should be the first ones to bust them!
This is exactly the reason I will fight cities taking over garbage hauling with everything I can. Picture giant mounds of refuse decorating every street, along with the parasites that accompany them, all because a small group of people can hold the entire population hostage.
Public employees unions should be abolished. Do it for the children.
“Slowdowns, sick-ins, they’re all about showing someone – management, the public, whomever – who’s really boss and how how bad things’ll get if they don’t toe the line.”
Right. But they’re only effective IF PEOPLE KNOW THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Who holds a protest and then keeps it a secret??
By the way, Mitch, you love to complain about ad-hominem attacks, but explain to my comments on Murdoch’s right-wing “news” empire are any different than your constant attacks on George Soros?
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=soros+site:shotinthedark.info
Blah. WordPress really needs comment editing for miserable typists like myself.
Nice try, Jiffy Jeff. Here’s the problem.
When a public service organization does these things, goes on strike, does some “slow down” to “protest”…we (aka the consumers) have WHERE to go? That’s right: NOWHERE. We are, as The Great Leader recently said: Hostages. If the snow doesn’t get plowed, where do we go to seek out service that we are PAYING for? We’re screwed.
Now if this was a union in a private industry, say…the auto industry…and they strike at Chevy…we can chose Ford.
Public employee unions are nothing but extortion rackets for lazy slugs that can’t cut it in the real world. Pure and simple. These unions protect the lazy, worthless workers with seniority while forcing the younger workers at the bottom of the scale to work like dogs. And they use strike or slowdowns as extortion leverage to suck more money out of our pockets to line THEIR pockets.
And Jeff…I hope you enjoy the two deaths as a DIRECT result of this “slowdown” in NYC. That baby’s body can be just more grist for your wheels of Union-thuggyness. Sleep well.
explain to my comments on Murdoch’s right-wing “news” empire are any different than your constant attacks on George Soros?
Um, Murdoch is running a free enterprise that people voluntarily purchase (or use), while Soros is running a massive, multi-layered subversive campaign to essentially destroy America?
Just a guess…
Right. But they’re only effective IF PEOPLE KNOW THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Who holds a protest and then keeps it a secret??
Oh, but “people” knew.
Maybe not the “people” of Queens and Staten Island and the far reaches of Brooklyn, of course.
But the “people” at City Hall that’d demoted and fired some of the union members? It was apparently not a secret to them. And they’re the “people” that matter. Not the mere taxpayers – serfs, really – in the outer boroughs. When Big Government meets Big Union, they’re pretty much irrelevant.
By the way, Mitch, you love to complain about ad-hominem attacks, but explain to my comments on Murdoch’s right-wing “news” empire are any different than your constant attacks on George Soros?
In some cases – like the ones where I said in effect “ignore the Mindy because they’re a Soros make-work project”? It doesn’t.
In others – like where I rightly point out that Soros is using his billions to create a parallel media and political system to benefit his financial empire? That’s just passing the facts along, and it’s a whole ‘nother thing.
explain to my comments on Murdoch’s right-wing “news” empire are any different than your constant attacks on George Soros?
What Mitch said, *plus* the fact that conservative sites don’t pull the covers over thier heads like stinking leftists do when they get put in their place.
So, go fu…oops, there I go again.
Jeff-
this is absolutely how a union protest CAN work. Having spent almost 10 years in the Teamsters Local 970, I’ve seen this tactic before.
First, every NY Sanitation Dept worker has been on mandatory overtime for the last three days, per department orders. Starting pay is $21.25 per hour, so overtime makes it $31.87 per hour, which is a great incentive to slow down and work slower. And don’t forget tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, when over 1 million people will be in Time’s Square. Since the Sanitation Union contract for NYC says anything over 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week is overtime, and holidays are double time, some workers may take home 2 1/2 to 3 times their normal weekly pay this week because of a work slowdown.
Second, there is no reason for the Union to ‘take credit’ for a work slowdown. The Sanitation Union is in the middle of a four month long legal fight with the city over layoffs. An informal slowdown makes it easy for the union to claim that they didn’t have enough workers to plow the city, and oh by the way the city wants to cut the workforce down some more. I don’t think it is just a coincidence that the current contract is up in 2011.
If the claim is true (because let’s be honest, without proof it just an accusation) then a work slowdown would be a paycheck booster to the workers and a PR effort by the union in advance of contract negotiations.
Picture giant mounds of refuse decorating every street
My parents in T.O had to live through that scenario a couple of years ago. It raised quite a stink.
Dave, you are talking facts, experience and logic to a libeRAT. ie You are wasting your time.
Obviously I can’t remeber every attack Mitch has made against minnpost and other Soros-funded “news” outlets, but I believe Mitch’s criticism has been that these are partisan outlets but do not admit that to their partisanship.
I am not in the business of defending FNC, but I do notice that Fox’s motto is “fair and balanced”, it is not “unbiased”.
Just to be clear – I’ve seen no allegations that the MinnPost has any remotely direct connection to Soros. That’s the “Minnesota “Independent””.
The MinnPost does have connections to libs with deep pockets, but (at least as far as I’ve seen) they’re the homegrown variety.
But yes, what Terry said; when I call out the Mindy for being a Soros joint, it’s not because that fact alone invalidates their arguments; as Terry points out, I assailed them for lying for two years about their financial backing, which is something people should know about them.
I’m not aware of anyone at Fox ever concealing Murdoch’s involvement. Quite the opposite.