My union member rant

[SurfaceUnits]

OK, so I was getting on the shuttle to the airport and started to swipe my pass when the driver put his hand over the slot and said, "I'm on my break. You can come back when I'm off my break." I'm like, you're what? He said I'm on my break. Take seat and come back when I'm ready. So I go take a seat and wait for 5 minutes until he says the shuttle is ready to leave, you can come and pay/swipe your pass. So I'm thinking he's talking to me. But no. The MF had loaded the whole bus and didn't let anyone pay. So there we all are, shuffling up to pay. Wasting more time.

Reminds me of when I would deliver IT equipment to a couple of manufacturing sites and have to wait around for some clown to take his 15 minute break before stamping the delivery invoice. :mad:

[emjaya]

OK, so I was getting on the shuttle to the airport and started to swipe my pass when the driver put his hand over the slot and said, "I'm on my break. You can come back when I'm off my break." I'm like, you're what? He said I'm on my break. Take seat and come back when I'm ready. So I go take a seat and wait for 5 minutes until he says the shuttle is ready to leave, you can come and pay/swipe your pass. So I'm thinking he's talking to me. But no. The MF had loaded the whole bus and didn't let anyone pay. So there we all are, shuffling up to pay. Wasting more time.

Reminds me of when I would deliver IT equipment to a couple of manufacturing sites and have to wait around for some clown to take his 15 minute break before stamping the delivery invoice. :mad:

If you don't take your break's on time, and for the full time due, then you find you start not getting them at all.

What makes you think your time is more important than his? If you were late for your plane, why didn't you take an earlier bus?

[racermike]

About 10 years ago, one of my first CAD gigs was for a plastics company, that manufactured PVC wetstations for Silicon Wafer manufacturers.

I had to deliver a couple of these completed projects out to the new Fujitsu FAB that was completed and getting ready to go into production. There was still numerous buildings that were not complete yet. I drove into the job site (had previous clearance to do so, and was told where to go) and parked near the main office trailer to get a badge/vehicle ticket.

Well, a couple of union guys on their break, working on building next to the trailer, saw I was not wearing work boots, or a hard hat, and assumed I was taking away a union job from someone, and drove over with forklift and took my company truck around other side of the complex. Again, I had clearance to be there, yet the union guys figured it was more important to screw with one of their vendors rather than do their jobs.

[SurfaceUnits]

If you don't take your break's on time, and for the full time due, then you find you start not getting them at all.

What makes you think your time is more important than his? If you were late for your plane, why didn't you take an earlier bus?

it took more time and effort for him to setup in his seat and put his hand over the slot than it would take you to scratch your ass
who the hell said anything about being late. it's the waste of time and udder stupidity that is the issue

[nrc]

What makes you think your time is more important than his?

Um. Math? Driver's time x 1 vs Passenger's time x 20?

It may be the shuttle company's fault for allowing the situation in the first place. Put someone else on while he's on break or just don't park the shuttle in the loading zone. But it's also possible that the whole, "you can't pay until I'm off break" thing is just him gaming the system somehow. It may be that he's not supposed to load passengers during his break but he gets some kind of per seat or per trip bonus so loading while he's on break saves him waiting for passengers once he's off even though it wastes passenger's time.

I care less about union vs. non-union than about people who want to do a good job and earn their pay vs people who just want to get as much as they can for minimum effort. You see that in both union and non-union jobs but I think it's fair to say that union jobs make it a lot easier.

[nrc]

it's the waste of time and udder stupidity that is the issue

Lets leave the teets out of this.

[Methanolandbrats]

Buses around here park BETWEEN stops when it is break time. Pretty simple solution, your problem is not a union problem, the driver is an idiot.

[OW]

What do they do on break?

Sit at the same seat and stare at the window?

[High Sided]

What do they do on break?

Sit at the same seat and stare at the window?

they meditate :gomer:

[Methanolandbrats]

What do they do on break?

Sit at the same seat and stare at the window? They get a few minutes off from having to make small talk to ********s :D

[extramundane]

What do they do on break?

Sit at the same seat and stare at the window?

If they're anything like the bus drivers here, they use the time to invent creative new ways to almost run you over and generally eff up the traffic pattern.

[Cam]

The driver of the bus I got down the Terrace this afternoon is my new hero. He had that "Drive it like you stole it" attitude. When I got on the bus it was packed. Didn't stop thiis guy hitting the brake peddle at the last moment every time he had to hit the anchors. Next stop most on the bus actually vacate. The end of this guys route is 5 minutes away. This guy was good sticking this f'ing great bus between lanes of traffic like it was a sports car. It was damn cool! :D:thumbup:

[Elmo T]

I think there is a time and place for unions, but sometimes the small details can drive you insane.

We had an intense little snow squall through yesterday making the roads horribly icy. The weather called for a snow shower, this was 2-4 inches on snow and it quickly iced over the roads. Add to this the holiday and the state workers were off.

