Diary: An opposing word about the transit strike in NYC

I live in NYC and i am sorry but i cannot swallow some of the opinion expressed in defense of the TWU. Some facts that have been omitted. The Taylor Law, is LAW. The TWU chose to break the law and they should be penalized. No one is above the law. It is designed to not allow unions to hold the general public hostage, which is exactly what the TWU was trying to do.

The TWU demands were patently silly. They were asking for a 24% pay raise over 3 years. I ask, who in the world deserves a 24% raise? Who gets that kind of a raise without a significant promotion in the real world? The answer is NO ONE. Now, the MTA offer could have been sweetened a bit, maybe to 4-5% per year, which would be above the norm for most people who work in NYC, but the demands made by the TWU were flat out ridiculous.

Additonally, they wanted to continue to have to pay nothing into their own pension fund. I ask again, do you have to pay into your own fund if you expect your employer to contribute? The answer is YES.

It is not an act of bravery for Toussaint to cripple the City for three days, mislead his people, and then cave in when threatened with being jailed. The bottom line is 35K is NOT a bad salary at all in NYC in these poor economic times.

When interviewing a union rep after the strike ended, he stated that the cave in was unforgivable because they agreed to not negotiate until after Christmas, and "Christmas was our bargaining chip." That is a sad, sad statement.

As for the surplus, as a rider who pays $10 per day in transportation and has suffered poor service in exchange for ridiculous fare increases, i say give the money back to the people with a fare cut. No more gimmicks with Metrocards. The bottom line is the fares we pay are unfair and if there really is a surplus, it should go back to us, who clearly overpaid.

Too many people this holiday season want more and more, without any appreciation for what they already have. Whether you disagree with the Taylor Law, it remains the law and it is designed to protect millions of people from the actions of the Roger Tousaint's of the world who think nothing of debilitating an entire City, one week before Christmas. The strike was illegal. Their demands were unrealistic and the surplus should go back to the customers who overpaid.

No offense meant to Dr. Roland. I just sat through 4 hours of traffic each way to work for three days because grown men thought they deserved a 24% pay increase and should not have to contribute into their own pension plans. While i have generally disagreed with nearly everything Bloomberg has done, and the characterization of him as a billionaire who does not really care about the little man is correct, he was dead on right about this. The actions were thuggish.

Just my opinion. Be well.

12/24/05
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To Mr. Sashine - if you have an arrangement where your employer pays high percentages into your pension without you contributing into it, i say don't give that job up. The rest of us here in the real world though know that while an employer may pay a 2-3% without an employer contribution, in order to receive a higher percentage, the employee must contribute.

As for the surplus, i thought i addressed this. If there is a real surplus why is it that the workers deserve the money more than the people who have been overpaying? You notion that the workers have been "surviving on petty compensation" is ludicrous. The AVERAGE salary was 35K, that is not petty by any stretch.

You cheap shot at me shows your inability to understand the ramifications of 4 hours of traffic. On Wednesday night there was bumper to bumper traffic in NYC from the 130's down to the battery. This makes it near impossible for emergency vehicles to operate, it is a public hazard.

I also noticed you did not address the central point, that being the strike was illegal. I know you did not, because you could not. Keep your childish comments to yourself until you can grasp ALL of the parameters being discussed and not just cherry pick what suits you.

The strike was illegal. Their demands were ridiculous. Their actions jeopardized the safety on millions of people, one week before Christmas, and you defend it. Glad to see where you line up.

Be well.

12/24/05