Walker said:
I'm not going to be an ass to someone I don't know.
you dont know what you're missing





Walker said:
I wasn't a big fan of the strike. I'm pretty much a daily rider. But I didn't say anything about it to any drivers after service resumed, because I'm not going to be an ass to someone I don't know.I think it's a stretch to say that anecdotal silence from riders in the past few days = high levels of support for the strike.
I havent been getting silence on my bus....now yes..but first day back..overwhelming support. Mr. Walker....by any chance do you get on at parsons and broad?
This thread needs more cats... driving buses.
LOL. Cats might be just as temperamental as labor unions though.
DavidF said:
As a former union negotiator, and ardent union supporter, I feel compelled to say that this was a massive PR failure on the part of the union. It's clear that the leadership of the union did not want this strike and it was forced on them by members who did not vote for the agreement. The failure on the part of the union to shape the narrative of what was happening was also epic.Back in the day, I spent months of planning before negotiations ever started preparing our package and doing extensive media and negotiation training for the members (and these were open to everyone, not just the negotiating team). I also made sure we knew to a person where everyone stood on the final outcome before we had a vote. It is also why I would never agree to a media blackout during negotiations(as is overwhelmingly common practice). I always believed that being publicly accountable kept both sides more honest and measured in their negotiating positions. We always had weekly update meetings with the membership to outline where we were in the process. This had the positive effect of helping everyone to feel involved in the process, not just the leadership elite.
As divided as the membership was on this vote, I would have fought hard to get at least another few days extension in order to work to solidify the members one way or the other. My guess (especially based on COTA refusal to meet until Sunday)is COTA management knew they were divided and refused to give them any further extensions. Unfortunately for them, while this made the union look bad, I agree with previous posters that in the eyes of the general public, that simply translates into making COTA as a whole look bad. So management wins the contract negotiations at the cost of a massive public backlash at them. This is what happens when one or both sides lose sight of the larger picture and become overly focused on which side gets to claim they "win."
Massive failure on both sides and a lesson for both management and unions on how not to do things.
Care to run for union president?
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