Gothamist: Subway News: Contract, Defibrillators, and Suicide

Toby

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 23:54:10 -0500

The original term was "motorman" and the current seems to be the gender neutral "train operator" - which is not as fun to say.

LarimdaME

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:24:03 -0500

Sorry, typo. I meant driver, or whatever the term is for the person operating the train's go/stop functions. Engineer? Operator? Driver?

Larry

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:23:01 -0500

I'm not sure the diver was really in a position to relay the news.

LarimdaME

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:17:36 -0500

Re: This morning's suicide. Eases my mind a little that it wasn't a pusher, there's always that question initially. Thankfully, there really was nothing to see, as most of everything was under the train. The people who were on the platform (I was inside the train) were quite upset, however; and the conductor was initially clueless about the nature of the situation. Seemed like the diver was too upset (or the equipment too broken) to relay the news over the internal communications.

MT

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:52:11 -0500

Let's see how the union comes out in a situation where the can't hold us all hostage for a sweetheart deal. I'm positively salivating at the idea that there will actually be a deal struck by a third party.

Tim N.

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:49:32 -0500

Part of this is a negotioating move by the MTA if they go to binding arbitration, so they have a tougher deal to start with rather than the one they finished with. But part of this is Governor Duh deciding to get involved by having Kalikow and Co get "tough with unions." As usual with the Gov, it's too little, too late, and the wrong answer. The vacuous stupidity of this man knows no bounds. And, last but not least, some of this is the dissidents in the TWU thinking they can do better on their own. When you think you don't need a union, this is what happens.