Fireworks for sure
Last night (Thursday, December 20, 2007) I went to the regular monthly business-meeting of my old bus-union at Regional Transit Service in Rochester, Local 282 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, the union for transit-employees nationwide.
About 20 were in attendance, the usual motley collection of ignorant whiners and complainers — plus about seven on the podium.
Old business: “first we gotta vote on the new copier,” Business-Agent Frank Falzone (“Foul-ZONE”) said. “I’ll turn this over to Matt Shaw, who pursued it.”
“Yada-yada-yada ... $119 (or whatever) a month lease ... printer, fax machine, scanner, copier; the whole shebang ... yada-yada-yada.”
“What if we buy it outright?” someone shrieked.
“$6,000; and that doesn’t include a service-contract,” Matt said.
Finally a vote was taken. “Next we’ll discuss the proposed union-computer,” Frank said.
“Uh-ohhh...” I thought to myself. Fireworks for sure.
The copier passed. My old 282-News was “printed” on the union-copier — but that was Toshiba; the new one would be Canon. “We’re payin’ more per month for toner,” Matt said.
Next item of business: “Again, I’ll turn the discussion over to Matt Shaw,” Frank said. “He pursued the computer purchase too.”
Matt is apparently on the Executive Board of Local 282. He apparently did ‘pyooter installation for the Army, and does ‘pyooter-installations as a part-time job.
Again: “Yada-yada-yada-yada ... total cost of entire system; $8,025.”
A noisy wave of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth overswept the hall.
“The Chair recognizes Darryl.”
“I got a computer at Circuit-City and it didn’t cost no $8,000.”
“I got mine at Best Buy and it cost $1,000,” someone yelled.
“The Chair recognizes Ozzie.”
“I got a sister in Trenton, N.J.,” Ozzie bellowed, “and she has a PH-D in ‘pyooters!”
(Here we go....)
“She sets up ‘pyooters for the gumint,” he yelled. “You give me $450, and I can set you up!”
“Uh, sure,” I thought to myself. “...From the back of the faded blue Econoline in the old Tops parking-lot on Joseph Ave.”
Later, at home, my wife said 450 smackaroos would get a decent ‘pyooter; but only a ‘pyooter, not a complete system. And the ‘pyooter would be a desktop; not a laptop.
Item-by-item Shaw ticked off the parts of the proposed system: two work stations, a server, battery standby, auto file backup, anti-virus, and about six applications, including the vaunted “MUMS” application, written for unions, that the Washington, D.C. central office wants all the locals to have. ($1,200 — half of which gets rebated by the central-office after four months’ use.)
“What do we need a server for?” I asked.
“So people outside can access our files. Ya won’t need to be in the office.”
“I don’t think ya need a server for that,” I said.
“How many ‘pyooters does our Union currently have?” someone asked.
“Currently none,” Frank said.
“I see two ‘pyooters on the podium,” someone said.
“Yep,” Frank said. “This one’s Blocchi’s (John “BLOCK-eee” — the Recording Secretary), and that one down there is Matt’s.”
“So that’s two right there, and Joe (Carey; the Union-Prez) also has his own.”
“Wait a minute!” Frank bellowed. “My kids at home let me play with their’s occasionally.”
“The cost of this system is two seven-dollar assessments per member,” said Matt. “We pay way more than that for arbitrations. I got bids clear up to $12,000.”
“So what did the Executive-Board think?”
“Unanimous,” said Frank.
“What about other locals in New York state? What about Syracuse? What about Buffalo?”
“I don’t know about those two,” Frank said; “but Albany has MUMS, and they wish they had gotten it sooner.”
The proposed ‘pyooter-system crashed mightily in flames.
“Will all in favor of purchasing the proposed system please raise their hands?”
No hands.
“Will all opposed to purchasing the proposed system please raise their hands?”
A forest of hands shot up. (Raise both hands to be counted twice!)
“You guys want a computer? Ya can’t even get us a bylaws-book.”
