strike

[snowsprite]

I hear it's way more than a week's pay. I read somewhere that it will be $25K per person!

Sprite

[Skibumtress]

I hear it's way more than a week's pay. I read somewhere that it will be $25K per person!

Sprite

Sad... very sad. Yesterday and this a.m. I heard 2 days person for every one day. Did it change?

[Bubba]

I just read this whole thread start to finish so let me add my two cents.

First off, my mother was a teacher in the NYC school system and was involved in several strikes, all of which violated the Taylor Law, including the first strike back in the early 1960s I think when teachers walked and didn't know if they'd be fired or not. I have a lot of sympathy for what municipal workers had to do to get the benefits they have today. I have no sympathy, however, for the TWU today given the average wage and benefit deal they have. In today's world, something has to give.

My understanding is that the union struck over one issue and one issue only, and that's after the City dealt very fairly with almost every other issue on the table. The issue being struck over is not a give back by current workers - it's the City's demand that newly hired workers contribute more to their pension than current workers. That's a far different situation than asking current employees to give back. Workers striking over that issue, to me, is dumb. I wonder if, when they voted to authorize a strike several weeks ago, they knew that this would be the sole issue on the table upon which the union broke off negotiations and walked off the job....

Somebody said the union has no choice but to strike when the City holds all the legal cards under the Taylor Law and doesn't have to bargain in good faith. FYI, there are federal statutes that define what bargaining in good faith is and the union always had the right to file grievances against the City with the NLRB if they felt that the City was not bargaining in good faith as defined by law. The City cannot act arbitrarily and just demand the union give back whatever they demand, then sit back and not negotiate. That's the law.

The union leadership has overplayed their hand and will pay when this is over. It wouldn't surprise me if they get voted out by the membership next time around, and I'll be very surprised if NYC sees another strike by a municipal union in the next 10 - 20 years as a result.

[Steve]

1) Have you ever been in a labor union? you wouldn't cross the line, the only benefit a token collecter has in life is the union, and you don't cross that sh*t, otherwise why be a token collector.

I would argue that a union would also keep an exceptional worker at the same lavel as the scrub.. and that if I were an exceptional worker, I'd harbor a lot of resentment about that scrub making the same pay as me, the same benefits, the same bonus, and be subject to the same lack of discipline that the union negotiated.

I've known two people who were air traffic controllers. Literally the biggest regret of their lives? "I should have crossed the picket line." The lesson they learned? "I'll never join a union again."

/still dark, but I think the skies cleared up

[Pedro]

1) Have you ever been in a labor union? you wouldn't cross the line, the only benefit a token collecter has in life is the union, and you don't cross that sh*t, otherwise why be a token collector.

I would argue that a union would also keep an exceptional worker at the same lavel as the scrub.. and that if I were an exceptional worker, I'd harbor a lot of resentment about that scrub making the same pay as me, the same benefits, the same bonus, and be subject to the same lack of discipline that the union negotiated.

I've known two people who were air traffic controllers. Literally the biggest regret of their lives? "I should have crossed the picket line." The lesson they learned? "I'll never join a union again."

/still dark, but I think the skies cleared up

This is 100% true, i manage a highly skilled union work force, and it sucks that you have to treat the good people the same as the bad. But the good people get treated differently, you just can't make it obvious.

An aircraft controler is high paying and highly skilled job, the guy that dishes out the tokens probably does not have any skills, without that union, his compensation package would not be what it is today.

[jhatski]

Several observations on the strike. A unions negotiating position at the outset of negotiations is nearly meaningless (such as starting with 8%) its part of the dance and anyone that gets offended by it hasnt negotiated before. Second, read the N.J. papers today about Attorney General Peter Harveys attempt to have one of his cronies retire under a more generous pension system in New Jersey than the one that he actually belongs. Public sector employment especially in new york and new jersey is filled with pension abuses but mostly from elected officials and high level cabinet people.

I think thats the rub. Why should a working stiff that puts in 25 or more years working full time and contributing toward their pension have to give up pension rights while the fat cats continue to plunder the system. I recognize that the proposals are for new employees, but most of these pension systems would be in decent financial shape if these abuses never occurred. Think about it, why should an elected official receive a pension at all. They shouldnt!

I dont condone the strike and have learned over the years that usually what makes it to the negotiating table is largely the product of who is sitting at the table and doesnt alway benefit all of the employees. But I would suggest you hold the fat cats accountable as well on pension and benefits.

This is coming from someone who has spent more than 20 years at the negotiating table and never once have I sat on the union side.

[spanky]

My prediction. The subways and buses will be running again before tomorrow's (12/23) rush hour. Not saying the strike will be resolved, but I'll bet the workers will be back by tomorrow.

No inside information. Just a hunch.

