Transit Strike

The city has been on edge since last week about the impending strike. The TWU and the MTA can't seem to agree on terms which are suitable for everyone, so they are preparing to go on strike. But why isn't the city preparing for that, too?

If there are people who don't want to work, that is fine. This isn't a communist regime, people can make their own decisions, and if they prefer to be unemployed, that's fine. However, they should not demand from the MTA that they should be paid more than before and have to work less than before, get better benefits and not receive any disciplinary actions. That's crazy! The city should have started preparing a long time ago.

The preparations for a strike aren't that complicated. All it requires is getting new workers and training them. If there are workers who want to strike then they should be fired. In a city where unemployment is holding at about 8% it shouldn't be too hard to find people willing to work for the MTA under these conditions which the TWU isn't accepting.

This isn't a chain store where a strike means an inconvenience for consumers. A NYC transit strike means the lives of the entire city's population will be altered in some way during the strike. During peak hours cars will only be allowed in Manhattan if there are four or more people in the car, for instance. This isn't a public inconvenience, this is trying to put a stop to the largest city in the country to gain public support.

Why should the public support the TWU anyway? Is the public is willing to start paying $2.50 a ride? That's what might happen if the MTA needs more money to cover the outrageous demands of the TWU. Therefore, the city should react to the strike by firing the workers who are striking. The workers of the bus companies currently striking should not be hired by the MTA when their companies join the city. If there is a citywide strike, then those workers striking should immediately lose their jobs, and hopefully their benefits, too.