Strike!Strike!Strike!

The New York mass Transit Authority (MTA) is on strike.

No busses or trains are running in the city. Lines that run from Long Island, NJ, and Westchester County (north) are going on weekend schedules in solidarity.
New York has this awful law -- the Taylor Law -- that states that mass transit workers (along with cops, fire fighters, and a few other positions) can not strike. It makes striking against the law, and severely punished. Mayor Bloomburg has been heard frequenly over the last week of negotiations referring to the "illegal strike" a-brewing, and now underway.

"The mayor was referring to the state’s Taylor Law, passed after the 1966 transit strike, under which workers lose two days’ pay for every day on the picket line. This penalty was imposed after the 1980 strike that shut down the subway system for 11 days. In 2002, Bloomberg was seeking the renewal of an even more draconian injunction obtained in 1999 by his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani, that would have imposed individual fines of $25,000 a day on each worker, with the penalty doubling for every additional day on strike."

Here's what the mayor's office says about the Taylor Law.

Here's what a local teachers' union says about it. (yeah -- teachers can't strike in NY either!)

Here's what TWU local 100 pres Toussaint writes in calling the strike.

So, right now, him and the other TWU union leaders are being threatened with jail terms, and each worker is getting fined two days pay for every day off! All this while Bloomberg and stupid stupid Koch keep talking about the "illegal strike," and seek further penalties.

It's nuts. What an awful, awful law.

Good that they're striking.

The sidewalks this morning were filled with north-bound walkers. All quite aimeable. It was cold, but three layers of long underwear will do you good, i tell ya! And the streets were very friendly.

The word out is that most people are pissed about the strike. That has not at all been my experience. And im not even hanging with the radicals these days. These are midtown office cogs from NJ, The Bronx, Queens, Westchester Cty. People empathize with the worker very strongly and at a very human level in this city. It's great. And, though its strong within, it's not just the blue collar workers with the blue collar workers, white collar with white. Lots of very vocal solidarity. The media are on crack. Corporate flavored.

While im not gonna get a chance to zip about the city running errands and to-dos today (or for a little while, it seems), walking a bit more my last week seems like a pretty good plan. And, holy moley, if that's my part right now in supporting the effort for the people to have the power to negotiate with the big, faceless, bad-accountant-totin employers, im all about it.

Fuck the Taylor Law, the phasing out of pensions, and the ever-increasing blame of "letting down Americans/American soldiers" that big buisiness keeps putting on larger efforts for human rights. 8 percent increase in wages is hardly over the standard of living increase, dammit.

Cmon.



Here's the letter i wrote to the maya before walking home tonight:

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I am extremely disappointed by your office's inability to successfully negotiate the contract requests of TWU Local 100.

New York City relies on public transport. The city has let us down by failing to come to terms with transit workers, and forcing a transit strike.

The union's request of an eight percent wage increase over three years barely tops the cost of living increase. And city's willingness to cut their public servants' pension benefits hardly shows they are looking out for their best interests.

Also, I must note that it is reprehensible that the New York transit workers are being forced to pay monetary penalties for their strike.

Those deemed as "essential" city workers deserve the right to collectively bargain, and to exercize serious measures aimed at protecting their jobs. Fining them for a union strike responding to poor contract terms you offered them is rediculously unjust. New York workers deserve much better from you than adherance to the Taylor Laws, which are draconian and against the people of New York. I ask your office repeal them, and to show much better faith at the bargaining table in upcoming negotiations with the Transit Worker's Union.

As an East Villager who works in Midtown, I am preparing for the first of what might be many long, cold walks home after a long, cold walk north this morning. I hold the city directly responsible for this inconvenience.

Sadly, your office's hard-lining of very uncharitable contract terms to valuable employees caused this transit strike. I look forward to seeing you negotiate in better faith with the TWU in the hours and days to come, and returning the transit workers to their important positions quickly.

Once that is handled, I also eager await the repeal of the absurd Taylor Laws.

Thank you for your work.

Sincerely,


xxx E. x Street, #x
NY NY 100xx