Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Unimaginable Arrogance by PAT Drivers
Just when you thought union arrogance in Pittsburgh could not get any worse, along comes Port Authority bus drivers to prove there is no limit to their chutzpah. The Amalgamated Transit Workers Local 85 is in court challenging the Port Authority’s order for express buses on the system’s busways to make unscheduled stops to pick up passengers. These are passengers who are otherwise forced to wait for non-express buses with room for them to board.
The drivers are arguing that under their contract, seniority allows them to choose the cushiest routes and the Port Authority is changing the nature of the routes by asking them to make extra stops.
Thus, an effort by the Port Authority to improve the convenience of the service provided to its customers—a service that is very heavily subsidized by taxpayers—is viewed by drivers as an infringement on their rights. They are not being asked to work longer hours for no extra pay and it is stupefying to believe that making a few more stops during the day is physically or mentally taxing. No, it is about showing Port Authority management, the taxpayers, the riders, and government officials who is boss and who really runs mass transit in Pittsburgh.
It’s all about the sacrosanct contract which unions always wave in the face of anyone challenging them. But in the case of PAT drivers it must be remembered that their contract was agreed upon under the threat of a strike that would have seriously disrupted travel in the region. So while the union congratulates itself on its ability to get ridiculous provisions in their contract, they should thank the government in Harrisburg that cannot bring itself to work for the public’s interest but instead continuously kowtows to public sector unions.
Of course, as long as the voters don’t demand something different, the legislature will feel no urgency to do anything about the fact that public sector unions can have whatever they want.
The drivers are arguing that under their contract, seniority allows them to choose the cushiest routes and the Port Authority is changing the nature of the routes by asking them to make extra stops.
Thus, an effort by the Port Authority to improve the convenience of the service provided to its customers—a service that is very heavily subsidized by taxpayers—is viewed by drivers as an infringement on their rights. They are not being asked to work longer hours for no extra pay and it is stupefying to believe that making a few more stops during the day is physically or mentally taxing. No, it is about showing Port Authority management, the taxpayers, the riders, and government officials who is boss and who really runs mass transit in Pittsburgh.
It’s all about the sacrosanct contract which unions always wave in the face of anyone challenging them. But in the case of PAT drivers it must be remembered that their contract was agreed upon under the threat of a strike that would have seriously disrupted travel in the region. So while the union congratulates itself on its ability to get ridiculous provisions in their contract, they should thank the government in Harrisburg that cannot bring itself to work for the public’s interest but instead continuously kowtows to public sector unions.
Of course, as long as the voters don’t demand something different, the legislature will feel no urgency to do anything about the fact that public sector unions can have whatever they want.
