Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Equal Work For Equal Pay?

We've all heard this a bazillion times over the last few decades.
Mostly we've been hearing it from American women and minorities.
And most Americans agree, mostly!

Oddly enough if you're a left wing, entitlement minded liberal who belongs to a public union...
You couldn't disagree more!

Most of you probably don't know and most likely don't care, but the public union that forces RTD to comply with its demands hates and has so much contempt for part time Drivers that not only do they keep them under employed at every opportunity but they also pay them less for the same work.

The union forces RTD to not only not give part timers any vacation/paid time off - not even sick days, so that close to 200 Drivers can be contagiously sick at any given time - but the union also forces RTD to pay part time Drivers less than other Drivers for the same hours worked.

I could (and have) go on but we all already know the hypocrisy of liberalism slash entitlists slash public unions.
They preach equality but unless it applies to them, they really don't mean it.
Lip service for the deaf.

Anywho...

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Demand Equal Pay, Find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Pravda Part Deux!

Wow - just wow!

I guess I can say that many of you may remember
this post from about a month ago.
I got a butt load of emails from folks who said I was full of [poop] let's leave that editing in there just to be polite!
Drivers and Light rail alike, even a few "I used to be a driver at RTD and...." decided to write in and gimme their two cents!

Let me "re-explain" what's going on in this process.

A position opens up for light rail operators, let's say 5 openings.
30 plus full timers will apply and at least as many part timers will also apply.
Those accepting the applications are forced by the union to take the first 5, most senior applicants.
Those with the most time in their position as full time drivers.
So those with twenty, fifteen and ten years will usually fill the positions.

Some time later we see what is called an answer sheet posted that shows which 5 full time drivers got the job and the long long lists of full time drivers who didn't get the job but who applied.
The part timers aren't shown on this list because the union causes RTD to discriminate against the part timers as second class - as long as one full timer has applied for the job, part timers don't even count!

With that in mind, the 5 full timers who got the job go into training.
These 5 full timers have to start from scratch, giving up their pay grade, their seniority and they have to quickly learn to shed all the bad habits and records they've accumulated over their longer time as drivers.

Many if not most of these drivers "wash out," leaving the positions unfilled.
In fact, some time back there were two people from another department who, although they were not drivers, were chosen over the myriad of part time driver applicants because they were full time and lumped together with the drivers.
These two washed out almost immediately and instead of coming to the pool of part time applicants, the union forces RTD to re post the position so that more full time drivers can apply!

The newer drivers both full time and part time with less bad habits, less pay to lose, less seniority to give up and less bad driving records - the drivers who are better qualified were passed up for the job because the union forced RTD to discriminate and not pick the applicants who were best for the job.

The union set RTD up to fail.
And really that's all the union is good for, that's their number one goal when you look at all their policies and practices.
The union is all about them and nothing about the customer and the customer's customer (you!)

Anywho, those of you up at Elati who wrote in telling me that I'm full of [poop] and that none of the positions are being filled, from the applicant's point of view, they are being over filled.
From your point of view, the failed policies of the union are causing the positions to go unfilled.

Good drivers are dying to get over there, Elati.
Enough good drivers to fill all the positions coming by the end of this year and into next.
You may not get them all right away but eventually...

Unfortunately this is the entitlement mentality of the senior drivers, the union and those who support it.
Even though they either don't want it or don't deserve it, they demand that they are given it and if they wash out or are not qualified, they still don't want you to have it so it goes back to others like them!

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Ignore the union, Find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Monday, February 13, 2012

You Got The Time, Driver?

I'm into my Third Year here as a Driver.
And while I understand that to many of the other Drivers, I'm still the new guy - but that's years of experience on the routes that I drive.

That means I know where I can make up a few minutes and knowing where I'm about to get behind by a few minutes.
That means knowing where I'll be stuck behind trains or lights that take 15 minutes to get through and where there are stretches that I can actually make the speed limit and not pick up customers for miles.

All that said...
If I'm behind schedule (I hate saying late!) it is not my fault.
I can only go as fast as traffic will let me, as fast as the cars who keep cutting in front of me allow me to go.
As fast as the lift on the bus will go up and down.
And as fast as the passengers walking all the way to the back of the bus to sit down, then change their minds and come to the front, then change their minds again and go to the middle - allow me.
And yes - I'm that Driver who will not floor it and take off while little old Ladies, Parents & their children or the disabled are still trying to find their seats.
I won't take off while folks with drinks in one hand, wallets/purses in the other and no free hands to grabs rails are still trying to sit down.

