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Are their any consumer activist groups for LIRR passengers? I'm ready to join one and start writing letters, making calls, filing lawsuits, anything. I've been riding that thing for 7 years now, and the service just keeps getting becoming less and less reliable. If I really have to be somewhere on time, I have to take the one-hour-earlier train. Other days, all I can do is wander into work whenever LIRR happens to get me there.
Are we living in a First World country or a Third World one? It's hard to tell with these guys. Do we or don't we pay enough in fares for them to keep the equipment, switches and signals operational?
OK, the rant aside, anyone know of any LIRR consumer activist groups?
You can blame the unions all you want, but even -if- they were broken, the costs to retirees which would still exist is the actual cause of little money to spend on improvements.
LIRR employees are pretty tragic, and most very overpaid for the work that they do- however the issue with their terrible service is that the tracks and trains are not very modern and the stations are incredibly expensive to work with.
A huge majority of the problem comes from the top- where MTA brass does not have much accountability, is managed statewide despite being a series of local organizations, and has had many questionable issues regarding their finance.
A bigger problem in the US, and one truly difficult for LI, is that the concept of some of the commutes people on LI do is absurd. Traveling 60-70 miles a day for jobs that often require one to sit at a desk or attend meetings with other people who have traveled 60-70 miles is nuts! There is no reason more offices couldn't exist on LI or Westchester OR more people live in proximity to where they work.
My suggestion is that the Cheif of MTA and Head of LIRR should be given CLEAR, IDENTIFIABLE goals as outlined by the Governor and submitted by organizations such as the ones you suggest-
Examples-
1. 90% on time performance. (On time defined as a 3 minute grace period).
2. All stations given digital signals by the end of the calendar year.
3. Escalator/Elevator repairs made within 3 days of a report. (Maximum 2 violations)
These directives would be tied to the positions longevity. Two years of goals not met means termination.
Union chiefs or lead foremen should be required at end of shifts to document what they did towards these goals and these documents (which are public record) would help see where hold ups are taking place.
Union employees deemed unfit for their jobs, as is current practice, can be terminated.
Cases simply need to me made in a more efficient manner for doing so.
My train ride to penn station is about 20 miles. That seems to be a challenge for LIRR sometimes.
The fringe benefits to LIRR employee needs to be overhauled. Something is really wrong when it cost more to pay massive OT to employees than to hire new ones. I do not hate on well paid employees...but making a base of say 70 grand and having a 150k total compensation.....something is really off.
I've heard you can travel between three of the largest cities in China in hours. Will never happen in the Northeast, probably not in the US. Sad and maddening.
My train ride to penn station is about 20 miles. That seems to be a challenge for LIRR sometimes.
The fringe benefits to LIRR employee needs to be overhauled. Something is really wrong when it cost more to pay massive OT to employees than to hire new ones. I do not hate on well paid employees...but making a base of say 70 grand and having a 150k total compensation.....something is really off.
Absolutely. Union members are NOT guaranteed access to overtime.
The upper administration needs to address these issues- although here's a possibility as to why this is-
Hiring new staff members may essentially be creating new 50 year contracts, rather than do that pay fewer employees much more, and 20 years down the line there will be more flexibility in working with fewer staff members. Given that in the projected future we can do with fewer.
Sounds crazy- but here's a "for instance"
This is purely hypothetical
Bridges & Tunnels may employ 80 toll collectors, as 20 have retired.
They need 100 toll collectors so 20 are working crazy overtime and earning over $150K.
Hiring 20 more is a possibility, but by 2020 there are intended to be all gateless/cashless tolling and will require only 10 staff members total.
In this case, it does make sense to deal with overtime to avert having staff members who will be essentially useless, but won't be terminatable because their position was phased out by no choice of their own. (Hired needlessly)
A bigger problem in the US, and one truly difficult for LI, is that the concept of some of the commutes people on LI do is absurd. Traveling 60-70 miles a day for jobs that often require one to sit at a desk or attend meetings with other people who have traveled 60-70 miles is nuts! There is no reason more offices couldn't exist on LI or Westchester OR more people live in proximity to where they work.
No reason more offices can't exist near where LIers live? The NYC metro area and much of the US is already predominantly service-based like financial services, media, telco and e-commerce. They need fewer employees and need to be where the business infrastructure is, meaning they naturally favor large metropolitan areas. What incentive would these companies have to relocate nearer to where employees live?
No reason more offices can't exist near where LIers live? The NYC metro area and much of the US is already predominantly service-based like financial services, media, telco and e-commerce. They need fewer employees and need to be where the business infrastructure is, meaning they naturally favor large metropolitan areas. What incentive would these companies have to relocate nearer to where employees live?
Services needing fewer employees, and those they can digitally outsource is indeed a growing problem! I unfortunately can't see a foreseeable fix for that. This is a countrywide issue.
LI itself is not business friendly and difficult/expensive to expand into. It however, is, a large metropolitan area. 3 Million or so individuals live between Nassau and Suffolk, yet if you cut out Queens/Brooklyn the gross GDP of work produced on LI or income earned on LI within those two counties and the number is astronomically lower than any other Metro Area of 3 mil! I've mentioned this in other posts, but Long Island's metro should be a twin-city to NY, not a crippled suburb.
Long Island leadership needs to find a way to encourage NYC to shop/work/spend on LI, and ways to encourage Long Islanders to do the same. The strategy of the bedroom community will continue to be tied to progress of the LIRR, cost of gas, and cost of TBTA Tolls. These things Long Islanders have no control over via voting, hiring, or even choice! That's a huge concern.
Problematically any complains consumers have tend to fall upon deaf ears.
The threat of not riding the LIRR doesn't end up costing the MTA or workers a penny.
Ultimately the only person who has any input on this matter if the Governor.
That said, MTA does hold public hearings from time to time on Long Island, and you can go and speak out. Specifically ask Helena Williams for time frames on your concerns, make sure you write these timeframes down. E-mail and paper mail her when you return home, and follow up. Document everything and keep in constant contact with members of the press who are interested. Basically only stories that will end up shaming the Governor could have any effect- it's a very sad state.
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