BART Getting Killed in PR War
I don't know if BART's General Manager pays any attention to their media strategy, but Liten Johnson is digging their hole deeper and deeper every time he opens his mouth. From the Oscar Grant incident to the ongoing labor negotiations, he makes the agency look defensive and untrustworthy, The unions, on the other hand, have been smart in sitting back and making themselves appear reasonable. But for the most part, they are letting Johnson do their work for them. In my lifetime I've been in both union and management positions, and leaves everyone scratching their heads.
No matter what you say, the
No matter what you say, the general public and BART riders have NO sympathy for you unioners. Most people are calling for your heads. That's just the bottom line speaking.
Unioner? Is that even a word?
Unioner? Is that even a word? I don't work at BART.
Speak for your own bottom
Speak for your own bottom line, not mine. You don't know what you are talking about. I'm calling for BART Management's heads. We don't need a Dorothy Dipshit and that worthless bullshitter Linton Johnson who looks like he spends all his time shopping for clothes and getting his hair done for TV. We need our frontline UNION workers you asshole that's what keeps BART going, not their fucking USELESS, worthless, narrow-minded, three-tier management hierarchy and worthless general counsels who can't file a fucking answer to a complaint in less than four months causing much damage to the City of Oakland and it's businesses. Why don't you go look at KTVU's report on BART Management's travel and meal expenses. You have some nerve assuming that's the public opnion of BART's UNIONS.
I love ALL MY BART PEEPS. The night workers have a completely different attitude than the day workers because we get to know BART personnel. They are not just some nameless person in a Union. Station Agents are perfectly NICE if you're nice to them but if you've had a 10-hour shift of drunks, gangbangers, homeless, and just generally stupid people, if someone talks to you in not a nice way, they may not be nice back and I don't blame them. Some of those people should be in jail, not even hanging around at BART.
At Concord, the Station Agents have to be assholes sometimes because the people hanging around and some drunk passengers are such assholes. If you road at night you would know this. I think the STation Agents do a dam good job for the deck that they have to play. If it was me, I would have killed one of these assholes by now.
I was just mentioning to my
I was just mentioning to my girlfriend today that if you (Linton) are going to come out and say that BART is too poor and needs to make massive cuts, maybe it isn't smart to do that in a fucking $5,000.00+ 3-piece suit.
I don't know what the fuck Linton thinks he's doing, but wearing obviously VERY expensive tailored suits while calling for massive pay cuts is fucking retarded.
Finaly, someone with some
Finaly, someone with some sense, its management not the employees at fault, but some cant think any farther than, paying for there next BART ticket.
Simple solution should be, go
Simple solution should be, go on strike, lose your job. The union buffoons should not be exempt from the same rules we have to abide by in the private sector. Who died and made these guys God.
Just what "rules" are you
Just what "rules" are you referring to that you have to abide by?
RRRRRRRRRAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!! TH
RRRRRRRRRAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!
THAT NOT HOW UNION WORK DUMMY
WORKER HAVE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE
WORKER HAVE RIGHT TO STRIKE
http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/speakout/julius_getman.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_action
Damn, Bear Make Sense!
Damn, Bear Make Sense!
Bear also make and leave
Bear also make and leave droppings, not so good.
There needs to be limits. We
There needs to be limits.
We do not allow monopolies on businesses (in general, there's exceptions because the right people get paid off) - as a society we've found it:
- Raises prices for everyone using the product (because you have no choice)
- Lowers the quality of the product (because you have no choice)
- Prevents innovation (new companies get squashed before they can sell enough to profit)
- Generally ends up making things worse for everyone
As they are right now, a union is nothing more than a monopoly on the workforce - all of those apply to the workers at bart:
- they get paid more than the market rate (10% unemployment, you think you couldnt find skilled people for half the current salaries?)
- the bart trains certainly suck and there's not enough money to do all the maintenance needed. And yes, some bart employees are lazy bastards.. but why work hard when you dont have to? Not like you're going to be fired.
- Can't put in more efficient work rules, as that would affect how many hours people work, and is thus off-limits.
I won't begrudge anyone attempting to keep what they've got, but we need to change this. Between executive pay and guaranteed pension plans that union workers barely contribute to (that *I'm* paying for instead), we're bankrupting the country.
Linenoise is right and I
Linenoise is right and I totally agree. This union nonsense has to stop.
BART did not want limits. It
BART did not want limits. It wants to get away with violations by imposing the sunset clause, violations to a legally binding contract it signs at the barganing table. Do you really believe the Unions would quibbled over six parking spaces, when you see a Union letting them have 30 million out of a 36 million award? That is not Union propaganda. You can find that news segment on BART's own PR page. The main sticking point for the Unions. Why does everyone keep ignoring the counteroffer?
Oops. I didn't mean to post
Oops. I didn't mean to post twice. I meant to correct misspelled words.
Linenoise-"There need to be
Linenoise-"There need to be limits."