I actually had one passenger notice that and tell another passenger that the bus wasn't moving because the Driver was waiting for her to sit down - saying out loud what every other passenger on the bus was thinking while staring at her taking more than a minute to find her seat.

You healthy schlubs, I'll take off the second you get past that yellow/white line in the front of the bus.
If you're listening, you'll hear me warn you, "Hang on!"
But you can handle it.

And by the way (side note) you all know that the routes were timed/planned out by employees in companies vehicles who didn't have to stop at every single stop, use the lift at every stop, slow down so as not to run that red light...vehicles that can get up to the speed limit within a block and not slow down until they can no longer run yellow lights?
You know that, right?

It takes regular cars, your personal cars and those who time the routes for the schedules, it takes them 15 minutes to get from Walmart in Applewood to the Stapleton Park N ride.
In the bus it takes 6 hours!
LOL - ok, only a little over an hour but have you ever been on a 38 that's on time when it's not 12 Midnight on a Sunday?

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Let's Go All The Way!

Lady gets on the bus.
She looks me dead in the eye and asks me,
"Do you go all the way?"

um


After 10 minutes of rolling on the floor, laughing my butt off...
On the inside of course - and it was for only half a second...
I answered, "Yes Ma'am!"

But I spent the rest of the day giggling to myself like Beavis & Butthead.

Thanks Ma'am!!!

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats - Let's Go All The Way!"

Friday, February 10, 2012

T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.R.

When I was a kiddo I was deep into SciFi.
I actually got to meet and interview Ben Bova for a school project.
Yesterday I was reminded of a book, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," by one of my top SciFi authors.
The reason I remembered it so well and during a conversation with a passenger yesterday was because of a saying that was part of the story of the book and which was repeated in my eighth grade economics class:
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!"

A phrase with which I am about to take a bit of poetic license and change to:
"There ain't no such thing as a free ride!"

I'm going to print this up and hang it on my fare box every day for every passenger to read and ask about.

LoL

As Always, "Welcome aboard, T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.R., Find you're seats - Let's Roll!"

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

It Just Ain't Fare!

My new routes take me through a bunch of park n rides, stations and light rail stations.
And whether it's because of all the cut backs or the simple fact that they are busy stations, lately I've had a ton of fare inspectors, both uniformed and plain clothed hop on my routes.
I think they've learned that the low hanging fruit is plentiful on my routes as they usually hop off within a stop or two to hand out tickets!

I'll tell you the correct fare and remind you that I'm not authorized to waive the fare giving free rides.
I'll also leave you to make the choice whether to board and ride with out having provided the correct fare or proper proof of discount.

The only thing I won't do is point to the fare inspector waiting for your decision.

And while I say this to every passenger who doesn't provide proper fare slash proof, that doesn't mean you can just ignore me and ride for free, those tickets are hefty these days and lately the chances of receiving them on my routes have gone way up to one outta three or four offenders.

So beware folks and kudos to RTD and the fare inspectors for putting the fear of consequences back into those who feel the rest of us owe them a free ride.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Pay your are, Find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Friday, February 3, 2012

February Snow - Winter Driving

Remember folks, this is all just my personal opinion, my two cents as it were.
That said:

If you drive a car and you're on the roads today, you're a big dummy!
If you drive a car and you've parked it on the streets downtown today, you're a big stupid dummy!

LoL, just saying folks.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find you're seats, I'll crank up the heat - Let's Roll!"

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pravda Comrades!

To my fellow RTD Drivers:
The scuttlebutt we've all been hearing for the last six months about Light Rail operators being in short supply...

Propaganda created and spread by the union and its entitlists to panic more full time operators into applying in order to keep the myriad of part timers who apply under employed so they quit!
Those who pay attention to such things notice that for every light rail train operator posting, whether for 4, 5, or 10 openings there are more than 30 full time operators listed on the answer sheet who didn't get the job
And that answer sheet doesn't list the at least equal amount of part timers who apply.

So don't believe the hype folks, it's simply a typical liberal tactic to spread propaganda created to fool the gullible into doing their bidding!