Mike Green
Yesterday (Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Tax Day) another quarterly meeting of the dreaded Alumni came-and-went.
The so-called “Alumni” are the union retirees (Local 282, the Rochester local of the nationwide Amalgamated Transit Union) of Regional Transit Service (“Transit”) in Rochester, N.Y. (For 16&1/2 years [1977-1993] I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service [RTS], the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY.) The Alumni was a reaction to the fact Transit management retirees ran roughshod over union retirees — a continuation of the bad vibes at Transit: management versus union.
Transit had a club for long-time employees, and I was in it. It was called the “15/25-year Club;” I guess at first the “25-year Club.” But they lowered the employment requirement, and renamed it “15/25-year Club.” The employment requirement was lowered even more; I joined at 10 years. My employ there ended in 1993 with my stroke; and the “Alumni” didn’t exist then. The Alumni is a special club — you have to join.
It was held, as always, at the vaunted Blue Horizon Diner across from the Rochester International Airport; a diner badly in need of Ty Pennington.
Everything seems dusty and moldy, as if it’s been that way since the Disco Era.
The Rest Rooms look like holding-cells from Guantánamo — no windows; the electricity has to work.
The Rest Room door hung ajar until I slammed it shut, the booth-door lock didn’t work, and the toilet-seat came off in my hand.
The single bare bulb looked some something Thomas Edison had invented.
The toilet looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years; what I could see of it in the dim light.
At least it flushed, although it made a gurgling sound.
I didn’t have to take off the lid and jiggle the plunger.
Jets flew low overhead on final approach to Runway 22.
Our meeting was in a lounge with a bar, although they weren’t serving drinks.
Every once in a while, everything went dark, as someone flipped the wrong light-switch.
That lounge was another dungeon; no windows.
The Monroe County District Attorney, one Mike Green (pictured), a media-star, had come, ostensibly to talk about Senior scams.
Green runs a HUGE operation; 80 attorneys. They prosecute crimes; misdemeanors and felonies, including murders.
It woulda been one of his minions, but his visit was arranged by previous Transit head-honcho, Don Riley, who also was there, and had made use of his political connections.
“I’ve been granted a reprieve by my probation officer,” Riley said; “since I threatened to kill Joe and Frank (Local 282’s officers) so many times.
And the empty chairs are people avoiding arrest for skipping probation,” Riley added. “They’ll return after Green leaves.”
Green started with his tax joke.
“IRS agents wanted to prosecute people who haven’t paid taxes. They opened the Yellow Pages and started calling attorneys at random.
Sure enough, they found a slew of attorneys that hadn’t paid their taxes.”
The meeting was supposed to be about Senior scams, but was more a campaign event. (The Monroe County DA is elected.)
Green bewailed reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, that are being reformed because they supposedly toss the undeserving in jail.
“We rarely jail the low-grade user. We try to get them into Rehab.
The ones we jail are the kingpins.”
Finally, the meeting turned to Senior scams.
“Be very careful,” Green said. “Scammers are ‘phishing;’ putting up Internet web-sites that mimic bank web-sites. It’s a way to steal your identity.
Call the bank first, and see if they asked for an update.”
“What about these e-mails I get saying I’ve won 89 bazilyun dollars, and all I hafta do is send $1,500 to begin collection?” someone asked.
“Probably from Kenya,” Green said.
“DELETE!” I shouted. “If I don’t recognize the sender, I trash it immediately, and that includes the stuff supposedly from PayPal.”
Vinnie Arena (“ah-REE-nuh”) a fellow retired bus-driver who started shortly after me, and once got mugged in the driver-seat by punks, said he responded to the 89 bazilyun dollar e-mails by suggesting the sender skim off what they need, and send the remainder.
“NOT THIS KID!” I said. “Respond to such an e-mail, and they think they hooked one.”
“And what about all the credit-card offers, and notification of HUGE inheritances mailed from Nepal?” someone asked.
“IN THE SHREDDER!” I said. “There is no free lunch! If it looks suspicious, it is.”
The discussion turned to “sexting.” (I don’t know what this has to do with Senior scams.)
“People have no idea how serious this is,” Green said.
“Someone snaps an innocent though pornographic picture, and soon it’s on every teenager’s cellphone.
My suggestion is talk to your kids. I did, and my kids were dumbfounded I knew what ‘sexting’ was.”
“One more question,” Riley said.
“We always appreciated the efforts of Mike when we lost Mary Jackson,” Joe said. (Joe Carey [“CARRY”] is the president of Local 282.)
Bus-driver Mary Jackson was killed on duty by a bus-passenger. That passenger was later charged with murder and imprisoned.
“We got justice,” Green said.
“Yeah, but now he’s back on-the-street,” someone said.
“He is,” another added.
“Isn’t there some way we can put these thugs in the slammer, and throw away the key?” someone asked.
“Not under the current laws,” Green said. “Serve two-thirds of your sentence with good behavior, and you’re eligible for parole.
