New York City Transit Strike (686 hits)
Category: PoliticsRating: 0.23 on 15 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <m0ke34> (View user info) at 2005-12-20 13:34:00 EST
Due to the Transit Worker's Union striking early this am, I have to do the jobs of 8 people today. You see, I made it to work by taking the PATH train, another NYC area train that is not a part of the MTA system. -bonus points for anyone who knows the PATH acronym- However, my co-workers are walking over bridges and down avenues to get here, undoubtedly at their leisure.
Normally, I would tolerate striking workers. It is understandable that one would strike in the face of huge executive bonus' and shrinking pensions. However, in this scenario, the striking workers work for the public, in a tax-payer purchased system. They make a modestly livable wage doing mostly modestly challenging work. The kicker for the Transit Workers Union is the benefits and pension plan. They are currently able to retire at age 55 or after 25 years with a fully vested pension.
I am willing to go out on the proverbial limb and assert that the difficulty and nature of their work does not justify their complaints about compensation. I'd be closer to the tree-trunk in saying it doesn't justify their shutting down a public system that millions (many who are working harder for less compensation) rely on to get to work because they want a raise.
Yes, yes, I understand that everyone wants a raise. I understand that everyone thinks they are underpaid. I am no exception. However, the Transit Workers need to realize that their demands are very unrealistic in 2005. Recently employees have been making accommodations when it comes to pension and benefit plans. The 401k has almost completely replaced the defined benefit plans in the private sector. The exceptions being legacy airlines (bankrupt), legacy carmakers (close to bankrupt), legacy steelmakers (bankrupt, reorganized, bankrupt again) etc. --This is all a result of the bloodsucking lawyers and the corrupt insurance industry, but that is a rant for another day--
Those are only the industry-specific problems with these workers' demands. The other side of the argument against them is macroeconomic. The fact is: labor has become a commodity. In the US, it is becoming a cheaper and cheaper commodity. People without skills are making relatively less money. This is understandable since unskilled people are competing for entry-level positions with the over-educated who can't get a job "in their field." The only way that the person without the degree or related experience is getting the job (save outside factors such as nepotism) is if they will accept less compensation. There are enough unskilled people floating in the job market that employers benefit from supply/demand.
This leaves the transit workers, who (from what I have gathered in my interactions) are undeniably unskilled. Of course one can argue that they have been through extensive training programs and the like, however, those training programs were all provided by the their employers: the MTA, New York City Transit and the taxpayers.
The final element of this abominable strike is that it doesn't hurt the MTA. It hurts the taxpayers and people of the NY metropolitan area. The MTA is an umbrella governmental agency full of politically appointed bureaucrats who get paid regardless of whether or not the subways are running. There is no bottom line. There are no stockholders to answer to. As these officials are appointed rather than elected, they don't even have to answer to voters. They should feel an obligation to answer to the taxpayers who built the tunnels and platforms that are "their" system. They obviously don't.
I hope the MTA breaks the union and replaces some of them with my overeducated friends. $15 an hour is probably a lot better than the Urban Outfitters gigs they have now.
User Reviews
Submitted by cleanfornow (user info) at 2005-12-21 09:19:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Thanks for the tip on PATH. Do you know, is the Croton Harmon line running?
As to the illeagally striking drivers: fuck them, I hope they are replaced ala RR and the air traffic controllers. Bring back Rudy!
Submitted by RyuFu (user info) at 2005-12-20 16:53:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm on vacation till december 28...hopefully they won't strike that long.
It's a long walk from grand central to tribeca.
Submitted by FartSmeller (user info) at 2005-12-20 16:46:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation this was hard to read without any paragraph breaks or punctuation
Submitted by indoninja (user info) at 2005-12-20 14:05:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:52:09 (#)
Ranking: 0
since when is 47k a year a living wage in nyc? average income a couple years ago was 37k, average cost of a 2000 sq ft house was 840k. you have two kids at 47k a year in nyc they are not going to college and you are not retiring.
--------------------------------------
They are retiring with the benefits they have, and who says they have to live in NYC? I have alot of friends who go to college for four years, and when they get out they have to commute into NYC because thye can't afford to live there.
The MTA compromised on all of their demands, but transit union would not budge. The biggest problem I have with it is they are complaining about their discipline procedures. These people need more discipline in place, I have yet to meet a transit worker who is not a complete ass to the customers.
If this had paragraphs you would get a +2, Uber has no edit, but you can repost it.
Submitted by Fartman (user info) at 2005-12-20 14:00:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
*These are a few of my least favorite things.
La la la.
(What the hell si wrong with my fingers today?)
Submitted by FATMANTPK (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:53:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
PATH - Poor Attempt aT Heat?
I couldn't resist.
I agree, the Unions have lived past their usefullness
Submitted by Fartman (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:53:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Bloodsucking lawyers, greedy union leaders, corrupt insurance industry, crooked politicians, LACK OF FUCKING PARAGRAPHS.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:52:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
since when is 47k a year a living wage in nyc? average income a couple years ago was 37k, average cost of a 2000 sq ft house was 840k. you have two kids at 47k a year in nyc they are not going to college and you are not retiring.
Submitted by m0ke34 (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:50:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
yes. it is port authority trans hudson. you'd be amazed at how many people that take the PATH don't know that.
I apologize for the spacing. I copied and pasted from an email and it came out like that. There's no such thing as an edit on uber, is there?
Submitted by nya_nyo (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:48:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
PATH - Port Authority Trans Hudson
Submitted by NotSteve (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:47:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
PATH = Port Authority Trans-Hudson river, right?
Submitted by GDR (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:45:39 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-2 because you have no idea what the space key is.
Submitted by pantsarestupid (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:43:37 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
I didn't even bother reading past the "at their leisure" part. We're all having to work extra hard today. Get over it. I made sure that my employees made it here...all 21 or our stores are now open and have all of their people.
If you're so busy, how do you have time to post this shit?
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:37:56 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
I disagree.
However, I disagree more with your policy on paragraphs.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-12-20 13:37:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Unions ruined our country. It isn't as if these lazy fucks are 8-year old kids that are working 16 hour days in a salt mine for pennies.
Fire them all. I'm sure they could be easily replaced.