during a nyc mass transit authority committee meeting the other day, it was discussed that when a bus driver is assaulted they get an average of two months off to recover. on the surface this may seem reasonable, but it was also revealed that their contract defines an "assault" broadly enough to include...wait for it...getting spit on.
that's right, last year the 51 bus operators who reported they were spit on each got to take an average of 64 days off. it was suggested that, while some were genuinely traumatized, the mta thought perhaps, some may have been abusing the leave time policy. (ummmm, ya think?) the committee said they will be looking into changing the definition of "assault."
in fairness, it is worth noting that 1,500 drivers were assaulted last year in various ways, including being punched and some of those assault victims used no sick time at all. my point, and i do have one...is those who are legitimately assaulted should, of course take the time they need to recover, the others are just insulting their colleagues's pain and suffering. what's your point?
In regards to private unions, people can have a civil debate as to their pros and cons. Certainly basic workplace safety regulations, child labor laws, etc are a good thing. But I'm of the opinion that public unions need to be outlawed post haste. Talk about an unholy alliance of a voting bloc of *government workers* voting for *government officials* who then become the workers' protectors and patrons. How could that ever cause problems? Conflict of interest much?
ReplyDeleteCalifornia is going to implode into effective default thanks to their public unions. The same goes for New York State.
I do believe that unions should still have a place in our city. I worked in non-union restaurants for years in NYC and I cannot tell you all of the horrible things that these owners got away with. Most of it would not fly in a union house. That being said, the MTA rule is crazy. I have a toddler, if I got time off every time I got spit on I'd be on permanent vacation. Keep in mind that NYC MTA is a hot mess. This is only the tip of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andy, there should not be any unions for government workers, municipal, state or federal. The working relationship between management and labor should be a two way street, where they need each other to survive and grow. Too many extreme union requests can bankrupt or ruin a private company and so the union and business often work together to make things right for each other....this is not the case when the government is your boss.
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