Comments on: A Short History of Recent American Transit Strikes

By: Earl C. Hardy, Jr.

Earl C. Hardy, Jr. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:22:52 +0000

To those ATU brothers & sisters who continue to compare NY & NJ contracts, get the back story & political machine behind the deal that Mayor Bloomberg is kicking himself for now.

As union leaders & members we must attain all the facts before we lead down a path of divide & conquer, know that we are different states, different goverment & mayor who overplayed his hand because of his selfish need to overturn the will of the people.

Its time for us come together, check the egos at the door, give informative facts that strengthens our unions rather than spread doubt & discord amongst our members.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:41:05 +0000

Jon: on the contrary, in a recession wage cuts fuel deflation, making the recession worse. High wages can actually help cure recessions – they made Sweden the first country to recover from the Great Depression – by transferring income from those who’re likelier to save it to those who’re likelier to spend it.

By: jon

jon — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:07:36 +0000

why i have no sympathy here is that they are asking for an increase in wages. now is not the time to ask for an increase when one is lucky to have a job. bite the bullet like everyone else and make do in these difficult times. bart workers are different than other transit workers in that these are very simple jobs (opening doors as an automated train operator and answering questions as a station agent), a bus driver/streetcar operator at least requires skill and responsibility.

i am all for paying transit operators that require skill and responsibility very well but i also do have a problem with ridiculous work rules and restrictions on firing problematic employees. this is exactly my opinion on teachers too and really all public sector employees.

yeah i agree, theres a reason taxi drivers are the worst group of “professional” drivers on the road

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:12:15 +0000

Wad, taxi drivers are hired individually, whereas bus drivers are subject to collective bargaining agreements that exclude immigrants willing to work for minimum wage. The MTA can’t phase in immigrant workers one by one the way taxi companies can.

By: jim

jim — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:52:37 +0000

on the issue of strikes at this time for transit workers is it wise?look around at all the people being laid off in other industries.i am a A.T.U. member.but the point is don”t the funds to run the trains and buses come from tax dollars?are”nt taxpayers the ones being laid off.what happened to mediation or arbitration .to strike is always at some point a loss.my brother worked at a factory and told me the threat of a strike hurt the company the actual strike did not.

By: Wad

Wad — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:26:44 +0000

EngineerScotty wrote:

the regular travels of the airlines through Chapter 11 doesn’t seem to shed them of their unions.

Chapter 11 generally cannot do that, no.

Under bankruptcy, generally, a collective bargaining agreement can be voided if there is no way the corporation can meet the terms of the contract without liquidating in the process.

However, it does not void recognition of the bargaining unit.

By: Wad

Wad — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:13:21 +0000

EngineerScotty wrote:

Outsourcing. A bus or train in Brooklyn cannot be operated (currently) by a driver in Bangalore or Beijing.

In the case of transportation, workers must worry about insourcing. Taxicabs exist because of a deluge of desperate foreign laborers. It can be scaled upwards to buses and trains as well.

By: EngineerScotty

EngineerScotty — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:13:04 +0000

Of course, the railroads have reams of labor law which applies only to them…. and the regular travels of the airlines through Chapter 11 doesn’t seem to shed them of their unions.

By: jean-luc

jean-luc — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:53:08 +0000

Gawd, that LA strike in 2003 made my life a pain for 2 months.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:42:34 +0000

Another reason for high public sector unionization rates is that the public sector doesn’t go bust. A private company can go bankrupt because of excessive labor costs, in which case it’ll be replaced by other companies, which will hire non-union workers. A public company (or GM) will be bailed out by the taxpayers. Private companies that have lasted for decades often are unionized – for example, the legacy airlines and the freight railroads.