[tekweezle]

if it doesn;t end by end of today, after they have the court hearing, i think it may go one for another week. my reasoning being, next week expects to be less traffic with schools being closed. if the TWU workers don;t have to worry about their children, i can see them gutting it out a liitle more. one side is going to crack sooner or later.

worse case scenerio-they throw the TWU officers in jail and turn this into a civil rights issue.

[Steve]

By the way, given that I had a 2pm international flight, I left the house at 9am. No traffic at all until the triboro, and even that wasn't bad. The BQE sucked ass, but I knew the streets in the area and was able to bail out. Picked up my friend in WIlliamsburg, and took the LIE east to the GCP north and didn't hit a lick of traffic. Arrived at LGA at noon.

Then the troubles started..
Every time I don't fly jetblue, I get annoyed as hell at the petty annoyances that are simply not an issue with Jetblue.. I could write pages and pages about everything that happened on Tuesday. It was amazing. Just like Murphy's law..

[HelmetCam]

its over. they're going back to work while talks continue.....

[andyzee]

BREAKING NEWS New York City transit workers to "take steps" to return to work while contract negotiations continue, mediator says.

[ski_adk]

Union power disintigrated when Reagan fired the Air Traffic Controllers. This strike will probably be the nail in the coffin for the union movement. Now, I can't really take sides on this matter because I really can't relate to either party in this disupte.

But what I can say is that all of the calls for jailing the strikers (I've seen these on TV News a lot the past couple of days) are terrifying. Seriously, jail time for people fighting for employee rights??? The day that happens will be the official re-institution of slavery in this nation.

To hear daily users of the MTA system complain that the strikers' jobs are so easy and meaningless is a real laugh. Especially since the same people who took the services for granted are now so terribly hard-up for transportation. People on TV yesterday were saying that the jobs don't deserve higher pay, more benefits, etc., because a trained monkey could do it. I don't know...maybe I'm just a trouble-maker type, but I think this thing is good in that maybe it will teach people to respect those who provide the infrastructure for us to make our money and do our jobs. If anything, I hope this will at least teach all of us to appreciate the people who make our daily lives smoother and more comfortable. I know it's a big hope, but you don't really appreciate something or someone until it's gone.

[Cityskier]

CNN Breaking News:

-- NYC transit workers union leaders agree to a return to work while strike talks continue, mediator says. Deal must be OK'd by union executive board.

[Humpty Dumpty]

1) Have you ever been in a labor union? you wouldn't cross the line, the only benefit a token collecter has in life is the union, and you don't cross that sh*t, otherwise why be a token collector.

I would argue that a union would also keep an exceptional worker at the same lavel as the scrub.. and that if I were an exceptional worker, I'd harbor a lot of resentment about that scrub making the same pay as me, the same benefits, the same bonus, and be subject to the same lack of discipline that the union negotiated.

I've known two people who were air traffic controllers. Literally the biggest regret of their lives? "I should have crossed the picket line." The lesson they learned? "I'll never join a union again."

/still dark, but I think the skies cleared up

This is 100% true, i manage a highly skilled union work force, and it sucks that you have to treat the good people the same as the bad. But the good people get treated differently, you just can't make it obvious.

An aircraft controler is high paying and highly skilled job, the guy that dishes out the tokens probably does not have any skills, without that union, his compensation package would not be what it is today.

FU Pedro! Not all of us can manage a highly skilled union work force like you do, but I got mad skills.

Go tongue junior's vagina.

[Bubba]

Union power disintigrated when Reagan fired the Air Traffic Controllers. This strike will probably be the nail in the coffin for the union movement. Now, I can't really take sides on this matter because I really can't relate to either party in this disupte.

But what I can say is that all of the calls for jailing the strikers (I've seen these on TV News a lot the past couple of days) are terrifying. Seriously, jail time for people fighting for employee rights??? The day that happens will be the official re-institution of slavery in this nation.

To hear daily users of the MTA system complain that the strikers' jobs are so easy and meaningless is a real laugh. Especially since the same people who took the services for granted are now so terribly hard-up for transportation. People on TV yesterday were saying that the jobs don't deserve higher pay, more benefits, etc., because a trained monkey could do it. I don't know...maybe I'm just a trouble-maker type, but I think this thing is good in that maybe it will teach people to respect those who provide the infrastructure for us to make our money and do our jobs. If anything, I hope this will at least teach all of us to appreciate the people who make our daily lives smoother and more comfortable. I know it's a big hope, but you don't really appreciate something or someone until it's gone.

Every worker deserves respect but striking for employee rights? Hah! Employee rights had nothing to do with this. They broke off negotiations to keep new employees from having to contribute more to their own retirement. Nothing would've changed for current workers except they would've gotten pay raises. Now they lose 2 days pay for each day on strike, get nothing more, and walk back to work with their tails between their legs.

The union movement isn't dead. Unions were necessary at one time and still serve a useful purpose in many cases. It is, however, moribund and brain dead at the leadership level. This strike was absurd, useless, cost the union money, and will cost the workers money. The leadership should be replaced.