[Rescue Muni] Re: Safety and work rules on 14-Mission, etc.
haletky@juno.com
Mon, 14 Dec 1998 01:59:33 -0800
I find myself quite infuriated at Mr. Ceja's criticisms of RM's drivers.
He misses Mr. Park's critical point - safety. MUNI operators do not feel
safe while driving some lines. I am a cab driver (Luxor) in the City,
and I'm very thankful for the language in the Taxi Regulations that says
I must pick up a fare if (and _only_ if) they are "clean, sober, and
behaving in an orderly manner." The police recognize our vulnerability,
which means we don't have to pick someone up who makes us feel
uncomfortable. MUNI operators don't have such a broad refusal clause -
for good reason. But you have absolutely no right to criticize them for
doing what they need to do to feel safe. Since learning and qualifying
to drive a bus takes much longer than the same for a cab, I invite Mr.
Ceja to try cab driving. All the taxi companies in town are continually
hiring. Once he has his A-card (hack license) I encourage him to cruise
the 14-Mission line and pick up _everyone_ who flags him, just like the
MUNI operators must. We'll see how long it takes him to get robbed - I
place my bet on under one week.
One fairly simple solution to the problem of high-seniority drivers not
wanting the 'difficult' lines is to readjust the pay for those runs.
I've heard that some schedules pay better than others (longer or shorter
hours, overtime, late night bonuses, longer and better timed breaks,
etc.). Why not skew the scheduling so that the most dangerous runs pay
the most? Give the senior drivers a choice - if all the high-paying runs
were easy and safe, I'm wouldn't take the risk of the 14, and I won't
blame Mr. Parks or Mr. Erlich for not taking that risk.
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Charles Haletky
haletky@juno.com
415-661-6348