this mta strike in NYC

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Linux23

Originally posted by: Hacp
Union is wrong Perriod. During these tough times, we need to crack down on the things that non-skilled laborers get for free. Pensions are rising. Does the US need more debt? Does the city need more debt? I hope that the Union strikes for 20 days. That will bankrupt the union, and force all the MTA workers, who voted for the strike to go into debt. They are stupid just for threatening to strike. If there is a strike tommorow, I will show my defiance and still attend school.

I pray that they strike tomorrow. I will drive down to the Princeton, NJ office and enjoy not having to be crammed in a subway for an hour.

welcome to our suburbs

 

[totalcommand]

Originally posted by: Hacp

Originally posted by: totalcommand

Originally posted by: Giscardo
I carpooled with a coworker to get to work. Out of my entire floor (~70 people) only four people are in the office today.

EDIT: Considering the strike is illegal, why can't they just fire the workers?

Where are they going to hire that many workers in one shot?

Maybe if the MTA actually improved service while raising my fare i would have sympathy for their position. But as it is now, their revenue has gone up, and i don't think anyone, not workers, not me, not the city, is seeing benefits. So fsck the MTA. At least the workers are trying to get some benefit from their moneys.

You have obviously succumbed to the brainwashing the transit workers are trying to put into your head. The MTA revenue has gone up because of non-transit related matters. It is because of gains through real estate that are projected to be one time because of low intrest rates that we have seen this year. In the next few years, the MTA will be losing hundreds of millions of dollars. By 2007, it is projected to lose over a billion dollars. Why is it losing so much money? Because the state is not financing it with the cash. It is not the MTA's fault that they are raising fares. It is the fault of the rest of the state, who periodically drains money from the city. The union knows that the MTA is paying tens of millions of dollars in intrest from debts, and is projected to do even more borrowing. It still wants the hefty raises. They say that the MTA spent 1 billion dollars needlessly. Well, 200 million went back to the riders, 700 million for pension payments, and 100 million for security/ subway improvements. That is where all the money went, not needless IMO, unless they don't want their pensions to be funded at all.

And yet, they keep their books closed from public view. We had a fare hike to "pay" for "improved services". There are none.

We have no idea what the MTA's line is because they won't show it to us. My point isn't that the workers are right (their demands are nuts). But the MTA can go fsck themselves too. They are ripping NYers off even as the union tries to rip them off.

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: abc
This strike... could possibly be hurting a lot of the 'little' guys than big NYC companies.

Now of course anywhere, there are more small businesses than there are large.

All the mom/pop shops, stores, or small companies that can't open up, or can but don't have their usual customers, and the people that are not salary based but work hourly.


This strike is not going to hit as many big players as it may have since the last strike 20+ yrs go.

It's big players that make noise, but i dont think they're affected like the illegal strikers hope.

NYC is financial sector based, among other things of course... Financial companies, most of the revenue producer employees live inside Manhattan, so they got to work as they normally do, taxi or walk. No business affected for the Markets, really. The Non revenue producer employees have technology to remote from home since the financial sector invested heavily for this stuff after 9/11, and they pay for car pool all over the city for their workers.

Yep, my company provided a bunch of shuttle buses in each of the boroughs to transport people.

Oh and i noticed a bunch of the places that sell breakfast in the morning at grand central terminal weren't open. sucks.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: totalcommand
We have no idea what the MTA's line is because they won't show it to us. My point isn't that the workers are right (their demands are nuts). But the MTA can go fsck themselves too. They are ripping NYers off even as the union tries to rip them off.

I agree 100% There is no "good side" on this one.

 

[abc]

Originally posted by: totalcommand

Originally posted by: Hacp

Originally posted by: totalcommand

Originally posted by: Giscardo
I carpooled with a coworker to get to work. Out of my entire floor (~70 people) only four people are in the office today.

EDIT: Considering the strike is illegal, why can't they just fire the workers?

Where are they going to hire that many workers in one shot?

Maybe if the MTA actually improved service while raising my fare i would have sympathy for their position. But as it is now, their revenue has gone up, and i don't think anyone, not workers, not me, not the city, is seeing benefits. So fsck the MTA. At least the workers are trying to get some benefit from their moneys.

You have obviously succumbed to the brainwashing the transit workers are trying to put into your head. The MTA revenue has gone up because of non-transit related matters. It is because of gains through real estate that are projected to be one time because of low intrest rates that we have seen this year. In the next few years, the MTA will be losing hundreds of millions of dollars. By 2007, it is projected to lose over a billion dollars. Why is it losing so much money? Because the state is not financing it with the cash. It is not the MTA's fault that they are raising fares. It is the fault of the rest of the state, who periodically drains money from the city. The union knows that the MTA is paying tens of millions of dollars in intrest from debts, and is projected to do even more borrowing. It still wants the hefty raises. They say that the MTA spent 1 billion dollars needlessly. Well, 200 million went back to the riders, 700 million for pension payments, and 100 million for security/ subway improvements. That is where all the money went, not needless IMO, unless they don't want their pensions to be funded at all.

And yet, they keep their books closed from public view. We had a fare hike to "pay" for "improved services". There are none.

