Letter: Let LIRR workers strike, hire new
I'd like to suggest the following, in regard to "A realistic pay offer for LIRR's union workers" [Editorial, April 24] and a possible Long Island Rail Road strike in July.
The key question is whether the Long Island Rail Road offer is fair to the employees. Since LIRR employee wages are well above minimum, that question depends on what the market says is fair.
If the union strikes, the LIRR should see whether it can replace these workers with qualified employees at the proposed salaries. If it cannot, then I suggest the LIRR give in to union demands.
But if the railroad can hire replacements, let the strikers go. Giving in to unreasonable, above-market demands is unfair to both LIRR customers and the taxpayers who subsidize the railroad.
Frank J. Russo, Port Washington
Editor's note: The writer is an anti-tax activist.
Missed opportunity for desperate man
I just read "Life and theft on the 6:01 to Hicksville" [Expressway, April 19.
The incident of the man who stayed too long in the bathroom to avoid paying his Long Island Rail Road fare made me sad. A person has to be pretty darn desperate to stay in a train bathroom longer than a minute or two!
Amazing that the writer even came up with a title for the guy: the evader! When the guy who reported "the evader" to the conductor then flashed cash to pay the fare -- not to help, but in an attempt to further embarrass the guy -- I literally let out a sigh.
Kindness really does matter. Who knows what this guy was dealing with? The whistle-blower and everyone else thinking the worst of this guy missed out on an opportunity to lift him up rather than put him down. It can change you and the person you help in a positive way.
Patricia Quinn, Rockville Centre
Dedicate a part of camera fines
The ultimate goals of speed cameras are no speeding, zero revenues and zero fatalities and injuries ["Opposed to cameras in school zones," Letters, April 24].
Long Island is home to the deadliest roads in the region for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, and speed cameras are an enforcement tool to make roads safer for everyone.
Not only is speeding illegal, but it is a leading contributor to fatalities and injuries. A person hit by a car traveling 40 mph has a 70 percent chance of dying, while a person hit by a car traveling 30 mph has an 80 percent chance of surviving.
Speed cameras work. Studies show that cameras have led to a 71 percent reduction in speeding and 45 percent reduction in fatalities and injuries.
To combat concerns about speed cameras as mere revenue generators, Nassau and Suffolk counties should dedicate 25 percent of fines to building pedestrian, bicycle and speed-reduction infrastructure. That may one day make the need for speed cameras obsolete.
Ryan Lynch, Manhattan
Editor's note: The writer is the Long Island coordinator for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit policy watchdog.
Mobile home move done sensitively
After reading "Firm hired to help evictees-to-be move" [News, April 21], I am very impressed with the Town of Babylon. The decision to hire Adelante of Suffolk County Inc. to help relocate residents from Frontier Mobile Home Park in North Amityville is highly commendable.
It's great that the town went to the length of having translators go door to door to explain details of the new construction to the predominantly Spanish-speaking residents, and how it will affect them. Many of these residents likely did not realize that they were eligible to receive money to cover the cost of their relocations.
As a student studying social work, I find it very inspiring to hear about town officials taking extra steps to ensure the well-being of lower-income citizens.
Frank Chapman, Selden
Too much focus on Nassau contracts
I'm so tired of the numerous articles Newsday prints about the "deal" Nassau County has with its public unions ["Nassau union deals: crunchtime," News, April 13].
The continuous focus on public workers has come to the point of insulting the men and women who keep Nassau a great place to live, work and raise families. We pay taxes just like everybody else. It's been a struggle to support our families, especially for the workers stuck at low pay over the last three years.
Please remember that these workers have contracts and are making concessions again to lift the freeze. What Newsday should focus on is not what burden this new renegotiated deal will have on the public, but how much overtime the county is paying for a dwindled workforce.
Nobody in the unions is getting rich, and despite school taxes going up each year, the Nassau portion of tax bills has not risen.
James Gampel, Mount Sinai
Editor's note: The writer works for Nassau County.
