Strike in NYC

[SuperScout]

Walking for several miles in sub-freezing weather never was my idea of fun. Pardon my regional chauvinism, but after seeing the results of the transit workers' strike in New York City, I'm even happier to be living in Texas. OK, so the union is being fined $1 million per day, while the city is losing $100 million per day. Wonder why the union leaders haven't been jailed for contempt of court, as a local judge issued an order forbidding them to strike.

[b3196]

Brice
Its hard to jail someone who's basking in the sun on Miami Beach
Bob K

[SuperScout]

Maybe a couple of Texas Rangers (the non-baseball variety), need to go instruct the NYPD how to retrieve absentee tyrants.

[SparrowHawk62]

Originally posted by SuperScout Waling for several miles in sub-freezing weather never was my idea of fun. Pardon my regional chauvinism, but after seeing the results of the transit workers' strike in New York City, I'm even happier to be living in Texas. OK, so the union is being fined $1 million per day, while the city is losing $100 million per day. Wonder why the union leaders haven't been jailed for contempt of court, as a local judge issued an order forbidding them to strike.

It may not be fun having to walk to the downtown area but at least New Yorkers are willing to do it. New Yorkers have proven they can handle any adversity thrown at them.
As for the million dollar a day fine, this will allegedly bankrupt the Union coffers in three maybe four days. It's reported that they only have 3.6 million "in the bank". They will bargain the fine away as they have in the past.
The Union leaders being jailed would stop all negotiations cold. The membership would continue to strike until they were released. Ninety days on a contempt charge is a long time for the MTA to be on strike.

[Andy]

When I first became a public employee was told we can?t strike and there is no collective bargaining. We could picket but nothing more. Several years later we did get collective bargaining, but with a further written provision that we could not strike. The rules were, you strike, you loose your job and all retirement benefits. There are a lot of people who can drive a bus, lots of people who would drive them for $25 per hour with a month?s vacation and all the other benefits.
The main thing these guys are striking over is (more money of course), and they don?t want to retire at 62 but rather at age 55, like the police and firefighters. A transit worker has the same stress as public safety?

Stay healthy,
Andy

Born and raised in Woodside NY, the city is at a standstill, other than gridlock traffic in the city. What a mess. I agree with Andy, money and benefits are the issues. However, as New Yorkers, we have always been able to do what is needed. Braving the cold weather is a minor, compared to the loss of revnue for the city. I wonder how much this strike will also effect the countries' enconomy also, since NYC is the HQ for many big business firms. Bet the oil companies will say due to the strike that oil prices need to be raised. Hell they've used everything else to raied the prices.

[reconeil]

Regarding your query of: "Wonder why the union leaders" haven't been jailed for contempt of court", and also why the participants of such an Illegal Strike haven't been fired,...think answers to both are actually quite simple.

The answer being that both Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY just aren't the caliber of the late President Reagan.

Old Reagan never politically putzed-around with unarguable law breakers whom would decimate an economy while severely punishing Fellow Americans,...quite selfishly and solely for their own personal gain. "He" merely fired the Striking Air Controllers, and replaced same with those instead willing and able to do the ALREADY HIGH PAYING & GREAT BENEFITS job.

Seemed: "The Gipper" was quite logical and sensible to me,...both at the time and now.

Neil

[MarineAO]

From what I heard on the news this morning the Judge is pondering weather or not to impose fine on the union leadership as well.

[SuperScout]

Interesting to note the return to history of striking public employees in the Reagan years. The PATCO dared the President to fire them as he promised, flatly stating that airline traffic would come to a grand screeching halt, Reagan would come back hat in hand to beg them to come back to work, yada, yada, yada. Lesson learned: don't call the bluff of a man stronger than you are, or one who has more spine than your accustomed to dealing with. Apparently the transit union leaders are stronger than Mayor Blumberg. I say let the thugs spend Christmas on Ryker's Island.

I'm also reminded of the time that the postal union workers threatened to do the same thing as PATCO, and my battalion was alerted to the possibility of becoming their replacements. Once the union thugs saw that Reagan was all hat AND had the cows, they backed down.

I have no doubt that New Yorkers are stronger than mare's milk, and us other Americans happily applaud their spunk. It is sad, however, that such a great people are being held hostage by criminal union thugs.

[Seascamp]

Big Apple inhabitants as well as those in the adjoining areas do not have a reputation of being very compliant victims and will find ?work arounds? and make alternate arrangements I reckon. And I expect we will see a spike in the birth rate some nine months from now. That?s what happened when Con Ed?s ?Big Allis? crashed and there was a black out.

What happens next is what is going to be relevant to the future course of events. If past precedent can be used as a guide, militant Unions have run about every major manufacturer I can think of out of the northeast or reduced local operations to non-labor content activities as much as feasible. The Industrial Works once in places like Lester, Pa, are now off shore, scattered, etc., same with dozens of other NE locations I could name like Lynn and Fitchburg, Ma.

The real reasons for having business concentrations in NYC are long gone and if the City is going to be held ransom by a militant Union on a permanent basis, then global and domestic operations can be moved elsewhere. The path is well known by many, and when the pain exceeds the pleasure, decisions and choices will be made. Union busting is one thing and I?m not for it, but an entire population being held ransom by a militant Union is quite another and the latter is on the plate now.

Scamp