Daily Archives: August 4, 2015

Opinion: Theater of the absurd

By former Assemblyman Steven Sanders

In exactly twelve months the Republican Party will nominate its candidates for president and vice-president. Donald Trump will not be on that ticket. So what is the fascination with him and why is he leading in the early Republican polling?

First of all let’s state the obvious… Donald Trump is not a credible candidate, his personal fortune notwithstanding. He has espoused no serious ideas nor solutions to our nation’s challenges. He is a demagogue and a bully.

No person in American history has been elected President without some political experience in government or high ranking military service. Trump has none. If Donald Trump is the richest person to ever seek the nation’s highest office, he is also the most outlandish. He is a successful and shrewd real estate businessman and media celebrity. And he knows how to attract attention and press coverage.

Up until just a few months ago, aside from his hair-do, he was primarily noted for his hot pursuit of President Obama’s birth certificate. He led the charge of the so called “birthers” who wanted to prove that Barack Obama was not a natural born citizen and consequently not eligible to be President. Even the most rabid Obama haters had to give up that silly effort, but not so Donald Trump.

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Porters reassigned to cover more buildings

Chris Silvera, secretary/treasurer of Teamsters 808, which represents ST/PCV's porters, maintenance men and gardeners

Chris Silvera, secretary/treasurer of Teamsters 808, which represents ST/PCV’s porters, maintenance men and gardeners

By Sabina Mollot

Porters employed in Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village recently learned that as of Monday, July 27, their schedules would be changed so that many of those who’d been working Monday to Friday would have to now work weekends, and on weekends, see their duties increased to cover three buildings instead of the standard two.

Brian Moriarty, speaking on behalf of CompassRock, said the redistribution of porters was to make more of them available when the demand for their services is the highest.

“To better serve the community, we are shifting some porters’ schedules to provide more janitorial coverage during the weekend when more of our residents are home,” he explained.

But one porter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said making one person responsible for three buildings on any given day was going to lead to less clean buildings.

“We can’t do the kind of work they want us to do with three buildings, clean the stairwells, the roofs, the pipes,” he said.

The worker, who’d previously worked Monday to Friday, said some days he’ll have to clean two buildings, but other days three, and it’s always going to be three on Saturdays and Sundays. “That ruins a lot of weekends,” he said. “It’s the only time you spend with your kids and family.”

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