I get so sick and tired of the berating of PMUA. What does it matter when they get it as long as they get it! There is a process they use and just because YOU BERNICE don't know it, it irks you! I have never seen such a group of unhappy, unfullfilled people be concerned about trash. Why don't you just say what the real issue is and stop making insinuations. I did not see you harping this much when one of the workers was injured picking up the garbage, nor did I see the praise when he came back to work. COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN. Who sits in the window waiting on the trash truck so they can take pictures and complain. BUT FYI, if this was Tuesday, they pick up EVERYTHING so that most of the staff can be used to do city wide recycling. SO THERE YOU HAVE IT!
OK, so this morning a PMUA truck pulls up next door, workers see that the garbage bin is empty, so they come to our side and see that our bin was also emptied. What's the big deal? If there is a "process" they use that defies their own schedule, wouldn't it be smart to tell staff so they don't drive a huge truck around, wasting gas and the workers' time?
This is the same agency that fined ratepayers for infractions such as leaving a lid open or not pulling in receptacles by a certain time. So mere mortal ratepayers are supposed to obey all the rules, but PMUA can ignore its own? Try sleeping in on a legal holiday, when PMUA says there is no collection, yet a big, noisy truck pulls up at anywhere from 1:30 to 4 a.m. and wakes you up. This happens on every legal holiday.
As for making this personal, I, Bernice, am just one of hundreds of people who can't fathom how the PMUA operates. Yes, it irks me and a lot more residents. The logic of comparing a tragic incident with adherence to everyday rules is asinine.
In my opinion, PMUA has developed a culture of entitlement that needs correction. DumpPMUA came about for that very reason. So did the more recent interest in disbanding the authority. When a corporation goes off the rails, stakeholders force management to make changes or else. Ratepayers - or maybe the state - will do the same when an authority loses sight of its reason for being.
The real issue here is the fact that PMUA needs to assess whether it is truly adhering to its stated mission.
Apologists for the PMUA will point to its opportunities for parolees and its "family" feeling as an entity. Both are commendable. But the reason authorities statewide are under increased scrutiny is that some have made egregious errors in judgment over fiscal and operational responsibilities. It is simply wasteful to have a posted schedule and then to ignore it for some "process" that not even the workers are privy to, otherwise they would not meet each other coming and going.
The pickups are the most visible manifestation of the PMUA operation to city residents. When people end up having to store trash in their garages because the bins are overflowing due to missed pickups, it does irk them. So does seeing workers show up on a fool's errand because their colleagues have already picked up.
City residents do not want to see inefficiency in basic services. It is as simple as that.
--Bernice
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Bernice:
ReplyDeleteGreat response!
PMUA - Read this clearly. If you are accepting a check from me for services rendered, do it right, accept customer feedback and YOU SHOULD NOT NEVER DEVELOP A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT.
Maybe they were practicing and it was a training mission.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is no schedule and like most of Plainfield government, those in charge have no clue how to run an efficient business. Now we know why other carriers are so much cheaper than PMUA.
ReplyDeletePMUA is going no where.. Until someone in power is willing to look under the rug...
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor will defend it, then decry it.
Mapp will decry it and then forget it was a problem.
The rest will wring their hands and feign frustration or give the one finger wave with a healthy "eat it" in response to questions about what's wrong.
Jerry and Co. will simply smile.
And the world spins round and round ....
Bernice, OUTSTANDING, your response was concise and to the point. Let's hope that the designated writer for the PMUA (sick & tired)will read and UNDERSTAND that inefficiencies cost us (taxpayers) money and we have all rights to call them on their crap, either get the job done right the first time or shut up and pray you can find another job when your great job with the non-existent "PROCESS" gets shut down.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bernice for being so direct and concise.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm curious to know what the "real issue" is to which the commenter is referring.
Second, the people who work at the PMUA, in general, do a very good job. They're courteous and helpful, not much more can be asked of them -- it's the clowns that run the operation who should be ashamed of what they continue to do everyday to rip-off tax payers so that they can benefit financially.
Third, the defenders of the PMUA also like to reference when one of the workmen has been injured on the job, etc. as if they're heroes. It's unfortunate to be hurt on the job, and hopefully it's not life threatening, but these guys are not soldiers on the battlefront -- people get hurt on the job everyday.
This administration in particular and its affiliate agencies have attempted to create an environment within the city and their workplace that is insulated, protecting their own from the realities of the how the rest of the world operates.
I hope they're ready for a real change, albeit slow, things are slowly evolving for a better Plainfield as many of us try to rid the machine of their ill will and self-aggrandizing agenda that only serves a few and the not whole of Plainfield.
Nothing will reform the PMUA faster than having 1,000 subscribers OPT OUT. OPTING OUT is a potent weapon of protest.
ReplyDeleteAnd now with Dan Williamson heading up the already embattled organization should not give one a warm and fuzzy feeling. He hardly ever comes out of his office, his door is always closed, he's rehiring incompetent people to please his friends, way to go Plainfield....
ReplyDelete