30 seconds my azz? Have YOU lost your mind. You ever been stuck at the bay bridge toll booth on a busy summer weekend?
Dockworkers strike
- Thread starter vraiblonde
- Start date
One of the companies I worked for in the 90s and early 2000s gave me 6 weeks.
It was a really nice paycheck when I changed companies and cashed out in 2007.
glhs837
Power with Control
You know you can use an EZpass without a credit card. They accept cash or money orders. And the $25 cost of the unit is applied as a credit for that amount on the account. So its effectively free. We just have the one unit we toss in whatever vehicle we'll be running through the tolls. Including the bike
glhs837
Power with Control
Doesn't matter what they were going to do with it. Taking it way for a jobs program isn't right. And I'm not raging, I just prefer not to waste time in line for a toll. I'll take longer to do things when I wish. Travelling to Langhorne PA regularly, I would take the back roads, adding 45 minutes or more to the trip to take the backroads. But I want to spend my time as I choose.
I did that for a year or two. Had two vehicles linked to one EZPass. Usually the wife had the transponder in her car. I finally got a second transponder six months ago.
OccamsRazor
Well-Known Member
Weird! When I applied for an EXPass they only took credit card or checking account with routing number. And when I tried to use the checking account and routing number, the system would not take it. It would ONLY take the credit card info. I didn't want to use CC because they expire and I didn't want to have to log into the account every 3 years to update it. Everyone I talked to said they couldn't link their EZPass to a checking account.You know you can use an EZpass without a credit card. They accept cash or money orders. And the $25 cost of the unit is applied as a credit for that amount on the account. So its effectively free. We just have the one unit we toss in whatever vehicle we'll be running through the tolls. Including the bike
glhs837
Power with Control
But I didn't mention a checking account. I said cashiers check or cash. You can mail either one in. Me I just have it linked to my debit card that pulls out of my checking account. Reloads for I think 25 bucks when it gets low.Weird! When I applied for an EXPass they only took credit card or checking account with routing number. And when I tried to use the checking account and routing number, the system would not take it. It would ONLY take the credit card info. I didn't want to use CC because they expire and I didn't want to have to log into the account every 3 years to update it. Everyone I talked to said they couldn't link their EZPass to a checking account.
OccamsRazor
Well-Known Member
Same problem. Debt cards expire. ACH to a checking account does not. Like I said, everyone I asked who tried to link it to a checking account with an ACH transaction said the system would not take it. Different banks. None would work. Its like the system forces you to use credit or debit cards even though they offer an ACH transaction option.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Youve never been sitting for 30+ minutes at a toll booth backup while you have to piss badly, have you?
glhs837
Power with Control
I log in more frequently to pull toll charges for work travel claims, but I understand.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
That's a 1st world problem if I ever heard one
black dog
Free America
Been a long time since the lines of traffic in the 70s and 80's
The second story in our DeSantis series begins with the Washington Post, which ran a good-news article yesterday headlined, “Dockworkers’ union suspends strike, ports reopen on East and Gulf coasts.” Port operators agreed to give longshoremen eye-watering raises of +62% in a deal guaranteeing ports stay open through at least January 15th. The deal prevented a potentially catastrophic economic collapse. We can once again thank Florida’s Governor.
I don’t know how he does it. While occupied with catastrophic damage to several parts of the state, a slavering media hot on his heels for any slipup or mistake, DeSantis somehow found time to coordinate help for other states. But that wasn’t all. Florida’s Governor also leaped into the port strike disaster.
Yesterday afternoon, DeSantis deployed the Florida National Guard to Florida’s ports to keep supplies flowing amid the dockworker strike. The Governor was appalled at the looming supply chain disruptions, especially in light of desperately needed recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene.
DeSantis said, nope, that’s not happening on my watch. Here’s his tweet from around two o’clock yesterday:
Remember, Biden holds the power to end the Longshoreman’s strike instantly by signing a piece of paper invoking the ineloquently named Smoot-Hawley Act, which would impose an 80-day cooling-off period. Had he done so, it would have gotten the nation at least past the immediate Hurricane recovery.
Six hours after DeSantis’ announcement, around nine o’clock, the Longshoremen announced good news! They accepted the deal in the Washington Post’s headline. Suddenly everyone was happy and contented — even though the deal was silent as to the Longshoremen’s top priority of preventing port automation:
A sixty-two percent raise sounds like a lot. But the union had previously rejected offers of a fifty-percent raise:
It’s possible negotiations were ongoing behind the scenes and Biden Administration officials maintained uncharacteristic discipline about them. But I don’t believe that. The timeline is too compelling.
It seems more likely the Biden Administration decided that after Operation Blue Ridge, it couldn’t afford to let DeSantis again embarrass the feds. A phone call was made during which a two-word Act rhyming with ‘Fruit Bally’ was mentioned. Negotiations ensued. The Longshoremen accepted a generous raise and stood down about the robots. To avoid Smoot-Hawley.
Now, all of a sudden, they are excited and energized. Who cares about robots?
The reason doesn’t matter. The end of the strike before the supply chain collapsed is good news either way. But I think it is not unfair to conclude that Florida Governor DeSantis is single-handedly saving the country.
☕️ AMERICA’S GOVERNOR ☙ Friday, October 4, 2024 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠
Once again, Florida's Governor DeSantis proves his salt in perfect trifecta of response to multiple catastrophes; the pros and cons of FEMA activation; good news for supply chain; conspiracies; more.
www.coffeeandcovid.com
Amazing fix the bridge at Kent narrows install EZ pass not many traffic problems unless a jumper shows up.
Chopticon64
Well-Known Member
The usual suspects who cheer for any damage to this county won’t celebrate how this potential catastrophe was resolved quickly.
This is a real question:
How many people who cross those bridges/travel those roads do so regularly, and how many are random travelers? The reason I ask is if you go through the tolls regularly of course you'd have EZPass, but if you're just passing through you're going to want to pay as you go.
In Texas their system is to flash your license plate as you enter the toll road, then send you a bill. I want to say the city of Miami had a similar deal. No toll booths, no nothing, you just drive like normal and there was a sign before the toll road saying so and how much they're going to charge you.
Sneakers
Just sneakin' around....
That was TPD's original comment. You can do that, no stopping, just keep driving in any case, but it costs you twice as much (at the MD/VA bridge) than having an EZPass.
OccamsRazor
Well-Known Member
Lol. I would agree with that.
Still.. why offer an ACH option for payment if the system auto-denies it? Tax dollars went into creating that system that only works 50%.