Join the discussion on the following article:
NJ Transit unions balk at contract offer
Stupid and stupider. Or dumb and dumber. Aren’t the unions smart enough to see where that way of thinking takes them? Or are they just ignorant about what happens when the cost exceeds the service? Do they think they are above being laid off and unemployed? No job and diminishing prospects of being rehired.
Looks like a good move by the unions. Ten percent over seven and a half years with rising medical insurance costs is moving backwards.
Mr. Haws, the union’s demands MIGHT be on the high side, but the NJ Transit offer is also unreasonable. 10% over 7.5 years amounts to less than a 1.5%/year salary increase. That barely keeps pace with inflation. Combine that with higher health care premiums, and it does amount to a pay cut.
Note that the unions have a right to demand more at this point…the Christie administration has been out to destroy unions across the state and have denied transit union contract talks for over five years. So, the State offer now is not fair nor defensible in that it actually will take away from labor over time. Also NJT labor earnings are less than those of MNRR, LIRR, and MTA (not sure about SEPTA, though) which are all in the same market therefore parity has to be considered. Breaking the union contract is one thing, but breaking the morale of the labor force endangers the safety and efficiency of the system, i.e., the passenger-residents of the State of NJ who pay the fares. NJT has fallen backwards over the past seven or eight years with terrible customer relations, poor decision making, and political rather than transit decisions. This union contract negotiation is the one best change to get NJT back on the right track of service, efficiency and safety.
Solidarity forever! NJT needs more $200,000+ p. a. Station Announcers, like the LIRR
Mr Hayes, your user name indicates you are from Montana. Why do you feel you need to comment on issues that clearly do not affect you?
Mr Haws, I posed this question to Mr Hayes as well. Why do you feel the need to comment on something that clearly does not affect you?
Looks like NJT wants their Union employees to take a cut in pay while the cost of living goes up. I wonder how NJT managment goes about negotiating their pay. I’ll bet they give themselves a little better deal.
Mr. Davis,
Seems to me in a country such as the United States we all have the right to comment.
Mr Davis, are you one of those ‘Kremlin Trolls’ that post nonsense and BS about various topics in the US? I’m asking because any rail fan can comment on any rail topic he or she wants. It’s one of our, a US citizens, right, to do so. I’m thinking that you don’t have that right, to post any thing you like, where ever you are a citizen. FYI, just how do you know that the present topic, about the outlandish pay proposals, DOESN’T effect me?
Actually the NJT offer is quite reasonable, when you compare it to the average working citizen whose pay raise does not even equal the annual cost of living increase, while at the same time they see their medical insurance premiums rise disproportionally to said increases(i.e. - employees portion of health care rises more than annual salary increase). Also, these unions aren’t working for a private for profit business, they’re working for a government agency, in this case a state one…the only difference between state and federal is that state employees can strike, federal can’t…personally that rule should extend to all government employees, federal and state…then these strike issues against the various state/regional transportation agencies would never arise. You also need to consider the current base pay that the 10% increase applies to, not some fictional number, for example, if pay is currently $30/hr, then there’s no logical reason that 10% over 7 years wouldn’t be sufficient, 17% would just be extravagant and unnecessary. There’s also no reason to compare employees pay increase to managements, at least in my state, managements salary is set by the board of directors(usually elected officials) and not management itself.
What do these employees typically take home in pay each year?
One must never forget that anti-union bias is not just a plank, but a pillar of the Republican party platform, or who the current governor of NJ is and what office he is running for.
I’m curious if these healthcare cost increases are due to the very effort of unions endorsing and donating to Obama and Obamacare?
Also, haven’t we all read in Trains.com news in the last couple of weeks that 100’s of RR employees have been or are going to be furloughed? So now we have a group of employees in NJ that feel entitled to more money as their business losses increase while in a downward trend in railroading.
Larson, You don’t know what you’re talking about !! But thanks for revealing the fact that you’re a " dyed in the wool " socialist, liberal — !
Davis, I suppose you believe that the $15 minimum wage in California and New York City fast-food establishments should be none of our business either ?
Who will pay for the raise? The union probably doesn’t care. But its a real world and someone has to pay. Salaries and benefits for public employees in the New York area have caused outrageous taxes. The only people who can live around here are the rich and poor (who get subsidized). The middle class is priced out.
For all those that are commenting, take a look at your own work situations and of those around you. Most people aren’t getting much if any raises over a several year period. Factor in that with exponentially rising healthcare premiums and costs, we’re all getting paid less and less each year. I understand that there has to be balance. If an employer is at least making an attempt to keep pay increases inline with inflation, I feel blessed and thankful. We all have to keep in mind that businesses are around for one purpose, to make a profit. Any business not making a profit on an annual basis will eventually be bankrupt and then everyone working there will be taking an instant pay cut. If the deal was to include zero pay increases and rising healthcare premiums, then I can see reason for being upset. Then again, that is what a lot of the rest of us face and it’s not for lack of effort or work ethic Be thankful for what you’ve got because it could always disappear. Hey, for all those rail to trail supporters, just rip up the NJ rails and put in extra wide bike trails. Isn’t that logical??
Wow, its amazing what conclusions people jump to. Mr Klippel you will be quite surprised to learn that I am a died in the wool Ronald Reagan republican.
I’m rather amazed that people will give opinions not based on any kind of fact at all, and resist answering a simple question aimed to ascertain what the facts actually are.
Who needs facts, lets just all offer up opinions based on nothing at all.
My applause to the few out there posting thoughtful messages looking to have a meaningful, fact based conversation!
Now, back to watching trains!
Mr. Davis, I find your comments very lacking in facts also ! The $15 min. wage is a fact of life in many areas of the country and will be spreading nation-wide, I assure you .
.
My reference to “dyed in the wool” was addressed to Mr. Larson and not to you .
For what It’s worth, I’m not a “dyed in the wool” anything, I’m an open-minded compassionate Conservative and standing tall and proud !!
NOW !! Lets get back to watching trains !!