Mechanics at the MTA walked out Tuesday to demand that their healthcare benefits be preserved. The pro-business media were critical of the middle-class wages of around $50k earned by the mechanics, but didn't discuss the level of skill required to repair buses, or enlarge the story to include the issue of universal health care implied by the strikers' demands.
Wednesday, contract bus drivers walked out over a contract dispute. An LA Times story echoed the MTA's rhetorical argument that the strikers are well paid workers pitted against the underpaid, underinsured workers who ride the buses. They did not explicitly contrast this with the vital role inexpensive public transit plays in enabling business to pay these lower wages.
Also, Sheriffs On Strike Over Salaries: LA Sheriffs have also been having a sickout for most of October for wage increases that continue the County's habit of granting raises that outpace inflation. The average annual pay for a County cop is $71k, often significantly more than that of the people they serve and/or arrest. (LAT)
