Tool's Disability Outrage

Hey Retired, I suppose that supervisor would be locked up today...
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Wow, today Tool got a letter from his union. Finally, The Tool thought, the Union is breaking its silence and is going to explain what its plans are for taking on this assault of its members' character and finances.

With baited breath, the Tool opens his letter.

It a tirade telling Tool "Vote for Obama, for only the Democrats have our interests at heart".

Lord, it's the Dems who are crucifying The Tool and Railroad Retirement Disability. Helena Williams, Democratic Hack. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Wannabe. Gosh, even under his dad, Mario as governor, we railroaders did HORRIBLE.

Hey not looking to hijack this thread or go off topic, and I promise not to mention politics again, but darn, these unions really don't get it do they. Let's not go into politics, or we'll just get locked out...

Wow, today Tool got a letter from his union. Finally, The Tool thought, the Union is breaking its silence and is going to explain what its plans are for taking on this assault of its members' character and finances.

With baited breath, the Tool opens his letter.

It a tirade telling Tool "Vote for Obama, for only the Democrats have our interests at heart".

Lord, it's the Dems who are crucifying The Tool and Railroad Retirement Disability. Helena Williams, Democratic Hack. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Wannabe. Gosh, even under his dad, Mario as governor, we railroaders did HORRIBLE.

Hey not looking to hijack this thread or go off topic, and I promise not to mention politics again, but darn, these unions really don't get it do they. Let's not go into politics, or we'll just get locked out...

Typical union knee-jerk reaction that happens at every election. I remember NYAR's last contract negotiation. Many issues that still needed to be addressed from the previous contract. Little did I know before our meeting with the union that all of our problems were caused by the Bush Administration! If I remember correctly, the union negotiated our last contract, not George Bush.

Jay

LongIslandTool wrote:Hey Retired, I suppose that supervisor would be locked up today...
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Wow, today Tool got a letter from his union. Finally, The Tool thought, the Union is breaking its silence and is going to explain what its plans are for taking on this assault of its members' character and finances.

With baited breath, the Tool opens his letter.

It a tirade telling Tool "Vote for Obama, for only the Democrats have our interests at heart".

Lord, it's the Dems who are crucifying The Tool and Railroad Retirement Disability. Helena Williams, Democratic Hack. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Wannabe. Gosh, even under his dad, Mario as governor, we railroaders did HORRIBLE.

Hey not looking to hijack this thread or go off topic, and I promise not to mention politics again, but darn, these unions really don't get it do they. Let's not go into politics, or we'll just get locked out...

So will someone tell me when they are going to , if at all , respond to this!!!!

Mikie, I can only speculate that the unions feel since no laws have been broken and nobody has done anything wrong, their response is not needed. The Railroad Retirement Board already responded publicly, although the Times and Newsday did not feel it was important to print their reply.

The other problem is if the unions do take a stand in the media and the investigation turns up some slimeball who was working while receiving benefits or who paid off a doctor or some such crime, it could be egg on their faces.

I do believe the Unions should take a stand against the degrading representation of employees made by Mrs. Williams. I've never seen any other instance of a CEO publicly lambasting the people who work for him. Never.

This is symbolic of a weak, scared, inept and defensive management.

I am a retired from the LIRR and my wife is still working there as a conductor. We just got a letter from the union today as to how they feel about what is going on. If I can, I will post it here if that's ok?

If its the letter about playing by the rules, its ok to post it, I read that one.
However deleate the officers names at the top, no need for them to be harrased.

mikiemega wrote:I am a retired from the LIRR and my wife is still working there as a conductor. We just got a letter from the union today as to how they feel about what is going on. If I can, I will post it here if that's ok?

A retired what, Mikie?

BTW, Marge has a letter distributed around the property that trys to sell the troops her undying allegence to them and thanking them for their continued exceptional performance keeping the OTP up in the numbers-altered high 90s. She actually says that she testified with their good interests in mind. BS!!! Too late Marge, no one trusts you now.

BTWBTW, Where is our Seer and Priest?

The Seer & Priest of God Apollo was banned. Gosh.

Geez, maybe he was subpoenaed to testify and got bagged for all the unscrupulous activities that us scamming railroaders did.

car inspector

OK Mikie, letter up. As per Retired, leave off the names of those who could be incriminated. We like it squeaky clean here.

hrfcarl wrote:Right or wrong, you have to admit it LOOKS bad when 90% of your work force receives disability as compared to other railroads as reported by the newies.

This is pretty much the nub of it. None of the other stuff reported in the media is genuinely bad, but when your workforce is receiving Railroad Retirement disability at a much, much higher rate than comparable railroads, and only retired workers are getting this high rate, not below-retirement-age workers -- you'd better have a damned good explanation. If the disability rate is genuine, it's also a genuine problem which needs to be fixed, *and* it indicates that there are probably a lot of workers failing to claim disability when they should, both before retirement, and at other railroads.

