Keystone Kops Revisited

Today's Sun-Times airs the gripes of the Oompa Loompa traffic beasts I mentioned here. What's their beef? Here you go:

On Monday, traffic control aides created their own traffic jam at a City Council hearing to complain that they're being dissed because of the new uniform they've been assigned to wear as employees of Mayor Daley's Traffic Management Authority. When they worked for the Police Department, they dressed like police officers. Now, traffic control aides are wearing green vests on top of blue shirts, pants and caps.

Oh, the humanity! No longer allowed to play dress-up, the cranks are angry that they are being DISRESPECTED!

"We are receiving added disrespect and ridicule from the public since the first day we put the uniforms on.... We are not respected and, therefore, we are not safe," said traffic control aide Mary Beth Herman.

I got news for you, Mary Beth. No one respected you before either.

The union representing full-time traffic control aides was also consulted before the switch, said Andrew Velasquez, executive director of the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Oh, dear, these trolls have a union? How much are we paying them to accomplish nothing? Forget it, I don't even want to know.

UPDATE: More funds well spent!