uh oh, CTA wants to raise fares (Irving: living, groceries)

[Union Proud]

Originally Posted by eevee

no one is "fine w/ a "newbie" coming in and taking their job, but the fact of the matter is that it happens all the time. look at what happened w/ Circuit City. in retail, the first people to go in tough times are people making too much in salary and benefits and those still on probation. when you're a cashier, for example, a guy whose been on the job for 1 years can do the job just as well as someone doing it for 15. IMO, same goes for bus drivers and train operators

Ok... Circuit City made cuts and what happen to them? So those cost saving cuts didn't save the company bad business plan. Now can we blame management in the failing of Circuit City.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by Mr. Whips

Ok... Circuit City made cuts and what happen to them? So those cost saving cuts didn't save the company bad business plan. Now can we blame management in the failing of Circuit City.

I just used that as a well known example. they weren't the only, first, or last company to do so

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Mr. Whips

I understand what you guys/gals are saying. You guys/gals isn't seeing the big picture. When a company or city begins to have budget problems, the union employees are always the blame. If you want to start making cuts, lets start with management first. I guess some of you want Walmart practices to apply to every job in America.

Not every job, just the jobs that any Wal-Mart employee could do.

You want to know why people blame unions? Because they're inflexible, by design. That's tolerable when the good times roll, but not so much when times get lean. While the rest of the workforce are taking pay and benefit cuts to try to keep themselves and their employers afloat through these difficult times, the CTA union has told us that they're not only unwilling to make the same sacrifices that the private-sector workforce has already endured, but that they're going to make rest of our lives even more difficult in the process. So you better believe they're the target of our enmity -- they've earned it.

As for "let's start with management first," non-union CTA employees have already taken pay freezes and furlough days, and many management positions have effectively been cut through attrition. You wanted them to lead by example? There you have it. So now it's time for the union to follow the example you wanted them to set.

[Union Proud]

Originally Posted by Drover

Not every job, just the jobs that any Wal-Mart employee could do.

You want to know why people blame unions? Because they're inflexible, by design. That's tolerable when the good times roll, but not so much when times get lean. While the rest of the workforce are taking pay and benefit cuts to try to keep themselves and their employers afloat through these difficult times, the CTA union has told us that they're not only unwilling to make the same sacrifices that the private-sector workforce has already endured, but that they're going to make rest of our lives even more difficult in the process. So you better believe they're the target of our enmity -- they've earned it.

As for "let's start with management first," non-union CTA employees have already taken pay freezes and furlough days, and many management positions have effectively been cut through attrition. You wanted them to lead by example? There you have it. So now it's time for the union to follow the example you wanted them to set.

Yes the union should take the 10 furlough days and go without the 3.5% raise to save the jobs. The CTA management should also agree to cut from the bottom up if the concession isn't enough. Both sides are wrong.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by Mr. Whips

Yes the union should take the 10 furlough days and go without the 3.5% raise to save the jobs. The CTA management should also agree to cut from the bottom up if the concession isn't enough. Both sides are wrong.

To quote Ms. Thatcher, you can't buck the market forever.

You will pay for this inability to make concessions. It's only a matter of time until enough people become pissed off enough that they simply let you walk off the job. Or vote right to work.

Because anyone can do you job, anyone eventually will

[binarybelle]

When I got on the bus this morning, it was completely full -- only standing room in the very front near the bus driver. This was at 7:45 in the morning.

Oh dear.

[i blame history]

I definitely noticed it. I got a seat on the red line because I get on up at Granville, but still, getting on the platform between 7:15 and 7:20 (I think) was a different experience than it has been in the past. It was very, very crowded. I think people were standing by the time we hit Berwyn or Argyle.

[jdiddy]

20+ minute waits for the Damen bus during rush hour.

[elikhom]

No problems taking Wenworth 24 and brown line, just a little more people than usual but same overall.

I obviously check bustracker before walking to the bus stop to see when it is coming.

[Drover]

No problems taking the Irving Park local to the Brown Line stop, or on the Brown Line train either, on my 8:15 to 9:00 commute. Frankly I don't miss the Irving Park Express that much; the most I reckoned it ever saved me versus a local bus was maybe 3 minutes. That goes for any other express bus I took (Ashland, Western) -- they seemed like a good idea that didn't really have the intended effect. I wouldn't be shocked if we never saw those again even if a deal is reached and most other services are restored.

I was concerned that taking away the express buses would diminish notably impact the frequency of coverage, but when I checked the Bus Tracker, the frequency of arrivals at my nearest stop seemed quite adequate. So far then, I haven't really felt the pinch. But I wouldn't doubt if they concentrated the cuts where and when they would have the most impact to gin up as much public outrage as possible without completely bogging down the system.