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As Unions Rally in NJ, Disabled & Critically Ill Get Abandoned by Union Bus Drivers

By: LaborUnionReport (Diary)  |  February 26th, 2011 at 04:30 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. Then again, perhaps not. However, at the same time AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka went to New Jersey on Friday for a “solidarity” rally, a group of unionized bus drivers who transport developmentally disabled and critically ill patients decided to abandon their duties and stage a sick out.

Monmouth County transportation employees staged a sickout Friday that left 174 developmentally disabled clients waiting for a bus that never came and county officials scrambling to get critically ill patients to their dialysis appointments.

William K. Heine, a county spokesman, confirmed that two-thirds of workers did not come to work. Of those 25 workers, eight had a pre-approved day off. The others — 14 bus drivers and three office workers — called in sick.

[snip]

[County spokesman] Heine said he didn’t know the reason for the sickout at SCAT, which originally stood for Special Citizens Area Transportation. The unionized work force is not in the midst of contract negotiations, nor is there any apparent problems in the office that provides transportation services for developmentally disabled residents who need to get to their employment centers, senior citizens and seriously ill people who need help getting to dialysis treatments and other medical appointments.

Kevin Tauro, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1038, which represents the SCAT employees, could not be reached for comment. [Emphasis added.]


Hopefully, Monmouth County offcials will be conducting a thorough investigation because, if the unionized drivers opted to join the union rally, as opposed to doing their jobs transporting patients, their actions are reprehensible and they should be fired.

_________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

X-posted.

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COMMENTS

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  • msctex

    . . .against a lawsuit for criminal negligence. In fact, if it can be proven the
    Union had anything whatsoever to do with any of these disabled people being injured as a result of the walkout, the Union should be vigorously sued as well.

    This whole fiasco is predicated upon the mistaken belief that Union membership means you play by different rules in this world. And these people need to be jerked back down to reality, the sooner the better.

  • earlgrey

    Can someone help me understand how union membership is different from gang membership?

    • EagleWatcher

      Next question?

    • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908
    • grandma

      There is no difference.

    • uselogic

      Fists seem to be in style…
      http://www.internationalsocialist.org/what_we_stand_for.html

      Coincidence? Naah, naah, nahh!

    • williamjameson

      That’s the difference. One kills the other doesn’t but they both operate with a thug mentality.

      Will Disabled groups go after the union, depends on whether democrats have infested the groups. If so, they’ll pretend not to see a problem. Don’t expect AARP to give a hoot either, they sold out the elderly with Obamacare, then AARP opted out with a waiver. Mightly liberal of them.

  • NeoKong

    Workers who take off from work unexpectedly work for an organization called SCAT.

    • tokm908

      I live in Monmouth County. When I first moved here I kept seeing big white buses drive around with SCAT across the front and on the side and couldn’t figure out what the hell it stood for (I still laugh every time I see one). Now I know, it stands for Public Union goons who play sick in order to protest for more of my money.

  • mine

    Unions don’t care about the public or even their members. Take illegal immigration. Unions support it. Yet it means the most vunerable suffer. I mean the unskilled who have to compete with illegals for jobs. Their jobs, their pay and their conditions are undercut by illegals. But unions don’t care. They are legalized mafiosi. Workers must be freed from union thuggery and intimidation.

    • merryj1

      …they are Mafioso wannabes. They can’t make the cut – they have no honor.

    • davidb99

      Big labor and liberals in general are more than happy to see illegal immigrants entering the US from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America. The left want the illegal immigrants here because they know these people are socialist-minded and feel entitled to government support. More illegal immigrants mean more Democratic voters and potential union members. Remember, in order for socialism and/or communism to take hold you need to have as many miserable poor people looking for handouts as possible.

  • renny

    Actually, in the NJEA, in NJ, it’s estimated at least 40-50% of membership are not Dems. or libs., despite all their dues going to Dem. politicians or lib. programs.

    When Walker in WI says people should be able to certify once a year whether they are in a union and whether the union should get automatic dues deductions, his position is only the Beck NATIONAL case law from the US Sup. Ct. that says unions should not be able to take forced deductions and use them against the will of the people paying them.

    No one is making that argument for Walker.

  • charm2

    If this is real….., do they unions really think that this behavior will endear them to others? Do they also believe replacing them would be difficult? If so, it is once again confirmed that we are not only dealing with morally corrupt people, we are dealing with people we can easily outsmart.

    • earlgrey
      • http://slcliberty.blogivists.com randy streu

        was so that they could be protected under union guidelines.

      • renny

        Governors can fire their own staffs, they cannot fire teachers from my former district, as they can only be fired by the board of education locally.

        I am going to guess that applies most places.

        Interestingly, Daniels in IL ended union bargaining by gov. exec. order (a favorite Obama choice) at the start of his admin. Maybe Walker or Christie could do the same? I don’t know.

        • http://slcliberty.blogivists.com randy streu

          We’re talking about bus drivers (not school bus) employed by the state.

        • merryj1

          Not Illinois. We’ve got Quinn. Oh, Dear Lord, I wish we had Daniels!

        • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

          could repeal those rights, hence the need for the new bill.

  • gpclaw

    “The county was able to fall back on contracted bus companies to get clients to medical appointments and others to work.”

    The smell of sweet, sweet irony.

  • mbee51

    Time for a Reagan moment.
    He FIRED 11,000 Air Traffic Controllers who walked out on their responsibilities in leiu of their greedy union self-interests.
    PINK SLIPS for ALL!
    There are a lot of people in this country who are out of work who would be more than happy to step into a nice NON-union job.

  • bcomber38

    Why don’t we hear about this from all media?The press and tv news in this country are one way for dems.Can’twatch news anymore.internet has every thing.Stop buying news papers.complain to msm about thier bias.I did.

  • lizaz

    of why public sector employees should not be unionized. They work FOR the taxpayer and are paid BY the taxpayer, and to use their public service mandate AGAINST the taxpayer for their own self-interest is wrong, wrong, wrong. The government is not a business and it is the caretaker of public funds. These funds should not be used by politicians to buy votes from the union. I hope in the very near future, local and state governments will be able to rid themselves of this plague against the taxpayers they call “unions”.

  • flyingace

    While the media protects their leftist buddies, many Americans are bewildered and angry with unions: “Will I be a bad person if I oppose unions?” The guilt is palpable, but the truth is unions have been sucking the motivation, innovation and money out of business and taxpayers for a hundred years.
    Tightening our belts under the present economy means pulling the plug on those who depend on the inefficient, corrupt groups which depend on the nanny state.
    Funny thing is, once the plug is pulled, we’ll start hearing a lot more stories about survival, success, and innovation in business. Americans are like that, you know.