Related: Grapes of Wrath Toward the Boston Globe
Not a word in the Globe all these days, not one word.
"Buses return, but city stays wary" by James Vaznis and Meghan E. Irons | Globe Staff, October 09, 2013
A one-day strike by school bus drivers was halted Wednesday as buses rolled throughout Boston, but even as relieved parents cheered the sight of familiar yellow buses rumbling through the streets, tension flared over whether the drivers should face disciplinary action. The union requested amnesty for all drivers who participated in the stoppage, while the private contractor that oversees the city’s four bus yards, Veolia Corp., explored disciplinary action. The union’s contract forbids strikes, and employees could face termination.
They should not only be fired, they should be dragged from the back of the bus. $elfi$h ungratefuls!
Related:
"Veolia Transportation is the largest private sector operator of multiple modes of transit in North America, providing bus, rail, paratransit, shuttle, sedan and taxi services. We manage over 200 transportation contracts for cities, transit authorities and airports, providing safe and sustainable mobility solutions. Our mission is to improve public transportation, to enhance quality of life and combat global warming."
So the school buses in Boston have been privati$ed? Who knew?
At least you can fill yourself up with a deep breath of fart mi$t and tell you how good you are, Bahstahn.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, irate over the chaos caused by the strike, blamed the stoppage on a “rogue element” in the union. City officials said the “renegades” bullied drivers into striking, then tried similar tactics again Wednesday, even blocking the entrance of one of the bus yards with vehicles. But the other drivers refused to go along.
And you know what to do with bullies, right?
Two Menino administration officials zeroed in on two union leaders, accusing them of taking advantage of a membership that includes many immigrants from Haiti, Cape Verde, and Latin America who may be unfamiliar with procedures in the United States to air their grievances.
The Globe isn't saying it, but what we are looking at here are illegal immigrants. So the privati$ed contracts are producing employment of cheap foreign labor? That's what "immigration reform" is all about in the sanctuary state of Massachusetts.
“This was a group of renegades who decided to violate the terms of the contract of every driver who came to work,” said Marie St. Fleur, the city’s director of internal governmental relations. “That faction has caused intimidation and created disruption in the lives of families and children of this city.”
Bad union guys, yup!
Union and Veolia officials met into the night at the Best Western Adams Inn in Quincy, and a union spokesman said afterward that Veolia has placed two labor leaders on paid administrative leave, pending further investigation. The suspended leaders were not named and the reason for their disciplinary action was not given.
I think we can take a guess as to one of them.
******************
Two Menino administration officials said the bus stoppage and intimidation were orchestrated by Steve Gillis, the union’s vice president, and Steve Kirschbaum, chairman of the union’s grievance committee. The union’s president, Dumond Louis, has denounced the strike and so has the union’s parent organization, the United Steelworkers.
Why are bus drivers part of the steelworkers union?
Kirschbaum, who has driven a bus since the 1970s, has long been a familiar sight during contentious school issues. He’s often seen talking through a bullhorn during rallies preceding School Committee meetings on school closures or changes in the assignment process, often advising participants of their rights to hold signs during meetings.
Didn't I say he was a troublemaker yesterday?
The two declined to comment Wednesday. But Alfred Gordon, a union attorney, defended Gillis and Kirschbaum, saying they are respected among members and “have served this union and their members of this union for many dozens of years.”
What does membership want to do?
--more--"
But more importantly, how did it impact the candidacy of Marty Walsh?
"Labor disputes land like 1-2 punch in Boston mayor’s race" by Andrew Ryan | Globe Staff, October 10, 2013
First, it was an arbitrator’s finding that the police patrol union deserved a pay hike that the city says amounts to 25 percent. Then, the union representing Boston’s school bus drivers walked out for a day, stranding thousands of children.
The two simmering labor disputes, erupting in the middle of a heated race for mayor, cast a spotlight on state Representative Martin J. Walsh, the longtime union leader turned mayoral candidate.
Walsh’s union ties have caused some political foes to question whether he can stand up to labor.
Interesting choice of words. The qualification is stand up to labor, not stand up for labor. $light but $ubtle difference from the whoreporate pre$$ reporter that has $elf-internali$ed $uch value$.
And who is standing up to? Cowed illegal immigrants.
But Walsh and his supporters see the unanticipated events of the past two weeks as a prime opportunity to demonstrate his ability to lead Boston’s workforce as mayor.
For voters, the emergence of the labor issues provides a chance to compare and contrast Walsh with his opponent, Councilor John R. Connolly. The next mayor will inherit a $2.6 billion budget that dedicates two-thirds of spending to wages, pensions, and health insurance.
Interesting timing by the renegade rogues.
“How will either of these people manage the city? That’s a critical question,” said David Luberoff, a senior project adviser to the Boston Area Research Initiative at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. “How much do you empower your [chief financial officer]? How important is the balance sheet?”
It truly is a corporate pre$$ and true fa$ci$t nation.
************************
Walsh supporters said the recent crises allow the candidate to showcase his extensive union background.
“This is his expertise. He can play in this park because this is his park,” said Susan Moir, a former school bus driver and Walsh supporter who is director of the Labor Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “I’m not saying it hasn’t been tough for Marty, but I’m hoping that one thing that people pay attention to is these are his issues and he’s willing to take them on.”
She may not be the best representative for him at this time.
But Northeastern University economist Barry Bluestone, who worked his way through college on a Ford assembly line and whose father was a United Auto Workers vice president, pointed out that many workers today are not in unions. Headlines about a wildcat bus driver strike or substantial pay increases can undercut public support for labor.
“Unfortunately, organized labor in Boston, particularly in the public sector, [has] by their behavior tended to alienate a lot of voters, particularly progressive ones,” said Bluestone, who supported Councilor Michael P. Ross in the preliminary mayoral election. “They view these unions as not so much supporting the working class but supporting their own narrow needs.”
Tribe members shtick to together.
Walsh and Connolly both condemned the school bus strike and demanded that drivers get back to work. In a statement, Walsh campaign spokeswoman Kate Norton said Walsh’s response to both issues reinforced that “he will always put the interests of the taxpayers and families of Boston first.”
“He was sharply critical of the bus drivers who took that illegal action, and stood firmly on the side of the safety and welfare of our schoolchildren,” Norton said....
Illegal action by illegal immigrants.
--more--"
Looks like John R. Connolly is your next mayor, Boston.
Related: Menino takes what could be a last stand
Who cares what a lame duck has to say -- even an angry lame duck?
