NYC Transit Strike

The last time the city faced this turmoil over its transit system, I was barely one year old. Today, after facing the cold weather and long city blocks, I can only imagine what it was then. I agree w/ the mayor who declared the strike "selfish" as the TWU and the MTA gave us collective middle finger because they couldn't come to an agreement.

I am no fan of the MTA, one year they raise fares b/c of a deficit and then suddenly they have almost $1 billion in surplus.

I am also not much of an union person. I think when they started they served a noble purpose, but today they have taken a hard stance detrimental to business.

I am also opposed to across the board wage increases beyond a cost of living adjustment. It is not equitable when two individuals performing job A get remunerated at the same rate when one is not doing his job and the other is. What incentive do you have to work hard if at the end of the year that 8% is coming no matter what?

So this is a long way to say that I believe the TWU is being selfish when they put the needs of their constituency of 33700 over the needs of the riding public of 7,000,000. They represent a mere .48% of the riders, yet they crippled the engine that moves the city. (Watch Ric Burns' New York and you'll hear countless references to how NYC is one of the few places where you can live all your life and not need a car.)

According to the Wall Street Journal, the average salary at NYCTransit is $55,000. Not bad considering national median income is about $44,500. So with 8% a year increases for the next three years that's a pretty nice increase (FV=55,000(1+.08) raised to 3 = 69,284) I wouldn't mind signing up for that. I worked for a large non-profit and in 3 years my salary increased only 5,000. The MTA proposed 3/4/3 and that would bring the average salary to 56,000, 58,900 and 60,685 respectively. How many of you out there pay a premium for health insurance? TWU does not think its yet-to-be hired workers should .

Lastly, the what irks me the most is that they couldn't have continued to work, they had to strike. NYPD went long and hard bargaining for a contract, but they showed up to work. They knew their work, securing NYC, was greater than them. NYFD also bargained on an expired contract, and they too showed up because they serve a greater cause than themselves. NYC teachers, ditto. But your super friendly and helpful token booth clerk can't. Your conductor w/ the intelligible announcements can't. The bus drivers can't. You get the point. There are hard working people in NYC Transit who put in a hard day at work, who really help out and strive to provide good service, but striking is not the way to go.

We are a society governed by laws and when entities decide that there are some laws they won't follow because it does not suit them, the system breaks. It is illegal in NY for public employees to strike. An injuction was issued enjoining the Union from striking. They are lawbreakers who chose to put their wants above the law abiding citenzens of New York and lawbreakers do not get sympathy from me.