Transport Strike On Tuesday?

[sivan]

At 6pm. I was planning to leave my house at 2 so i could be there by 3. I like to get there 3 hours in advance so i dont feel rushed.

Blocking the roads is yet another example of how selfish people in this country can be. Absolutely no respect for other people. (Before anyone gets crazy - I have lived here for 8 years and am married to an Argentine! Of course there are lovely Argentines and i acknowledge that that statement is a generalisation.)

 

[ben]

Just thinking: how dangerous would it be to drive through the provincia to the airport? Boca/Barracas, Avellaneda, Lanus, Lomas de Zamora and then the Ezeiza - Canuelas highway the other way. For example, like this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Viaducto+Carranza,+Buenos+Aires,+Argentina&daddr=-34.66278,-58.38826+to:-34.774575,-58.4052664+to:Ministro+Pistarini+International+Airport,+Ezeiza,+Buenos+Aires,+Argentina&hl=en&sll=-34.648037,-58.399887&sspn=0.124132,0.264187&geocode=FQRt8P0ddlqE_CllF6bRlbW8lTHi4CXxP1yTWw%3BFYQW7_0d3BCF_CnD8iXOpsy8lTEpvwmzDufN4w%3BFdFh7f0dbs6E_Ckh35FI5dK8lTELjCsbrpKtgg%3BFaWm7P0d9tOC_CE7zEHUgW-b8SlXpd7i9NC8lTE7zEHUgW-b8Q&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1,2&t=m&z=11

I don't imagine it could be too dangerous during the day?

 

[sivan]

my in laws live in lanus so i have actually gone to EZE from their house before and we probably took that route. that might be a good idea! thanks for the tip.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

This looks to be a serious issue. I would not be surprised if Campora shows up picking a fight. I've heard, but not confirmed, that some people in Argentina actually have guns.

http://www.clarin.com/politica/piqueteros-anuncian-cortes-pais_0_813518779.html

We've put in place a work-from-home plan for our employees tomorrow.

Be careful (seriously).

And, have a nice day.

GS

 

[Rich One]

I would make sure the flight is leaving at all! serous delays expected due to piquetes, and personnell unable to reach workposts, catering, baggage handlers, also some Aerocomercial Union is adhering to the General Strike.

 

[kurtdillard]

Just thinking: how dangerous would it be to drive through the provincia to the airport? Boca/Barracas, Avellaneda, Lanus, Lomas de Zamora and then the Ezeiza - Canuelas highway...

I have some friends who live in Lomas de Zamora and often spend a few hours at their home when I have long layovers in Bs. As. That route is less safe than the freeways, I've had a few drivers grumble about heading out that way, but its the only way to go to EZE if the freeways are blocked. It not a secret though, all the other remises and taxis will be heading that way during the strike so expect your trip to take hours.

I boggle at all the complaints about the inconvience imposed by strikers on this forum. Its depressing that so many people from the US have no understanding of the history of political protest in our own country. What's the point of holding a political protest or strike if nobody notices? More than a few rightwingers complained about how inconvient the civil rights of the 50s, 60s, and 70s were but the big the protests with a big impact on the daily lives of regular folks got a lot more media attention. Its only through focus by the media that the less fortunate where able to slowly move the country to a more just and humane way of treating minorities. I'm not sure that tomorrow's strike is as momentous as marches led by Dr. King, but it seems to have a broad base of support so I think its likely that many of the participants have legitimate reasons to protest. Most of us on this forum know very little about their issues, or the conflicts behind other protests in Argentina; that being the case I try to get an idea of who is participating and sponsoring. If its the professional piquateros from Sra Kirchner (aka violent thugs) I have no sympathy, but if its a bunch of working class schlubs I tend to give them some patience.

I'm sad that unions have become so unpopular in the US, even unions of teachers, fire fighters, policemen, and others who serve our interests are ridiculed by Fox news and other media outlets. How a pundit can call a fire fighter's union communist or socialist and then claim they support the interests of fire fighters is beyond my ability to comprehend. Attention workers of the western world: if it were not for unions organizing workers and leading hundreds of strikes across North America and Europe from 1870 - 1940 we would not have 40 hour work weeks, over time, laws protecting worker safety, employer provided health insurance, pensions, or tons of other important protections.

 

[citygirl]

Oh please - the unions right to strike (which I whole-heartedly support) does NOT outweigh the rights of everyone else. And please, do tell, what is the effectiveness of cutting off highways? They can't stay home and/or go protest in front of the government buildings? No, instead they burn tires and blockade highways. Sorry - f'ing ridiculous in my opinion and it has nothing to do with me being unaware of the reasons behind it or anti-union.

Sivan - I believe LAN is honoring the strike (or so I read) along with Aerolineas so your flight will probably be canceled.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

I would expect flights to be cancelled tomorrow.

As far as unions go I think they were started for the right reasons. Workers were very often taken advantage of and abused. However, as an executive - both in the US and here - I find today most unions are no better than the mafia. They do whatever they can to extort from "the rich" executives, as one union leader called me, without any concern for what it takes to actually run a business and compete with every other company that wants to eat your lunch. The syndicatos here are the same, or worse.

Have a nice day.

GS

 

[kurtdillard]

That's a valid observation Dirtboy, some unions became more focused on maintaining their own existence than in helping the workers they supposedly represent. I don't have enough data to offer an estimate on what percentage of unions operate in the best interests of their members, but I know of many that do. Effective unions negotiate in good faith and work to find arrangements that are beneficial to both the workers and the businesses where they work. Didn't the various autoworker unions give up a great deal during the recent bailout in exchange for partial ownership in the auto companies for the members? I thought that the AA pilots were negotiating along those lines too, they hope to get some equity in the company while giving up some of the other benefits in their current contract. On the other hand, I remember the union that represents the UAL groundworkers going against the wishes of most workers by helping to push the airline into bankruptcy years ago.

 

[fifs2]

That's a valid observation Dirtboy, some unions became more focused on maintaining their own existence than in helping the workers they supposedly represent. I don't have enough data to offer an estimate on what percentage of unions operate in the best interests of their members, but I know of many that do. Effective unions negotiate in good faith and work to find arrangements that are beneficial to both the workers and the businesses where they work. Didn't the various autoworker unions give up a great deal during the recent bailout in exchange for partial ownership in the auto companies for the members? I thought that the AA pilots were negotiating along those lines too, they hope to get some equity in the company while giving up some of the other benefits in their current contract. On the other hand, I remember the union that represents the UAL groundworkers going against the wishes of most workers by helping to push the airline into bankruptcy years ago.

As my husband always says - sweden is an example of how modern day unionism can work where both empployers and employees come togetehr to discuss how to make a successful business which in the end benefits both parties...he's 53, hasnt lived in sweden for 30 years but I do like ot hear his fairytales and Im'm 100% with Dirtboy that for whatever reason unions were fornedfor the good they sure as hell work against productivity, job security and profitability in Bsas at least...