JH 25 -July 28, 2004 - Today they Bargain!

Joe Hill LTD Project 
July 28, 2004 - Today they Bargain! But we will not be begging!

The Union will not be reduced to begging and nor should it be. LTD has apparently predetermined every position and expects the result to be a net gain or zero sum result for LTD. We workers face the classic budgetary question that has confronted Congress – Guns or Butter or the textile workers strike in Lawrence Massachusetts in 1912 the strike for Bread and Roses. LTD has decided that things (guns - Capital spending) are more important than workers, riders, taxpayers, and the community. 

The key point in this discussion is that this year $1,400,00.00 is being transferred to the Capital Fund from the General Fund.

This simply cannot be tolerated in light of the proposals from LTD. On top of this, I read in the minutes of the Leadership Council that the administrative pay bonus pay plan and leave plans will not be affected by the budget this year. So the administrative employees already got their raise on July 1, 2004. I wonder how much they got? You see the managers and their non-uniformed office workers in their cushy air-conditioned offices aren’t expected to sacrifice anything. You see, we have to pay for these pay increases for office workers from the concessions that LTD wants, too.

So there are three sets of related questions that every good union person should be demanding to know from LTD.

First - Why transfer $1,400,000 this year to the capital fund? Why not slow down the development of BRT or even cancel it because of our fiscal situation? Isn’t it true that all of the capital investment in recent years is robbing operations, even to the point that ridership is falling off?

Second – Why are the administrative employees being so much more favorably treated in comparison to the union workers? How is this fair? Why do the admin employees have such a better and more costly retirement plan?

Third – How come Ken Hamm’s salary is a secret? How much was Hamm’s increase from last year to this year? What other benefits were changed and how?   Could we see a copy of the employment contract for Ken Hamm?  Isn't this public information?

These are simple questions. They are central to the struggle. This negotiation cannot be a success unless LTD comes clean on these important questions. They should be asked straight up and answered straight up by LTD. Will they do it?  I think that they will resist, refuse or lie at every point in us seeking answers to these questions.  I will be surprised if they answered them at all.  The management reads this BLOG.  They could even answer them here for everyone to see.  Oh but what a scarey thought for them.

With the answers, then we will know what LTD’s real values and sense of team are.

In Solidarity,
Joe Hill