Submitted by Daniel Smith, Apr 8, 2007 00:28

When reading this article I practically fell out of my chair when I came across the starting salries for police officers, fire fighters, and the sanitation workers.  I live in San Francisco and the starting salary for a police officer is form the $60,000's.  I am having a hard time believing that the men and women who perform these jobs in New York City are having an easy time making ends meet on these salaries.  To have the transit operators make more than double than the people who protect, rescue, and clean seems much more than ridiculous, actually pitiful is the word that comes to mind.  i am not saying that the transit operators are not important, more importantly it's what the City of New York is saying, or seems to be saying.  i don't think that I need to say it, I believe that these salries are saying it loud and clear.  Admittedly, I have not the first clue of how t hese unions negotiate and what the major aspects of these negotiatins are, but if this is the best that they could do, something is very wrong here.  The fact these people have to go out every day and serve the public while sacrificing their greatest gift on a daily basis, their very lives, cements their heroism and dedication to their profession.  It just seems that no one is dedicateed to making their quality of life better.   

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