The Three Men I Admire The Most...

Ok, there are a few topics you just don't talk about at work.
They include religion & politics.

And that's exactly what a portion of your Taxes & Fares pay for - religious & political propaganda!

Let me back up here.

As an RTD Driver, I'm forced to be a member of the AT Union.
I say forced because if I want the job, I have to pay their extorion fee.
If I don't want to pay, I give up the job.

The Union deducts (steals) around $50 a month from my paycheck.
There are literally thousands of RTD Drivers (including RTD & the contractors who drive RTD buses).
That's a ton of money in their pockets.

That money (from YOUR Fares & Taxes) goes to support religious and political agenda that I'm sure not everybody agrees with.
I know I don't agree with a single bit of it.

For example, I'm a "Christian" and within my beliefs is the opposition to what we're taught are sins such as abortion & homosexuality.
The Union just sent out a mass mailing (using your Tax & Fare dollars!) to "recommend" to all the Drivers to vote for Candidates who support these issues.

And whether you agree with them or not - makes no difference.
Public tax dollars, public funds should not be used to supports ANY religious or political agendas.

The Union allows Drivers to "opt out" of paying what they say is a very tiny portion of the monthly extortion that supports this political and religious agenda.

And I've "opted out" according to their instructions, three times so far.
And they still take out the same amount.
Many other Drivers have told me the same - we all have the same amount extorted from us, regardless of our attempts to curtail this behaviour.

Again, whether you agree with the opinions & beliefs of the Union, your money should not be supporting this behaviour.
And trust me, it NEVER becomes "my" money before the Union steals it.
They "deduct it" straight from RTD - long before it gets deposited into my account.

They do that because they know most of us would NEVER pay otherwise.

If you disagree with my beliefs look at it from another point of view:
Would you like your Taxes and Fares supporting the Union sending out mass mailings to all the Drivers, mailings that recommend we all vote for candidates who support the Personhood Amendment, or who are against the new healthcare Bill?
Wouldn't that grate your cheese and get you all fired up?

That's the point of my post.

This mass mailing offended me.
Not just as a Christian but as an employee.
As a Tax Payer and as a Passenger who has paid a Fare or two over the years.
To know that my money, your money goes to support this is both offensive and upsetting.
When I voiced this to the Union, they said they'd remove me from the mailing list.
I asked if they'd removed ALL Drivers and cut the mailings out and he said no.
The mailing would still go out to others, I'd just be removed.
Kinda like sticking my head in the sand for me!

And RTD just pulled out the big guns and talked The Front Range into a Fare increase because they were millions in the hole.
If we took the 100s of thousands of dollars each month that RTD pays the Union and put that back into the system, we'd have newer buses, more Drivers, more routes, cleaner and more stops.
Stops that have lights that work, etc etc etc etc etc.

Instead, our Taxes & Fares are applied to the religious & political agenda being pushed on Drivers by the Union.

Again - I want you to remember that this is MY blog, filled with MY thoughts & opinions.
Not RTD's.
They neither support nor endorse this blog.

And I'm not trying to convert anybody to my beliefs by telling y'all this.
I'm trying to point out some MAJOR waste.
Some inappropriate spending - giving money to the Union so they can use it to promote their religious & political agendas, regardless of what those agendas are.

I hope y'all see that.

I don't know what the "fix" is.
Personally & professionally, I'd like to be rid of the Union.
Mostly because I feel RTD could deliver better product & service without the Union.
All the Union does is guarantee that the grumpy, mean and angry Drivers are kept around.
That the wages are kept low.

And that your taxes and fares are spent pushing a religious & political agenda.

Hey, that's my two cents (or in this case, $50!)

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"