The state DOT was contacted to respond out and they were slowy getting out there - but the roads were bad and their own people were having trouble getting in. The state also relies heavily on local contractors to salt and plow. The locals were literally in their trucks waiting for the call - but they can't head out until requested. And the state can't request them (union contract I am told) until all state trucks are on the road. The local contractors sit until all state trucks are out - waiting for everyone to drive in from home and get on the road. The end result was the closure of several local highways.

I was also told they were not calling drivers in until 1600 hours to avoid double OT situation.

[FTG]

The bus drivers in Toronto went on strike at 12 midnight. They kicked every single passenger off at 12 o'clock sharp, including single women, who were left alone in the middle of dark streets.

I've got to give unions credit, they are excellent at getting their members breaks. Look at the UAW; they insisted that their members were more important than the automaker's customers and now look at all their members who are on permanent break.

[cameraman]

I was also told they were not calling drivers in until 1600 hours to avoid double OT situation.

Some of the cities around here are not plowing anymore unless the roads are absolutely impassable. They also no long run plows at night or on weekends because they don't want to raise taxes to cover the increased cost of the diesel.

[oddlycalm]

Problem is, for every lazy bus driver, crooked banker or pusillanimous manager there is also somebody actually making things work. One of them just landed a plane in the Hudson river when the engines quit and 150 passengers got to go home safe. Don't look now but he is a union member. So were the ferry pilots that rescued the passengers and the salvage divers, crane operators and riggers that got the plane out of the water.

oc

[RHR_Fan]

The bus drivers in Toronto went on strike at 12 midnight. They kicked every single passenger off at 12 o'clock sharp, including single women, who were left alone in the middle of dark streets.

I've got to give unions credit, they are excellent at getting their members breaks. Look at the UAW; they insisted that their members were more important than the automaker's customers and now look at all their members who are on permanent break.

Is there any Toronto organization that hasn't gone on strike?

[indyfan31]

I think there is a time and place for unions, but sometimes the small details can drive you insane.
You're right, there is, and that time was 70-80 years ago. All the gains they made for the American worker, everything they fought for is now required by law. They're now irrelevant, unions have become the problem, not the solution.

[SurfaceUnits]

Problem is, for every lazy bus driver, crooked banker or pusillanimous manager there is also somebody actually making things work. One of them just landed a plane in the Hudson river when the engines quit and 150 passengers got to go home safe. Don't look now but he is a union member. So were the ferry pilots that rescued the passengers and the salvage divers, crane operators and riggers that got the plane out of the water.

oc

good thing they weren't on their break

[emjaya]

it took more time and effort for him to setup in his seat and put his hand over the slot than it would take you to scratch your ass
who the hell said anything about being late. it's the waste of time and udder stupidity that is the issue

As i said before, if you don't take your break's on time, and for the full time due, then you find you start not getting them at all.

If he did it your way, then he would of had a bus load of impatient passengers bitching about having to wait while he finished his break.

Or more likely, his boss coming along and telling him "your break finished five minutes ago and I don't give a damn about you working though it, get this bus moving."

Seems to me the bus driver has his job all worked out. He finished his break and, while he was doing so, had all his cattle corralled up ready and waiting for him. :D

[FTG]

Is there any Toronto organization that hasn't gone on strike?

Prostitutes. (We're not as bad as Paris.)

[FTG]

As i said before, if you don't take your break's on time, and for the full time due, then you find you start not getting them at all.


And like I said, when you say FU to your customers you soon find you have a break 24/7/365.

[SurfaceUnits]

As i said before, if you don't take your break's on time, and for the full time due, then you find you start not getting them at all.

If he did it your way, then he would of had a bus load of impatient passengers bitching about having to wait while he finished his break.

Or more likely, his boss coming along and telling him "your break finished five minutes ago and I don't give a damn about you working though it, get this bus moving."

Seems to me the bus driver has his job all worked out. He finished his break and, while he was doing so, had all his cattle corralled up ready and waiting for him. :D

the bus left 5 minutes late because of your hero fool's actions. stoopidity

[Andrew Longman]

My most recent "work rule" story comes from the IRS. I coach managers there as part of a consulting project I have. In this case a bargaining unit analyst is required to field incoming taxpayer calls as part of his job. He is required to scrictly follow a script that often includes inappropriate and off putting questions. The calls are recorded and reviewed to ensure compliance. If he doesn't follow the script he will get an earful from a manager and demerits that effect his pay.

However, outbound calls are not recorded. So he refuses to answer his phone and lets all call go into voicemail. He calls back the taxpayers (now on the govt dime) and answers there questions fully, but without the stupid questions.

Can you blame him, but this is going to a grievance with the union because, brass are unwilling to move off a stupid script?

[emjaya]

the bus left 5 minutes late because of your hero fool's actions. stoopidity

No, it didn't. :rolleyes: