Thursday, December 22, 2005

The New York Transit Strike

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subways and city buses in New York City, has been afflicted with a malady known as a "strike". Symptons include the lack of subway and bus service, the eruption of barricades of various quality near and in train stations and on city streets, and crowds of exhausted and annoyed people swarming over the Brooklyn Bridge. The cause appears to be one Roger Toussaint and his merry men, who spearheaded a drive to get the MTA to better the lot of its Train Operators and Bus Operators and Conductors and Booth Agents. The idea behind this drive is a sound one. However, going on strike carries it too far, and is irresponsible to the people of New York City, who NEED transit to get around. It also potentially devastates the city's economy. (I say "potentially" because online sales agents and taxi drivers appear to be making more money than usual, especially with fares of $20 or more to go from Downtown Manhattan to Midtown Manhattan.) The MTA is right to seek binding arbitration; such a process ought to be streamlined and sped up, not obstructed by cumbersome bureaucracy. And the Transit Workers Assoc. needs to get Back to Work!

Yours,
Rovin' Ricky.

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