20 December 2005 : Mass Transit Strike

[Concrete Meadow]

Http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/051220/051220_nysubway_df_hmed_410a.h2.jpg

Date: Tuesday 20 December

Time: 6:30 AM

Temp: 20 degree Fahrenheit


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10466982/

[septic tank]

Fuck the MTA and fuck TWU's spineless international (which has disowned the local). Basically, this boils down to the head of the MTA, a Republican crony named Kalikow appointed by the governor, demanding (http://www.twulocal100.org/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={B7B64A0A-A600-4129-B3D4-C03D985DC0A3}&DE={8EEF2A3F-F3F3-4762-B3F7-81535CA5FEC5}) at the last minute in negotiations that union members contribute 6 percent of their salaries to their pension fund -- up from 2 percent. This in a time of massive surpluses at the MTA, for workers who make starting salaries of $29K (which is not enough to cover rent on a studio in Bed Stuy). You wouldn't know this, by the way, from listening to any local news outlets, which have their tongues collectively so far up the asses of Bloomberg and Pataki they can tell you what they had for breakfast last Christmas. Here's hoping TWU Local 100 gets a decent contract out of this.

For anyone coming into NYC, this means you won't have an easy time getting far distances. Some overground trains (LIRR, PATH, Metro North, Amtrak) are supposedly running, but that's no help for airports (though there should be some privately-run shuttle buses running to and fro). Cabs can pick up multiple people (normal in D.C., but not here), and are charging on a (mostly) zoned, not metered, basis. Provided, however, that you can get to your accomodations from airport or train station, you should have a fine time rambling around on foot, despite the temperatures (lots of stops for coffee or browsing to warm up).

I wish I could point people to an official site explaining what, exactly, the state of mass transit is, but the MTA's "Strike Contingency Plan" page (http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/strike/) is fucking useless. This Newsday article (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-qa-mta-strike,0,1096121.story?coll=ny-li-bigpix) might be the best thing out there.

[Concrete Meadow]

Good analysis of the situation, septic tank. Thank you.

Basically, this boils down to the head of the MTA, a Republican crony named Kalikow appointed by the governor, demanding at the last minute in negotiations that union members contribute 6 percent of their salaries to their pension fund

and may I add that Kalikow had never ridden once on the subway trains or city buses. He has always used private limousines :booooooo:

by the way, from listening to any local news outlets, which have their tongues collectively so far up the asses of Bloomberg and Pataki ...

Yup. Today's NY Times editorial was a disgrace. Then again, this is a paper that sells ads -- always has been and always will.

Here's some tips for Brooklynites:

For commuters from Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Dumbo and downtown Brooklyn: it will be a tad warmer tomorrow morning on the Brooklyn Bridge than these past two days. The Red Cross will continue to serve hot chocolate and provide first aid while the Brooklyn borough president's office [near Court Street] will serve [pretty decent] coffee all day long.

For those going into Manhattan from Park Slope, Sunset Park, Kensington: check craigslist for rides [the last time I looked, at 6 PM today, there are drivers needing riders ...]

For those in Midwood, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge: try flagging down the private mini vans [operated by Chinese, Russian companies] on 65th and 75th Streets ... good luck.

I walked across the bridge on Monday but had better luck this morning as a neighbor went out of her way to check on all of us on the block. Yeah, us New Yorkers are pretty decent :) And resilient as well.

I don't mind the walk, the ride nor the temperature. The union and Roger T. has my support 100%.

As septic tank says, "here's hoping TWU Local 100 gets a decent contract out of this!"

[inflatable jesus]

Thank fuck that's over with.

I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan but thankfully managed to crash at a friend's house while the trains weren't running. I did have one mid-week walk over the Williamsburg bridge and back to get clean clothes and that was more than enough for me.

I still haven't heard the details of the deal but I hope the union got something close to what they wanted.

[septic tank]

I still haven't heard the details of the deal but I hope the union got something close to what they wanted.

I don't think there are details yet, but the broad strokes are, apparently, the MTA gives on its proposed hike in pension payments (which would have disproportionately affected new members) and the union swallows increased health insurance costs (which affects members across the board). This is important because it's the reverse of what most unions in the U.S. are doing these days -- screwing future members ("our unborn," as Toussaint says, somewhat creepily echoing the language of the anti-choice crowd!) to protect the benefits of existing members.

I'm not sure whether or not they got a good deal, but it's sure impossible to know much, given the remarkably anti-labor tone of local and national coverage (excepting, perhaps, Newsday, which has its own labor issues), which featured only the voices of whiny assholes-on-the-street crying about the terrible inconveniences they've suffered and ranged from cheerleading Billionaire "Thugsy" Bloomie and the MTA to proposing that commuters might throw Toussaint into the river (not to mention The Post's brazen race-baiting references to Toussaint's Caribbean heritage).

Probably the best analysis of this stuff is on Steve Gilliard's blog (http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/), which should be designated a civic treasure. I'm not sure I share his optimism, but I certainly do agree with him about the rightness of TWU's cause, the racial language Bloomberg used to disparage the strikers and that Black New Yorkers and union locals that supported that sumbitch got punk'd.