Voting Day is coming up and one of the most important propositions on the ballot for the future of public transportation is Prop G. Prop G would force SF transit operators to negotiate wages and benefits through “collective bargaining”. According to an SF Gate article, had Prop G been in effect this past fiscal year, Muni would have saved $19 million, money with which they could have ostensibly used to prevent service cuts.
Supporters of Prop G do not see this as a solution to the multitude of problems commuters have with Muni, but as leverage for management “to address inefficiencies and improve service.”
Currently, Muni operators’ base wage is $29.52 an hour. It is mandated in the City Charter that they earn at least the second-highest pay in the nation.
Muni operators believe that this proposition is using them as scapegoats for the cause instead of directly addressing the “bloated bureaucracy” whose execs and admins are making $200,000-$300,000 a year.
It seems that those higher up are putting the blame on those lower down and vice versa while the rest of us are left to deal with the increasing frustration of subpar service. Both operators and execs are neglecting the real issue at hand and if they ever stop playing the blame game, maybe they’ll get around to solving some real problems.
