If I were to ask, “Would you like your employer to pay for all your benefits?” I doubt the response would be, “No, I love having wages deducted from my check.” People have been led to believe that they are not worthy, that they are undeserving of the employers paying for their benefits. It saddens me people feel this way.
The goal of the LTD labor strike is not just about us; we’re fighting for the good of the American labor force. Our direction takes us toward no employee contributions being the norm. Can you imagine a place where everyone makes a living wage? Americans are going in the wrong direction. Just because everybody is doing it does not make it right.
I would like to be clear about what we are asking for: no more money, no more benefits, nor anything else. All we want is to extend our current contract. We are being asked to take cuts.
If a strike occurs, the people hurt will be the customers, the same customers hurt by fare increases and service cuts. It’s not just about health benefits, it’s about bad management choices. It is our goal to make things better for everyone. I would love to have six minutes in between runs to really listen to customers and literally walk them to their next bus making sure they got where they were going. Those days are gone, as are most aspects of customer service thanks to something they call efficiency.
Rebecca Emerson
LTD Bus Driver