Sarah Palin Quits
Beware of Blind, Gargantuan Cyclists Roaming City Streets
Photo du Jour 448
Happy 4th of July!
SFist Drinks: The Rio Grande Cocktail at 15 Romolo
When he's not busy getting impeached or whatever for indecent exposure, Aaron Peskin's trying to fix Muni. And SPUR, the urban-planny folks, are grateful: they're encouraging everyone to give Aaron's amendments a thumbs-up. You can read it in loathsome .doc format here, or as a Google Document here -- but honestly, you don't want to read either, since it's about a billion pages long.
Here's a condensed version of what the amendment would do: give Muni more money (it's currently underfunded by millions and simply can't afford to meet its service requirements), make it easier to fire awful employees and reward awesome ones, and institute some clean-air planning. Predictably, it's the labor issues that have some folks riled up: although nobody would be kicked out of a union, it would allow Muni to hire more folks "at will" -- that's the way that most people are hired, and it means that you can be fired if you're grossly negligent. Sounds fair enough. It would also let Muni offer more merit-based raises, which sounds even better.
Jake McG's floating a Muni amendment of his own, which would give the Supes more control over Muni (which always works out well). Beyond Chron seems to have taken a shining to it, as Paul Hogarth has doubts about Aaron's labor reforms: "I doubt it's appropriate to scapegoat the system's problem on people who work for Muni." Quite right! When a company fails, it's never the fault of the people who work there. If anyone should be scapegoated, it's the riders. Lazy bums.
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This one is just so freaking simple. FIRE BAD WORKERS. Whether they are the lazy, overpaid, worthless drivers, or the lazy, overpaid, stupid managers, FIRE THEM. And reward the good ones.
Since a Board-takeover of the MTA ain't gonna happen (that prop would be smoked again), and no one is voting for new taxes, the solution has to come from somewhere. And what's the one thing that hasn't been tried? FIRING AWFUL WORKERS. Drivers, janitors, managers, whoever!
How come labor is the only place in the world outside of North Korea where you're allowed- nay, encouraged- to be incompetent?
This one is just so freaking simple. FIRE BAD WORKERS. Whether they are the lazy, overpaid, worthless drivers, or the lazy, overpaid, stupid managers, FIRE THEM. And reward the good ones.
Since a Board-takeover of the MTA ain't gonna happen (that prop would be smoked again), and no one is voting for new taxes, the solution has to come from somewhere. And what's the one thing that hasn't been tried? FIRING AWFUL WORKERS. Drivers, janitors, managers, whoever!
How come labor is the only place in the world outside of North Korea where you're allowed- nay, encouraged- to be incompetent?
um, I have a discussion going on at the N Judah Chronicles too, if anyone's interested.
-the NJC (who can't remember his password and can't log in so I'll get a new profile soon! for real!)
I was at one of the BOS hearings where Peskin's messure came up for discussion.
The hearing was loaded with speakers from the various transit unions, practically no one else. They are freaked about having to be accountable.
Change the rules to allow bad employees to be fired- why are they objecting?
It's not bad drivers contributing to the problem? Bullshit. Ask those people who were on the 22 bus when the driver stopped and went into KFC for a laid back chicken break with a bus full of passengers.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS NON EXISTENT UNDER THE CURRENT UNION RULES. CHANGE THEM, AND FIRE THE ASSHOLES WHO DESERVE IT.
i'm so sick of this "don't blame the drivers" crap. ok, maybe upper management might be prone to using them as a scapegoat, but that doesn't explain anything about us riders. we're not complaining without basis. if anything, i think riders would be more quick to blame management, as that is the more faceless antagonist.
it's the same kind of bs arguement that some academics use with student grading; that is, a non arguement in order to shield them from scrutiny.
Drivers need to be dealt with..
but as someone who has eyes and common sense something needs to be done about the transit planners and management.
Muni is run by idiots. Stuff doesn't make sense. Street cars stop at stop signs, the T is a joke yet we are planning a silly little subway to Chinatown.
Please help us
am i correct in correcting you that "at will" does NOT mean that you can be fired just for being grossly negligent? rather that it means you can be fired for wearing white after labor day or whatever else irritates your boss? gross negligence is usually the standard for firing people who are under employment contracts and probably people in unions as well which is why it's so hard to fire muni drivers and whomever else because it has to be more than just sucking at your job.
at any rate, changing the rules to "at will" is a great idea if it means we can get rid of sh!t drivers.