But given that the RRB has been rubberstamping claims (which they pretty much *admitted* to),Occam's razor points to non-occupationally-disabled people filing claims and collecting disability.

Hopefully none of the genuinely disabled people (if you can go by the rates of other railroads, 25%-33%) will be damaged by this sorry situation, and it's obnoxious that they'll have to get new doctor's exams. I have only a little sympathy, given that the rest of us have quite a fight to get the Social Security Administration to approve disability claims, even in cases of obvious and very severe disability.

Incidentally, your union locals suck at Public Relations. An appropriate response would have been "It is clear there is a serious problem. We will cooperate with all investigations. We do not condone disability fraud and are sure that the majority of our members are honest. If these high rates of RRB disability cases are due to fraud, we condemn it. If they are genuine, we will work to find out what their causes are and prevent them; we certainly want our members to remain healthy, not disabled. Thank you for alerting us to this problem." This could have made it into the initial NYT article, with a fast-thinking union representative. Apparently not one of the union reps thought to say this?!?

neroden wrote:

hrfcarl wrote:Right or wrong, you have to admit it LOOKS bad when 90% of your work force receives disability as compared to other railroads as reported by the newies.

This is pretty much the nub of it. None of the other stuff reported in the media is genuinely bad, but when your workforce is receiving Railroad Retirement disability at a much, much higher rate than comparable railroads, and only retired workers are getting this high rate, not below-retirement-age workers -- you'd better have a damned good explanation. If the disability rate is genuine, it's also a genuine problem which needs to be fixed, *and* it indicates that there are probably a lot of workers failing to claim disability when they should, both before retirement, and at other railroads.

But given that the RRB has been rubberstamping claims (which they pretty much *admitted* to),Occam's razor points to non-occupationally-disabled people filing claims and collecting disability.

Hopefully none of the genuinely disabled people (if you can go by the rates of other railroads, 25%-33%) will be damaged by this sorry situation, and it's obnoxious that they'll have to get new doctor's exams. I have only a little sympathy, given that the rest of us have quite a fight to get the Social Security Administration to approve disability claims, even in cases of obvious and very severe disability.

Incidentally, your union locals suck at Public Relations. An appropriate response would have been "It is clear there is a serious problem. We will cooperate with all investigations. We do not condone disability fraud and are sure that the majority of our members are honest. If these high rates of RRB disability cases are due to fraud, we condemn it. If they are genuine, we will work to find out what their causes are and prevent them; we certainly want our members to remain healthy, not disabled. Thank you for alerting us to this problem." This could have made it into the initial NYT article, with a fast-thinking union representative. Apparently not one of the union reps thought to say this?!?

Finally someone who feels like i do about what is going on here.

This response to the recent media attention was mailed out to members of one union by their chairman. From what we know, this is the only union that has taken any action other than putting their heads into the ground or publicly bragging about the high salaries they make.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing this letter to do my best to keep the line of communication open to out membership concerning the ongoing Railroad Retirement disability issues on our property. Let me begin by saying this Organization can no longer tolerate the negative perception that is being targeted toward LIRR employees by the media, politicians, or the leadership of the Long Island Rail Road.

I have been working tirelessly behind the scenes doing damage control and providing every piece of information attainable to make the case to protect railroad retirement benefits and the future of our membership. I have met with various members of COngress, the Senate and the leadership of our International to ensure the proper information is conveyed to protect our interests. We have been hearing over and over again about the proposed reforms to be put in place to 'protect taxpayers'. Enough! This is a federal matter that is clearly under investigation. If decisions are made to revise the process, so be it. Just give us the rules and we will play by them.

It is my belief, as I am sure yours that the employees of the LIRR are being unfairly depicted as unethical. Active employees are being harassed based on unfounded accusations of disability abuse. Morale is being affected, and safety may be placed at risk due to the constant barrage of articles and informational item creating a misinformed and irritated riding public.

This Organization will no longer stand for this misrepresentation. I take pride in knowing our membership, and can assure you I will send the message that our Union is ethical, dedicated, and hard working. It is the employees who have achieved record breaking on-time performance numbers and safety awards, not management who showcases the trophies. We are providing around-the-clock train service 365 days a year in safety sensitive positions through all types of work conditions and circumstances. Rest assured, the leadership of our railroad and the MTA will continually be reminded as to the importance of our membership and their actions. I will do everything in my power to ensure this Organization receives the respect and admiration it deserves.

These are hard times. A struggling economy and tremendous political uncertainty have everyone on edge. I ask you to continue to take the high road. Do not engage or entertain comments throughout your day based on ignorance. I have heard your concerns throughly your local officers and share your feelings of frustration. With your support, this Organization will show its strength through perseverance and unity. Buckle up and stand with me as we prepare for the road ahead.

Fraternally,

Neroden, I don't like your tone. Maybe a little more research is needed to quantify your opinion. Please, ease up a bit and read the total text of this thread.