BART did not want limits. It wants to get away with violations by imposing the sunset clause, violations to a legally binding contract it signs at the bargaining table. Do you really believe the Unions would quibbled over six parking spaces, when you see a Union letting them have 30 million out of a 36 million award? Management stalled the grievance process for two decades to settle that grievance. That is not Union propaganda. You can find that news segment on BART's own PR page. The main sticking point for the Unions. Why does everyone keep ignoring the counteroffer?
Moreover, your assertions generalizing the employees you encounter contradict BART's own satisfaction surveys submitted by the riding public and results by the APTA (American Public Transportation Association) among other entities who measure rail industry performance. That is not say BART does not have its share of slugs, but your generalizations fly in the face of fact and are opinions.
Want to make an objective comparison regarding their pay, compare them to their peers within the rail industry. Again, go to BART's own website to see how they fair against others within the rail industry.
Regarding pay. I guess you do not live in this area, where the private sector is grossly underpaid. By the way, the Unions counteroffer, the part I understand , addresses the pensions you mention and applies in a bilateral way. It also addresses runaway health benefits, a problem caused by HMOs, not management nor the Unions.
No monopolies in the private sector? What are HMOs and the pharmaceutical industry? please!
I must have planted a seed,
I must have planted a seed, hope it keeps on growing.
I think Linton is slime, but
I think Linton is slime, but I don't really see him digging BART into a hole, and the public still seems to be really anti-union as a result of the front line workers at BART being generally pretty surly and having relatively easy jobs for the salaries they pull down.
What do you think Linton is saying/doing that he shouldn't be?
Who's getting killed now?
Who's getting killed now?
Linton Johnson makes $128,000
Linton Johnson makes $128,000 a year plus benefits, has a staff of 7 to help him be a spokesperson and has the help of a $15,000 a month consulting firm to boot (Singer & Associates) and he says with a straight face that BART front line workers earn too much?! C'mon folks, BART executives are the same arrogant, greedy execs you see all across the country. Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee, and if we bust the budget someone else - taxpayers, workers, patrons, etc. -- can pay for it. I'm astonished how resentful people are when someone like themselves swings a good deal for themselves, but envy and emulate CEOs screwing people out of their livelihoods. I thought people in the Bay Area could add 2+2.
Class warfare.. All the
Class warfare.. All the money Linton is spending goes to getting the working folks of the Bay Area to attack people of the same.
Bay Area folks are not that bright.. See some of the posts just on this board.
Most here seem to be in agreement with the people that rake in the taxpayers money. I can't even begin to know how many posts I have seen suggesting the top BART should "fire the workers".. Do a search, it's sad.
Dude, everyone I know hates
Dude, everyone I know hates the shit out of Linton.
But unfortunately HIS contract isn't up for review.
True, but we can completely
True, but we can completely ostracize him except for those of us whose paths have to cross his in terms of the work we do. But, even then, we can dispense with the "how are you?" or even saying "hello" and just discuss the business at hand.
I agree. Now that the labor
I agree. Now that the labor issues are over for the time being, it's time to rid BART of it's number one problem - that being Linton Johnson. I have never seen a PR person be so mean-spirited and negative in the media. And my main problem as a "rider" is that he routinely disparages not only the rank-and-file employees during labor negotiations, but that he does the same thing to the riders. He makes the public feel like they should be thankful that BART even bothers to provide them with this "service" that is paid for by us through fares AND taxes. I remember a couple of years back when there was a fire under a train in the Market St subway, and after cars filled with smoke and no response from the conductor, people started off-loading themselves. LJ viciously attacked and chastised the riders for their reckless behavior in the media, without explaining why they were left on a smoke-filled train in a tunnel. DUMP LINTON AND HIS ETERNAL SMUGNESS NOW!!!
AMEN! Watching a man in $8000
AMEN!
Watching a man in $8000 Armani suits say that BART is too poor to pay workers is sickening.
Are you sure Linton is
Are you sure Linton is wearing Armani? Even if he is, is BART sponsoring them? Unless you are sure about the above to points, i would refrain from making such comments.
His expensive suits are proof
His expensive suits are proof enough that he is overpaid.
Perhaps if he was really so worried about BART's financial situation he would take a pay cut.
"Are you sure Linton is
"Are you sure Linton is wearing Armani? Even if he is, is BART sponsoring them? Unless you are sure about the above to points, i would refrain from making such comments."
If the above isn't a dead giveaway that barthater is Linton, I don't know what is. lol
Linton....... I never
Linton....... I never thought of that. It all makes sense now. Lol
hahaha, thanks guys for the
hahaha, thanks guys for the compliments. Anyway in that KTVU report about the BART expenses audit, there was no mention of Linton's Armani suits. Maybe he got his suits from ROSS (Dress for Less). :)
Oh we're complimenting you
Oh we're complimenting you now by thinking you're Linton? Yeah it's obvious now.
I just think it's really fishy how someone talks about the price of your errrr, I mean Linton's suits and you puff all up and get defensive.
Lol. Really, who would feel
Lol. Really, who would feel that being called Linton was a compliment? I would take it as an insult.
Since I am Linton, i can't
Since I am Linton, i can't take it as an insult. LMAO.