The only way to reverse that is change the law.”
The so-called “Alumni” are the union retirees (Local 282, the Rochester local of the nationwide Amalgamated Transit Union) of Regional Transit Service (“Transit”) in Rochester, N.Y. (For 16&1/2 years [1977-1993] I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service [RTS], the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY.) The Alumni was a reaction to the fact Transit management retirees ran roughshod over union retirees — a continuation of the bad vibes at Transit: management versus union.
Transit had a club for long-time employees, and I was in it. It was called the “15/25-year Club;” I guess at first the “25-year Club.” But they lowered the employment requirement, and renamed it “15/25-year Club.” The employment requirement was lowered even more; I joined at 10 years. My employ there ended in 1993 with my stroke; and the “Alumni” didn’t exist then. The Alumni is a special club — you have to join.
It was held, as always, at the vaunted Blue Horizon Diner across from the Rochester International Airport; a diner badly in need of Ty Pennington.
Everything seems dusty and moldy, as if it’s been that way since the Disco Era.
The Rest Rooms look like holding-cells from Guantánamo — no windows; the electricity has to work.
The Rest Room door hung ajar until I slammed it shut, the booth-door lock didn’t work, and the toilet-seat came off in my hand.
The single bare bulb looked some something Thomas Edison had invented.
The toilet looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years; what I could see of it in the dim light.
At least it flushed, although it made a gurgling sound.
I didn’t have to take off the lid and jiggle the plunger.
Jets flew low overhead on final approach to Runway 22.
Our meeting was in a lounge with a bar, although they weren’t serving drinks.
Every once in a while, everything went dark, as someone flipped the wrong light-switch.
That lounge was another dungeon; no windows.
 |
| Mike Green |
Green runs a HUGE operation; 80 attorneys. They prosecute crimes; misdemeanors and felonies, including murders.
It woulda been one of his minions, but his visit was arranged by previous Transit head-honcho, Don Riley, who also was there, and had made use of his political connections.
“I’ve been granted a reprieve by my probation officer,” Riley said; “since I threatened to kill Joe and Frank (Local 282’s officers) so many times.
And the empty chairs are people avoiding arrest for skipping probation,” Riley added. “They’ll return after Green leaves.”
Green started with his tax joke.
“IRS agents wanted to prosecute people who haven’t paid taxes. They opened the Yellow Pages and started calling attorneys at random.
Sure enough, they found a slew of attorneys that hadn’t paid their taxes.”
The meeting was supposed to be about Senior scams, but was more a campaign event. (The Monroe County DA is elected.)
Green bewailed reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, that are being reformed because they supposedly toss the undeserving in jail.
“We rarely jail the low-grade user. We try to get them into Rehab.
The ones we jail are the kingpins.”
Finally, the meeting turned to Senior scams.
“Be very careful,” Green said. “Scammers are ‘phishing;’ putting up Internet web-sites that mimic bank web-sites. It’s a way to steal your identity.
Call the bank first, and see if they asked for an update.”
“What about these e-mails I get saying I’ve won 89 bazilyun dollars, and all I hafta do is send $1,500 to begin collection?” someone asked.
“Probably from Kenya,” Green said.
“DELETE!” I shouted. “If I don’t recognize the sender, I trash it immediately, and that includes the stuff supposedly from PayPal.”
Vinnie Arena (“ah-REE-nuh”) a fellow retired bus-driver who started shortly after me, and once got mugged in the driver-seat by punks, said he responded to the 89 bazilyun dollar e-mails by suggesting the sender skim off what they need, and send the remainder.
“NOT THIS KID!” I said. “Respond to such an e-mail, and they think they hooked one.”
“And what about all the credit-card offers, and notification of HUGE inheritances mailed from Nepal?” someone asked.
“IN THE SHREDDER!” I said. “There is no free lunch! If it looks suspicious, it is.”
The discussion turned to “sexting.” (I don’t know what this has to do with Senior scams.)
“People have no idea how serious this is,” Green said.
“Someone snaps an innocent though pornographic picture, and soon it’s on every teenager’s cellphone.
My suggestion is talk to your kids. I did, and my kids were dumbfounded I knew what ‘sexting’ was.”
“One more question,” Riley said.
“We always appreciated the efforts of Mike when we lost Mary Jackson,” Joe said. (Joe Carey [“CARRY”] is the president of Local 282.)
Bus-driver Mary Jackson was killed on duty by a bus-passenger. That passenger was later charged with murder and imprisoned.
“We got justice,” Green said.
“Yeah, but now he’s back on-the-street,” someone said.
“He is,” another added.
“Isn’t there some way we can put these thugs in the slammer, and throw away the key?” someone asked.
“Not under the current laws,” Green said. “Serve two-thirds of your sentence with good behavior, and you’re eligible for parole.
The only way to reverse that is change the law.”
Labels: 282 Alumni
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