Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at 7:23 AM
Strike One
So....the MTA decided to strike after all. I am "working from home" today without penalty. *Whew*. That's just for today though...if it's still on tomorrow, I have to find a way to get to the office. To all those who are walking/waiting for cabs or LIRR service, God Bless you. It is cold as hell out there. After the partial strike on the Queens bus lines yesterday, I figured a full-blown strike was coming...after all, they couldn't just have a rinky dink little strike and then let everyone continue about their business.
I'm probably in the minority here, but I support the Taylor Law (which outlaws strikes of this nature). I don't think Transit workers should be allowed to strike because they're an "essential service" in NYC. My dad and I have been having this debate all week. Yes, their contract may suck (although, if what I hear--- about platform sweepers making $40k/year and token clerks making 55k/year---is true, then they're doing pretty well) but they're still essential and the rest of the city suffers dramatically when they strike. What if nurses went on strike because they felt they weren't getting enough? Or Fire/Police workers? Or teachers? I'm all for people getting more money, but at whose expense? For every MTA worker who will benefit from the negotiations, there's a few poor people out there who can't afford the LIRR fare or alternate transportation fare to get to work during the strike.
Word on the street is that the union didn't want the retirement age raised from 55 to 62, and as a matter of fact, they were trying to get it lowered to 50. OK, I can see how that's problematic. But allegedly, the MTA offered to maintain the retirement age as long as people contributed more to their pensions. I don't see why that's such a bad thing? In the private sector, there
are no pensions. In most other public sector jobs, the minimum retirement age is 57, regardless of how many years of service you have. What am I missing here?
Now, I'm not saying that the MTA should be allowed to abuse people, but Mr. Union leader, let's not act like it's really all about the workers.
"Our contract expired on Thursday at midnight, but we postponed a strike in deference to our riders," said TWU Local 100 President Roger Toussaint in announcing the strike shortly before 3 a.m.OK,
in deference to the riders?! Deference to the riders is not striking when it's the beginning of the workweek and 20 degrees outside. The strike could have happened Friday morning and gone into the weekend, but as many reporters noted, it wouldn't have had as great an impact as a strike at the beginning of the workweek, and if the union is forced to pay double fines for every day that they strike, then they want to maximize the impact of the strike...hence, striking early in the workweek. And let's not forget that this is supposed to be a busy retail week, since Christmas is on Sunday. Can we say more leverage for the union?
Well....just got word that I might have to get in today after all....Dammit. Save some hot chocolate for me!
Dee's two cents:
Yo, it took me two hours to drive two miles. Mad at that. We were stupid with traffic in the Bronx. But I support the strike. How the hell are you going to get what you demand if you don't strike? And, teachers have gone on strike in our lifetimes. Oh, wait, no, it was a walk-out but I don't really remember what happened. And finally, the city doesn't dare play the fire department, nurses, or the police like they play teachers.
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Queen Bee's two cents:
By definition, public service is about the public....not the workers. I'm not saying that the workers should be abused because they're serving the public, but at the same time putting the public out like this is just ridiculous. It's not about the public anymore, it's about them.
Had I been allowed to telecommute, I would have actually benefitted from the strike...but I'm still opposed. How are you going to turn down a 3% annual raise for 3 years, when so many folks don't even get 1% total raise each year? I believe that giving in to striking workers just enables them to keep doing it anytime they feel like it. Look at SEPTA in Philadelphia...just a few short years ago, they went on a strike that lasted approximately 3 weeks. This year they were back on strike for almost a week. And who suffered for it? Why wouldn't the TWU consider arbitration?
Argh. I could yak forever. It's my blog and I oppose. That's my $.02.
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Dee's two cents:
yeah, well, I am in favor of the strike even though it is costing me and everybody else. public service is about the public but workers should be heard. This morning on BLS I heard Toussaint speaking about the issues at hand. He feels there is a greater issue and that is the death of pension and the rise of privatization in the form of 401k and 403b. In addition, my understanding is that their objection wasn't just to the 3% raise, it was to the package in toto.
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Ananse's Web's two cents:
I just want the whole thing to be over. The strike will and can get on our nerves Lord knows I dont want to be out in the cold myself but I support them. My dads (yep both of them) work for transit and while their union isnt striking there is alot that goes on that the normal folk dont see. Your always going to have people who make all the money hollering because they dont want to spread the wealth around. They want to be heard then striking is the only way. I want my dads to be able to retire at 55 and get that raise...hell we need the money. Families of people who work in transit barely see their families, I know my dad is ALWAYS at work --- no days off to his life and you want to get a benefit from that. There are some things that I dont neccesarily agree with, there are some things that can go light on but all in all I support them.
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Queen Bee's two cents:
yeah yeah....all you union supporters: you can put that where? Back there! Lol.
My contract is shitty too. Life sucks and then you die. In the meantime, we move on.
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The Coach's two cents:
I'm tired of hearing folk place the blame on the TWU. They deserve every penny they get and probably should be able to retire at 57 (I certainly would rather a young alert person driving my train or bus).
Clearly, transit workers are just as important as any other worker in NYC. They've proven that they have the ability to cripple the city.
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Queen Bee's two cents:
Yes...retirement at 57...like the rest of the city workers. But they were asking for retirement at 50.
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© Queen Bee 2005 // Powered for Blogger by Blogger templates
So....the MTA decided to strike after all. I am "working from home" today without penalty. *Whew*. That's just for today though...if it's still on tomorrow, I have to find a way to get to the office. To all those who are walking/waiting for cabs or LIRR service, God Bless you. It is cold as hell out there. After the partial strike on the Queens bus lines yesterday, I figured a full-blown strike was coming...after all, they couldn't just have a rinky dink little strike and then let everyone continue about their business.
