The city of Chicago is pushing through two changes: first, side streets will now only be plowed during union working hours, which apparently are weekdays 7am-3pm (hat tip: Neal Boortz, via americanthinker.com):
CHICAGO (CBS) — Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday that city crews will cut back on plowing side streets this winter in an effort to save money. The mayor said the city will only plow side streets during weekday union business hours this winter, rather than during overtime hours.
The other change? City parking meters are being outsourced and will have their rates double or more over the next 5 years, plus the meters will have to be fed 24/7 (hat tip: my wonderful girlfriend):
Motorists will pay $6.50 an hour by 2013 to feed downtown parking meters — more than double the current rate — and neighborhood parkers will see an eight-fold increase under a $1.15 billion privatization plan that raised eyebrows in the City Council.
…
In addition to the possibility of “congestion pricing,” the deal calls for meter rates in the Loop to rise to $3.50 an hour in 2009; $4.25 in 2010; $5 in 2011; $5.75 in 2012, and $6.50 in 2013. Central business district rates outside the Loop would go from $1 an hour to $2 in 2009; $2.50 in 2010; $3 in 2011; $3.50 in 2012, and $4 in 2013. Rates would be cut in half between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., but meters would have to be fed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Need I add that the city of Chicago is pretty much owned by the Democratic Party? Personally, I’m rooting for blizzards to hit Chicago every Friday afternoon all winter long. Imagine someone getting a ticket because their car was snowed in next to a parking meter all weekend long and they couldn’t move it because the street hadn’t been plowed the whole time.
Plowing on dayshift when possible
Achance Thursday, December 4th at 3:18PM EST (link)is pretty much the standard anywhere that a government uses its own workers for the plowing. It isn’t economical to keep people on so that you can fully staff multiple shifts, so swing and grave are always going to involve some call out premium and overtime.
If they’ve been doing sidestreets on swing and grave, the “boys” are probably accustomed to getting all that premium and OT pay and aren’t going to take this very well. Actually, what the boys will do is find some other way to nick the employer for premium and OT and their foremen and supervisors will go along with it; you don’t cut those costs, you just move them. When you have a unionized workforce and a Democrat government, you don’t have supervisors, you have co-conspirators.
What we did in Anchorage, which was Alaska’s biggest plowing problem was keep a basic crew on and then rely on contractors to meed heavy demand and do almost all of the snow hauling. Since heavy equipment such as graders and dump trucks is usually sitting idle during winter, the owners are happy to have the work on a contract basis, which allows you to avoid the premium pay and OT. ‘Course, unions don’t like the contracting out much, so I doubt they’d do much of that in a union town like Chicago.
In Vino Veritas
The "Meter Maids" must have a lousy union
Lammo Thursday, December 4th at 3:59PM EST (link)because 24/7 meters are useless unless someone’s out there patrolling them!
ACORN: Association of Criminals Obama Represented in the Nineties. (jupitersuite)
Don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out. (Fr. John Corapi, SOLT)
Crime never takes a holiday. (Dennis J. O’Shea, R.I.P.)
Unlawful is against the law. Illegal is a sick bird. (Ooold joke)
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. (Groucho Marx)
But I guess...
ElCee Thursday, December 4th at 4:01PM EST (link)the meter readers will work 24/7 even though I would assume they’re union too? Hope THEY can get through the snow.
Plowing on day shift and weekdays
Achance Thursday, December 4th at 4:17PM EST (link)is pretty standard with a unionized workforce unless you have contractors to call in. It costs too much to fully staff a swing and graveyard shift, so you’re always going to have call out and OT costs to, say, get crews to clear the roads early in the morning for rush hour.
In a town that is controlled by Democrats and fully unionized, you’re not going to have contractors, so this is more like a cut the football team ploy to make the people appreciate the city government.
We used to have a Director of Maintenance who’d ALWAYS find a way to not get the boys out early on the first heavy snow day after the Legislature came into session. Of course, he’d be all on the radio and in the paper about how sad it was that they couldn’t get the roads plowed because the Leg just hadn’t appropriated enough snow removal money. It’s a game.
In Vino Veritas
This made me think of a joke I heard
leppard Thursday, December 4th at 6:17PM EST (link)Hope you dont mind me adding it to your diary and hope no one is offended..if so I can try the new delete feature!
Union Rules & Hookers—-
A dedicated Teamsters union worker was attending a convention in Las Vegas and decided to check out the local brothels. When he got to the first one, he asked the Madam, “Is this a union house?”
“No,” she replied, “I’m sorry it isn’t.”
“Well, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?”
“The house gets $80 and the girls get $20,” she answered
Offended at such unfair dealings, the union man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop. His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the Madam responded, “Why yes sir, this is a union house .
We observe all union rules.”
The man asked, “And if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?” “The girls get $80 and the house gets $20.”
“That’s more like it!” the union man said.
He handed the Madam $100, looked around the room, and pointed to a stunningly attractive blonde.
“I’d like her,” he said.
“I’m sure you would, sir,” said the Madam. Then she gestured to a 92-year old woman in the corner, “but Ethel here has 67 years seniority and according to union rules, she’s next.”
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!