2005 Transit Strike

So the threat of a strike seems to be worse then the actually strike itself. It's like wincing at the thought of pulling off a band-aid, rather then actually feeling pain at swiftly yanking it off. Last night, everyone was so paranoid about the strike that most people closed shop early, and made their way homes hopefully before the last train shut down. I actually drove 2 of Lek's friends into Queens for fear they'd be stranded in Manhattan.

At 3:00 am or there abouts, the TWU finally came out with their decision to strike. Wow, at least this guy showed some balls. My thoughts on this? Well 3% is just covering basic cost of living increase. Lets face it, your dollar just doesn't carry as far anymore, so this small percentage just makes you hold even while the price of everything else increases. If the MTA had offered 3% raises across the board with no "give backs" then it would be fair, in that it's only a cost of living adjustment, not a raise. If you want more then that, then it is fair for the MTA to ask for something in return or as they call it "productivity gains". Two things to keep in mind. One,once you give something back, it's gone forever, you won't be able to bargain for that again. Two the MTA has been very shady in their book-keeping and in their fiscal management of late, so it's very difficult to believe that they don't have enough funds. The holiday discount, though conveniant for me, is very foolish for them considering they had this contract coming up!

So I woke up this morning to....silence. It's actually a lot quieter. Most of the street vendors must have taken the day off rather then find a quartet to travel into the city with, and deliveries aren't allowed during rush hour. I'm off to start my 12 hour shifts, so the next few days are going to be rough, and I still have a lot of X-mas shopping to do. That's what I get for procrastinating! Well happy commuting all!