How are you guys getting into the city? I been taking this dollar van to Chinatown and from there, catching a taxi uptown. The dollar van guys are now charging 5 bux per head, still cheaper than eevrything else though. Kinda weird sharing a cab with 3 other people the last couple of days, though there was a prety cute girl today. For Houstonians who don't know, transit workers curently can retire WITH a pension after 25 years of service. They do not contribute to their healthplan. The union wants management to allow for full pension retirement at age 50. Currently motormen and conductors average around 55k I think. meanwhile, everyone else hates them right now.
AAAUUUUGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My usual 30 minute train ride has become a nightmarish 2.5 hour, bumper to bumper, shoutdown with crazy livery cabs drive to the city. Yesterday morning 3 hours Yesterday evening 3.5 hour ride from hell This morning 2.5 hours tonight ? I'm scheduled to be out on Friday and all of next week. I just informed my boss that I won't be in tomorrow. These bastards need to get it together! Merry Fuking Christmas!
I'm walking 4.2 miles across the Williamsburg bridge to 21st and 5th for the past two days. And back. This sucks.
That evening ride home is absolutely the worst thing about all this. traffic isn't as bad in the morning in some places because of the car pool restrictions, but at night. ugh, my fiancee had to wait almost 2 hours for the dollar van to show up (normal time is every 15 minutes). I bit the bullet and stayed till 8:30 hoping it wold be an easier commute (it wasn't). Luckily, my company paid for the $65 charge to haul my ass back to Brooklyn. Christmas is seriously ruined this year. NO COMMERCIAL traffic into Manhattan at all between 5-11, form what one person tells me. and I've seen a few businesses that did't bother to open, and for the first time I've seen in a while, there no bagel vendors in the morning.
The union wants 8 percent raise every year, full pension for retirees at age 50, 0 percent contribution to their healthplan. salaries. conductors - 54k per year motormen - 63k per year bus drivers - 64k per year
Holy moly, that is unbelievable. Should not go on strike during this holiday season, that is brutal for the residents of New York.
What sucks is the MTA offer the other day was quite generous and the TWU turned it down cold. Man! I want to retire at 50 with a full pension!
Those transit workers are currently earning 47K - 55K average; they retire at age of 55. Right now they are asking for an annual 8% salary increase for next three years and an earlier retirement. This is unbelievable!!! Their beef are with MTA, however, they are now holding the whole city as ransom, in holiday season!!! Seriously, I hope they all get fired and the union leader should be thrown into jail! He broke the law anyway. What a group of selfish, greedy people! I am mad!!!
Here's a good article about it, at the bottom are more links from previous days. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/nyc_tran...pbF4DWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ-- Pugs
What are their reasons behind the demands? My mom and sisters are in NYC. They're supposed to leave today, hopefully they can get to the airport on time.
And not donate any to the pension. I think that's the big sticking point. The MTA wants the workers to donate, what? 1% of their pay to the pension and they say no? unbelievable
I can agree with average workers making a good living. But these unions do not get any sympathy from me at all.
Manhattan-bound pedestrians cross the Brooklyn Bridge, as the transit strike entered its second day. -CNN Photo Morning commuters walked and biked in the blistering cold near the Brooklyn Bridge Wednesday. -CNN Photo People poured into Penn Station on Tuesday evening to catch suburban trains unaffected by the strike. -CNN Photo
I quote, from the link I posted earlier: "The union said the latest MTA offer included annual pay raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 3.5 percent. Pensions were another major sticking point in the talks, particularly involving new employees." In its last offer before negotiations broke down, the MTA had proposed increasing employee contributions to the pension plan from 2 percent to 6 percent, said union lawyer Walter Meginniss Jr. He added that such a change would be "impossible" for the union to accept. "Were it not for the pension piece, we would not be out on strike," union president Roger Toussaint said in an interview with NY1. "All it needs to do is take its pension proposal off the table." Yeah I think the pension is the main reason, or so they say... Pugs
Good to know my tax dollars are paying for some lard bucket's salary while he does anothing at age 55. My dad is 56 and works as a butcher, he has no health benefits and no pension, yet he enjoys life and is happy. Hope the union's happy with whatever concessions they get cuz every single person in probably the biggest pro-union city in America right now hates the TWU
Yeah, I keep thinking how great it would be if when this strike ends, a lot of the commuters decide they're not going to use that transportation anymore and continue using other forms of transportation. I'm sure that would cause a few lay offs..... Pugs
Fire these unskilled workers and replace them with others. That would be a nice reward for their selfishness and disregard for the city. Let's see what they can get on their own in the labor market without the protection of the union. Probably not much. With today's labor laws and protections, unions are unnecessary. Skilled workers who have a market demand for their services do not need to artificially protect their job. Unskilled workers do. Unions drive up prices for consumers, damage productivity, distort the labor market, contribute to higher unemployment figures, and reduce the available talent pool for a job. NY is feeling their societal burden this week.
