- Finish Christmas shopping...(it's not much and doesn't include me)
Communications Paper titled: Humorists For Action due Tuesday.Organizational Behavior Final on Wednesday, 9AMCommunications Final on Thursday, 9AMFinal Presentation: Quest-Tech Strike Zone Proposal 9AM- Final for Comparative Psych sometime during the last week of finals
- Final for Management sometime during the last week of finals
- Social Psychology paper due..
- Research topics from Jim Lewis due...
I have an interview with Nina Weber of Career Services tomorrow. I have a feeling that I'm going to be placed on PolyTRAK, which means a couple of good things may happen. Henceforth, I can be getting some access to more job resources.
I still have a few things to do before I can be considered done with Poly (see above). I do have until January 15 to complete all my coursework and get my grades in.
Went Christmas shopping for today with Leah. This is what I bought:
- Rio 512 Flash MP3 Player w/ FM Tuner ($116.95)
- Multi-Stripe Tie (2) From SEARS ($38.47)
The Subway Strike
On contrary opinion to those who believe in the ability to gain status, I think these people are idiotic for calling a strike. This is not about the Taylor law, or about this being done during Christmas season--it's about shutting down a system which will cause many people to be stranded for dead. Yes, I said, dead. A subway strike will cripple the system. It will make neighborhoods who have no supplies have to depend on community contributions. It better cause an upheval in modern society.
No offense, the reason why you have a City job is because you decided to take the job or you decided that you did not want or have the educational skills to pride on doing something beter. No offense, but what you guys do is a City job, first and foremost dependent for the city. It is not about rights, or the fact the majority of the MTA union workers who will be striking or forced to strike are minorities; especially a large contingent, African American. Friday morning while listening to the NY-1, the first thing the union cries is the race card. Initially wanting a 15 percent-per-year raise, you cry the race card because they do not want to hear your demands.
This is a reminder that weeks before, the reason why you call for a strike is because that you felt the Transit workers were underappreciated and underpaid because of the raise freeze three years ago. So you decide to take vengence, Mr. Toussaint, by asking for an outrageous raise increase and demands that will never get you anywhere. Now, you and the MTA are at an impasse, because you want to be "a radical."
Look, I'm for climbing up the economic ladder, but climbing the economic ladder by these terms is ludacris. Transit workers were never middle class. If you ever remember, The Honeymooners, Ralph Kramden was a fat, slob, living in a poorly revitalized tenemant in Bensonhurst. Mr. Kramden was a portrayed Jew, but lived in a place where crime was rampant, the mob was prevalent, and made little money from the MTA of the 40s.
It's now 2005. Economic status hasn't changed, nor has Ralph Kramden.
I'm not saying, that Transit Workers do not deserve raises, or do not deserve to live comfortably. However, I am saying that they are working Civil service jobs, who are doing this more to serve a purpose for the public, rather than their private interests. Matter in fact, the MTA is a public job; with a privatized institution to obtain rights and privilages. Many of the train operators went to local engineering high school's such as Transit Tech and Brooklyn Automotive to learn how to work and run automotion. Transportation is a vital need, not your wallets. Here is what I think you should get:
- A three-percent raise per year for three years. Not the eight-percent per year that you are currently proposing to the MTA right now.
- Full Health care benefits and a 401K. Not including dental. Dental can be added only if subsidized by limiting a raise by a percent per additional perk.
- Increased retirement age to 62 for those who enter under the new contract. Pensions are more expensive and more people are on it. A retirement age of 55 is too young. Many people cannot even get partial benefits at 55, and only get partial benefits from their job at 62. In addition, nobody should be forced to retire, and work beyond the minimum retirement age is encouraged and working for the MTA should be encouraged.
- An MTA promise to do the following:
- Hire thousands of new employees to clean trains, police the system and new motormen to increase the number of trains in the system.
- An ability to push the level of pay for transit workers towards the middle class number, but not to exceed, on the ideal that they receive benefits sufficient to the current MTA contract.
- Not raise transit fares.
The MTA was never about their slogan "going your way." They aren't their slogan, "Thank you for riding with New York City transit." Only the transit workers are, because they work hard to try to get us to our destinations on-time. They have a responsibility to society, but they don't have a responsibility to our wallets. Nor do the system. Nevertheless, whatever happens, the struggle between the classes will continue due to the gluttony and greed. Many Northern Queens riders and Queens-Long Island people who only have the MTA to depend on will suffer. Those who live in neighborhoods who have to walk miles to see a grocery store will starve. Not many will die, but many will remember. ...only if this happens.
My name is not Aaron McGrudder. I'm just some guy who's pissed off when people forget about responsibility. That's the problem of this society.
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