http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_23171478/six-flags-discovery-kingdom-ride-mechanics-picket-after

Wow, I really hope they get it settled soon. I definitely would not go to that park knowing that none of the rides are being maintained. What if a ride has a small malfunction, is that ride closed until the strike is over? There could be a bad snowball effect coming of this.

The park states that the rides are still being properly maintained. Most likely that is being done by non union mechanics.

$36 per hour to work on a Roller Coaster......I picked the wrong maintenance field, lol.

I wouldnt feel safe,you take away mechanics who are familiar with every 'bolt and nut' to bring in mechanics who have to become familiar with new work while trying to keep riders safe.No thanks!

I'm sure that a knowledgeable Ride Tech is no different than a knowledgeable Truck Tech. If someone is certified for the job, they know what to look for whether they have seen a particular ride only once or a hundred times.

Sometimes change is a good thing. I'd probably, in all actuality feel safer with new mechanics. Because you know how most of us are when we get comfortable in our jobs we start taking shortcuts.

The park states that the rides are still being properly maintained. Most likely that is being done by non union mechanics.

$36 per hour to work on a Roller Coaster......I picked the wrong maintenance field, lol.

You do realize that SFDK is in Vallejo, California, right? $36/hr is about $72k/yr, and in Cali that doesnt get you much of anything. I will make no further comment on my thoughts on this whole situation, as my Screen name will allude to which group I am in favor of. For those who dont know, IBEW stands for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

When I worked in the maintenance department at KI in 73/74, we used to be union but we kicked them out due to lousy representation. Other than that park in question, I am not sure if other maintenance workers are unionized.

If you read the link you would be. It tells the number of other Six Flags parks with unionized workers (five). That number includes Great Adventure, in New Jersey, by the way.

I had meant to include, other than KI, I am not sure if other parks in former Paramount Parks and Cedar Fair are, were or ever had been unionized. I have based what I said on when we used to be union in the early to mid 70's and we decertified them. This applies to only the full time maintenance workers.

The park states that the rides are still being properly maintained. Most likely that is being done by non union mechanics.

$36 per hour to work on a Roller Coaster......I picked the wrong maintenance field, lol.

You do realize that SFDK is in Vallejo, California, right? $36/hr is about $72k/yr, and in Cali that doesnt get you much of anything. I will make no further comment on my thoughts on this whole situation, as my Screen name will allude to which group I am in favor of. For those who dont know, IBEW stands for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

I am very familiar with IBEW, Father in Law is an Electrician. I thought about becoming one because he gets to spend a lot of time in Florida

As for my comment on the pay, sorry to offend you and yes I realize where the park is. It was a joke based on the fact that I don't even make half that working on Semi Trucks.