We have no idea what the MTA's line is because they won't show it to us. My point isn't that the workers are right (their demands are nuts). But the MTA can go fsck themselves too. They are ripping NYers off even as the union tries to rip them off.

Yes yes of course, they are both necessary evils of NYC... the problem is 2007 and 2009 are already scheduled for fare increases. I suspect for 2007 it will go to 2.50, or 3.00 if the illegally striking workers get what they want.

Again, more money for the same crappy stations.

Does our subway system project that of a 'city of the world'???

Not when bogged down by union maintanence workers and a employer that runs projects with cost overruns through the 80's.

 

[woodman1999]

All I know is that todays commute from Jersey was SO easy, I hope the strike keeps up! The bus was empty at 8, got my fat ass a seat, took me 10 minutes to get to Port Authorit, and I walked to 28th street, which was nice cause it helped wake me up. I was actually at work 20 minutes early!

My g/f on the other hand had to walk from 96th to 46th, so I caught her wraith for braggin about my commute...

 

[oboeguy]

I'm perversely enjoying one aspect of the strike: a lot of people are having to get off their arses and OMGWTFWALK part of the way to work. I feel bad for those who have trouble walking, though.

The union needs to face reality. Nobody gets to retire at 50, let alone 55 with a sweatheart deal like they have. Life expectancy for men is no something like 78 and rising. Retirement ages must and will go up.

 

[EKKC]

i drove out to drop off my gf. picking up my sis and mom who work in brooklyn. the drive out was easy. done in one hour. but was stuck in brooklyn downtown for an hour and then i had to drive another hour back to Queens.

that TWU president should rot in hell and get jailtime. he makes 100k a year, who's he to ask for a 8% raise for the the workers, i'm sure the actual conductors are happy about the MTA proposed plan of 3-4% raise each year for 3 years.

you mess up the whole city, you kill businesses, at the end, who is it hurting? the whole city and yourselves. why do these people not think? im sure there are transit workers who wants to go back to work, why can't they form a counter-union union (rebel union?)? one that will TAKE the MTA plan, so they start working, and the TWU 100 gets it up the arse.

i hate unions

 

[isasir]

I wonder how many workers would willingly cross picket lines and go back to work and say f-u to the union if given the opportunity.

 

[EKKC]

exactly, why wont workers rise up and say, "the MTA offer is good for me, let's get back to work and do our job. new yorkers need us!" im sure there are those who arent greedy and love their job who would take the offer

 

[LuNoTiCK]

Privatize the damn MTA. They collect enough of our money, yet want more.

Another thing thats too expensive is the damn Tolls. Throggs Neck Bridge, Whitestone Bridge, ridiculous.

 

[badmouse]

I figure since I work at/near home in NJ that this strike wouldn't impact me much, but . . . my son's school bus driver lives in NYC and can't get out to NJ (sounds like an excuse but maybe it's true) so his replacement driver was late, doesn't know the route and doesn't speak English so I wouldn't let him go to school.

Then, the two online work projects I was going to do today, turns out both are NYC-based and neither office has people in it. So, no work for me.

I heard from my disabled son's advocate that there might be a big lawsuit for both the union and the TA, in behalf of all the disabled people that can't get around the city.

What a strange world we live in.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: EKKC
exactly, why wont workers rise up and say, "the MTA offer is good for me, let's get back to work and do our job. new yorkers need us!" im sure there are those who arent greedy and love their job who would take the offer

Probably because no one wants to stand out and be labeled a "scab" in this situation.

 

[EKKC]

privatize MTA? i dont think thats possible, but i think if they hand off their employees into a privatized firm for management, that'd be much better.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: EKKC
exactly, why wont workers rise up and say, "the MTA offer is good for me, let's get back to work and do our job. new yorkers need us!" im sure there are those who arent greedy and love their job who would take the offer

I dunno if youre using the same subway as I am....

The MTA offer is good enough for me, sure, Ill believe that, it sounds like a fair offer to me, and besides, they already got a cushy job.

But we're not greedy *cough*, new yorkers NEED us cause we care *gag* and we looooove our jobs *arrrgggghg :disgust: *puke*

 

[BD2003]

LOL, random craigslist post I just ran across:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/car/119494980.html

 

[EKKC]

listing removed. what was it about?

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: EKKC
listing removed. what was it about?

it was a picture of a hand flipping the bird with the caption "for the mta"

 

[diapickle]

The cleaners make 50k? No wonder the subways are filthy as hell.

 

[oddyager]

Anyone listening to Bloomberg's speech? Man is he ripping the TWU.

 

[Hacp]

thanks, listening to it now

 

[rh71]

you can almost see steam rising above his head.

 

[Linux23]

I'm 100% on the TWU side. The MTA are a bunch of crooks with suits on.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Linux23
I'm 100% on the TWU side. The MTA are a bunch of crooks with suits on.

That can be a valid opinion, but what about the TWU side ? What are your thoughts on them and what they're illegally doing ?

Also, do you know anyone in the TWU ?

 

[gotsmack]

if what they are doing is illegal can't they just throw the workers in jail?