Muni Workers Want Bigger Bonuses for Night Shifts

• We are only discussing here but regard the "Engineer" and experts on friction loss. Do you think American LaFrance manufactures engines whose controls are so difficult that it would take an expert to run them? The answer is "NO" but it does take training. Like in all jobs. All the engineering and knowledge of hydraulics was done prior to manufacturing. The controls are dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. Engines have to be run by volunteers and kids out of high school in the forest service all over the country. In two days you could take an average, Army St. labor-seeker to run a fire engine. After two-four weeks of training, you could trust your life to him. Let's not make a hydraulic engineer out of an operator. Do you think MUNI Metro line drivers understand the coefficient of friction between rails and wheels? No and they don't have to. They are operators.

• I think I speak for everyone when I say SF's city employees are as follows; Lazy, Incompetent, and Expensive. Most of us would also say, that we can tolerate 1 of those, but not 3.

• At first glance I read your reference to SFPD instead of SFFD. The statement still means the exact same thing.

• Anon says" I can understand the extra pay for the fireman driving the engine, or being the "engineer" as its called, because that is a hard ass job." OK, if firefighters get high pay for risking their lives, how about paying more to the guys going into the fire than the one outside in the street straigtening out the hose. By rights, the Driver of an engine should be paid less. Just like Fire Inspectors, firefighters in data entry at Headquarters, mechanics, utility - truck drivers and on and on. The only smoke they see are at their backyard barbecue's outside the City & County. Premium Pay is a con job. The $4 million MUNI drivers make in Premium Pay, couldn't put a patch on a fireman's hose. The SFFD gets $22 million of Premium Pay for not one extra hour of work. At least with OVERTIME you have to work. Don't kid me! Anyone who isn't color blind knows why MUNI is being attacked.

• SFFD are still overpaid for working less hours. They won't be happy until SF defaults. Their Union is thug-like. They are no better than the rest of city workers and just as bad as MUNI drivers.

• MUNI is one of the worst transit systems in any major American city. It is an embarrassment for San Francisco that we are cursed with such a miserable failure. If they don't like things they way they are, they can quit and go find a job somewhere else. The average MUNI driver will be incredibly easy to replace.

• I say we give the drivers this in exchange for their pensions. Sound fair?

• II can understand the extra pay for the fireman driving the engine, or being the "engineer" as its called, because that is a hard ass job. You aren't simply driving, you have to know how to operate the pump and are responsible for the crew working inside having water. You gotta know pump pressure, friction loss through varying hose lengths and sizes, elevation loss, and more formulas than I can remember. It's called fire hydraulics, you should look it up. Really difficult stuff. Most departments make it a separate position you have to test into, with a separate pay scale. That being said, 8% for driving the 91 owl? Hell no. I could see a 2% differential, but 8? Hell, with less traffic and less passengers (maybe outside of downtown), you'd think drivers wouldn't mind that shift so much.

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