Of weather heating up and a BART Strike??~~~~

Well Darklings,

The Bay Area weather is holding true to form, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, wet and drizzely and now this morning heating up.

Ahhh but the air for the last two days felt so fresh it was wonderful to enjoy it, looking at the garden in the late afternoon and in the early morning just enjoying the air,  it cannot be bottled at all, but a pleasure to enjoy, even if I did have to dig out my  black trench coat but it was so delicious.

I am still going in to work at noon and leaving around 5 with my Boss, but next week things commute-wise could turn for the worse.

BART employees have voted to strike if their demands are not met, like a 20 or 30 percent pay hike and that BART not the employees pay the full amount into their retirement.

BART is countering with a 4 percent cost of living raise and that the employees need to pay something into their retirement fund.  And considering that BART employees are the highest paid mass transit staff in the US I am wondering about their demands....it seems unreasonable.

When I got a raise it was equal to the Cost of Living Amount aka COLA, and all staff had to pay a small percentage into the retirement fund, if they wanted to pay more or have also an alternate source of retirement in additon to their retirement fund that was fine.  I do not know of any company (although I'm sure there are a few) that do not pay the entire amount into an employees retirement fund..

And to make it worse, the Bus system's contract runs out on the Same day that BART's does and they are calling to strike just on principal.  

Darklings can you imagine the grid lock, the increase in air pollution, the accidents that this will cause?   And we have organizations that say "Use Public Transit" well not if Public Transit holds a metaphorical gun to our heads.

The last time this happened was in 1997 and it was HELL.   It's hell now when the system breaks down or some idiot decides to use it as a form of suicide  (which has happened), and it will be when we are going to have a heat wave.    Oh the CHAOS!!!

All the staff have been talking to their Supervisors, and it seems so far that the best way is to car pool and come in during evening hours when communting is in reverse, some staffers who live in the City will go in during the day to field phone calls and explain things.   This is the contengecy plans. 

But I have a feeling that the Mayors for the areas that BART covers as well as the Govenor (if he has any sense in his 70 plus year old head) will intervene.  For now I can only observe and plan.

The good news is that my sister will not have to worry about that since she has to use her car to meet her clients although she will eventually change that.  The tenting is done on her home, and now she is working with her contractor about the kitchen and downstairs bathroom.  Little "chunks" she says.  Brian will stay with us, but he's going to set up a cot in the living room to sleep in at night and then come over in the morning to eat and bathe, he'll be going back and forth between my house and my sisters to oversee the work crew.

Poor man, he's job hunting right now, sending out resume's, going on line and searching, going to job fairs, saving his pennies, staying at my sister's house is very beneficial financially for him.  He did have some part time work which helped his bank account, but then that dried up, so he's willing to take on part time again just to build up the coffers.

He said the good thing is his ex-wife was willing to go to court with him to do a "stay of alimony and child support" because of his work situation,  but they are working together on this.   I asked him why did he and his wife break up and it was because she fell in love with someone else----another woman.   Well that did raise my eyebrow but he said it was amicable and he even likes the other person.

So for now all of us are going to see what developes.   Now I must go.

Later Darklings