"But is writing these clauses into the city charter the right approach? I
think not.
The basic problem is that this is an attack on the principle of free
collective
bargaining. Using the police power of the state to dictatorially impose a
solution on the Muni workforce, rather than working out a solution through
negotiation."
But driver salaries are fixed in the City Charter! As a result, the TWU
enters into any negotiation with the upper hand: it's guaranteed a top-dollar
wage before discussions even _begin_ about work rules. Under the
circumstances, why would the TWU show the slightest flexibility? Banning the
most egregious work rules by Charter amendment strikes me as the bare minimum
needed to protect riders' interests in the face of a structurally skewed
bargaining process. Of course, the alternative is to strike the charter
provision regarding driver salaries, permitting both salary and work rules to
be the subject of a truly free negotiating process. But I suspect it'll be a
cold day in hell before the TWU would ever agree to _that_!
Neil Koris