EDITORIAL FIGHT FOR L.A. MAYOR RIORDAN NEEDS TO STAND FIRM AGAINST THE UTU'S BULLYING.SHORTLY after Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation that would cripple a new Valley transit Valley Transit is a city bus and paratransit commission operated by the city government of Appleton, Wisconsin. The system operates across the Fox Cities and serves the cities of Appleton, Kaukauna, Menasha and Neenah, as well as the towns of Buchanan, Grand Chute and zone with MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. work rules, Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. was quick to spot a silver lining. ``By the close of the day, there will be an agreement,`` predicted Riordan, freshly returned from biking in France and much sought after by the striking unions to broker a deal. That was Sunday. Now it's Tuesday, and there is still no agreement between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the United Transportation Union and the two other unions that walked out in empathy. Even the mayor, famed for selling out his position in back-room deals, underestimated the UTU's insatiable greed. It was an understandable mistake. After all, Davis had given the union the one demand it seemed unable to gain at the bargaining table. If that weren't enough, the MTA was offering to keep paying bus drivers willing to work overtime as much as $80,000 a year, plus $32,000 in fringe benefits fringe benefits, n.pl the benefits, other than wages or salary, provided by an employer for employees (e.g., health insurance, vacation time, disability income). . There wasn't much left to dispute. MTA officials hoped to slightly modify work rules and reduce the hourly cost of operating a bus from $98.60 to $96 - still nearly 50 percent higher than in other local transit zones. No wonder Riordan thought a deal was imminent. But the UTU Noun 1. Utu - sun god; counterpart of Akkadian Shamash Utug Sumer - an area in the southern region of Babylonia in present-day Iraq; site of the Sumerian civilization of city-states that flowered during the third millennium BC is fighting for every last penny, even if it kills public transit in Los Angeles and its members' jobs. So the strike continues. Riordan admits that the experience has ``chastened'' his optimism. Let's hope it's also emboldened em·bold·en tr.v. em·bold·ened, em·bold·en·ing, em·bold·ens To foster boldness or courage in; encourage. See Synonyms at encourage. Adj. 1. his resolve. Because he controls four votes on the MTA panel and the county Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. appears to be hanging tough, Riordan has the power to reject the UTU's hostage tactics. That will take a backbone he hasn't always shown in the past. But holding firm is the only option, or else unions will continue to have their way with the city, services will continue to suffer and taxpayers will revolt against an ever-increasing bill. The governor has sold out the taxpayers, the transit dependent and our hopes for the future. Now it's up to Riordan to defend us. Heaven help us all. |
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