“With a ‘pyooter we could easily print a bylaws-book.”
About 20 were in attendance, the usual motley collection of ignorant whiners and complainers — plus about seven on the podium.
Old business: “first we gotta vote on the new copier,” Business-Agent Frank Falzone (“Foul-ZONE”) said. “I’ll turn this over to Matt Shaw, who pursued it.”
“Yada-yada-yada ... $119 (or whatever) a month lease ... printer, fax machine, scanner, copier; the whole shebang ... yada-yada-yada.”
“What if we buy it outright?” someone shrieked.
“$6,000; and that doesn’t include a service-contract,” Matt said.
Finally a vote was taken. “Next we’ll discuss the proposed union-computer,” Frank said.
“Uh-ohhh...” I thought to myself. Fireworks for sure.
The copier passed. My old 282-News was “printed” on the union-copier — but that was Toshiba; the new one would be Canon. “We’re payin’ more per month for toner,” Matt said.
Next item of business: “Again, I’ll turn the discussion over to Matt Shaw,” Frank said. “He pursued the computer purchase too.”
Matt is apparently on the Executive Board of Local 282. He apparently did ‘pyooter installation for the Army, and does ‘pyooter-installations as a part-time job.
Again: “Yada-yada-yada-yada ... total cost of entire system; $8,025.”
A noisy wave of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth overswept the hall.
“The Chair recognizes Darryl.”
“I got a computer at Circuit-City and it didn’t cost no $8,000.”
“I got mine at Best Buy and it cost $1,000,” someone yelled.
“The Chair recognizes Ozzie.”
“I got a sister in Trenton, N.J.,” Ozzie bellowed, “and she has a PH-D in ‘pyooters!”
(Here we go....)
“She sets up ‘pyooters for the gumint,” he yelled. “You give me $450, and I can set you up!”
“Uh, sure,” I thought to myself. “...From the back of the faded blue Econoline in the old Tops parking-lot on Joseph Ave.”
Later, at home, my wife said 450 smackaroos would get a decent ‘pyooter; but only a ‘pyooter, not a complete system. And the ‘pyooter would be a desktop; not a laptop.
Item-by-item Shaw ticked off the parts of the proposed system: two work stations, a server, battery standby, auto file backup, anti-virus, and about six applications, including the vaunted “MUMS” application, written for unions, that the Washington, D.C. central office wants all the locals to have. ($1,200 — half of which gets rebated by the central-office after four months’ use.)
“What do we need a server for?” I asked.
“So people outside can access our files. Ya won’t need to be in the office.”
“I don’t think ya need a server for that,” I said.
“How many ‘pyooters does our Union currently have?” someone asked.
“Currently none,” Frank said.
“I see two ‘pyooters on the podium,” someone said.
“Yep,” Frank said. “This one’s Blocchi’s (John “BLOCK-eee” — the Recording Secretary), and that one down there is Matt’s.”
“So that’s two right there, and Joe (Carey; the Union-Prez) also has his own.”
“Wait a minute!” Frank bellowed. “My kids at home let me play with their’s occasionally.”
“The cost of this system is two seven-dollar assessments per member,” said Matt. “We pay way more than that for arbitrations. I got bids clear up to $12,000.”
“So what did the Executive-Board think?”
“Unanimous,” said Frank.
“What about other locals in New York state? What about Syracuse? What about Buffalo?”
“I don’t know about those two,” Frank said; “but Albany has MUMS, and they wish they had gotten it sooner.”
The proposed ‘pyooter-system crashed mightily in flames.
“Will all in favor of purchasing the proposed system please raise their hands?”
No hands.
“Will all opposed to purchasing the proposed system please raise their hands?”
A forest of hands shot up. (Raise both hands to be counted twice!)
“You guys want a computer? Ya can’t even get us a bylaws-book.”
“With a ‘pyooter we could easily print a bylaws-book.”
posted by BobbaLew at 3:23 PM
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