New York City Transit Workers Ruin the Holidays for Millions

By Linda Orlando

New Yorkers may feel that The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was the target of a domestic terrorism attack this morning when they walked out of their homes to head to work and discovered that the subways and buses in the city weren’t rolling. Transit workers walked off the job Tuesday morning because their demands hadn’t been met by the city during several days of particularly vile and angry labor talks. According to Roger Toussaint, the union president, workers "are tired of being underappreciated and disrespected." So they decided they would disrespect the city they serve, by attempting to bring it to its knees just a few days before Christmas.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls the strike "cowardly," and immediately put an emergency plan into effect to alleviate the gridlock caused by the strike. He added that a strike by transit workers during the busiest time of the year is "illegal and morally reprehensible." More than 7 million people ride the subways and buses every day during a regular week in New York City, but that number is greatly increased this time of year. The walkout could cost the city as much as $400 million a day, and will cause untold repercussions for businesses at the height of the shopping and tourist season.

There hasn’t been a citywide transit strike in New York City in more than 25 years. Because it is illegal for mass transit workers to strike in New York, the bus and subway employees who are striking—over 33,000 employees—will face huge fines for participating. Peter Kalikow, the head of the MTA, calls the strike "a slap in the face" to all New Yorkers. State lawyers are headed to court today to block the walkout, which was called by the union just three hours after a midnight deadline. Toussaint said the proposed new contract with the MTA should have been a "no-brainer," and the union feels the strike is justified.

Bloomberg is urging New Yorkers to make arrangements to carpool, walk, or ride bikes to work, or work at home if possible. Meanwhile, New York yellow taxis are attempting to help ease the congestion on city streets by taking up to four passengers at a time. Many people are having trouble understanding the new pricing structure for taxis implemented by Bloomberg, with the city divided into zones. Manhattan has been divided into four zones, with a $10 fare per person for travel within a single zone and an additional $5 for traveling into another zone. The confusion hasn’t impeded the demand for taxis this morning, though. A line of yellow cabs circles the block outside Penn Station, with drivers and hopeful passengers screaming out locations, hoping to match up with other people heading to the same locations so they can share rides.

One subway booth in New York City has a sign posted saying, "Strike in Effect. Station Closed. Happy Holidays." Obviously city transit workers aren’t interested in peace and goodwill to all men. No matter how angry they are about the impasse with the MTA, it’s a sad day indeed when they let their acrimony ruin the holidays for the millions of people who are responsible for them having jobs in the first place.