NYC Transit Strike

[NSXType-R]

There will be a NYC Transit strike today. Massive traffic jams are already starting. I get a 2 hour delay to school also.

[m5child]

hehe, i feel you man...

i should be heading alll the way downtown by the south ferry close to wall st from the middle of queens (queens blvd and woodhave blvd)... but whaddaya know... im telecommuting... =)

[ScionDriver]

On the week of Christmas. Thank God I have no reason to be in NYC right now.

[Rockefella]

Uh-oh.

NYC commuters coping with transit strike

DEC. 20 12:56 P.M. ET Subways and buses ground to a halt Tuesday morning as transit workers walked off the job at the height of the holiday shopping and tourist season, forcing millions of riders to find new ways to get around.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had said the strike would cost the city as much as $400 million a day, joined the throngs of people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge as he walked from a Brooklyn emergency headquarters to City Hall.

"It's a form of terrorism, if you ask me," said Maria Negron, who walked across the bridge. "I hope they go back to work."

Other New Yorkers car-pooled or rode bicycles in the cold; early-morning temperatures were in the 20s.

With traffic rules in place to prevent gridlock, the city survived the morning rush without the feared chaos. Manhattan streets were unusually quiet; some commuters just stayed home.

Officials said they would seek quick court action, and about eight hours after the strike began, a closed-door meeting about the walkout was under way in a Brooklyn courtroom. It is illegal for mass transit workers to strike in New York, and the 33,000 employees could face fines of two days' pay for each day on strike.

It was New York's first citywide transit walkout since an 11-day strike in 1980. Pay raises and pension and health benefits for new hires were main sticking points.

"I'm not happy about this," said Yvette Vigo, whose teeth were chattering after she walked a couple of miles to pick up a company-run shuttle bus at Wall Street. "It's too cold to walk this far."

Authorities began locking turnstiles and shuttering subway entrances shortly after the Transport Workers Union ordered the strike. The nation's largest mass transit system counts each fare as a rider, giving it more than 7 million riders each day -- although many customers take a daily round trip.

At one subway booth, a handwritten sign read "Strike in Effect. Station Closed. Happy Holidays!!!!"

Huge lines formed at ticket booths for the commuter railroads that stayed in operation, and Manhattan-bound traffic backed up at many bridges and tunnels as police turned away cars with fewer than four people. All the while, transit workers took to the picket lines with signs that read: "We Move NY. Respect Us!"

"I think they all should get fired," said Eddie Goncalves, a doorman trying to get home after his overnight shift. He said he expected to spend an extra $30 per day in cab and train fares.

Commuters lined up for cabs and gathered in clusters on designated spots throughout the city for company vans and buses to shuttle them to their offices.

"There were hundreds of people waiting for cabs, pulling doors left and right," said taxi driver Angel Aponte, who left his meter off and charged $10 per person.

"It doesn't seem right to tie up the cultural and investment center of the world," said Larry Scarinzi, 72, a retired engineer from Whippany, N.J., waiting for a cab outside Penn Station. "They're breaking the law. They're tearing the heart out of the nation's economy."

Bloomberg, who had predicted "gridlock that will tie the record for all gridlocks," put into effect a sweeping emergency plan, including the requirement that cars coming into Manhattan below 96th Street have at least four occupants. As he walked across the bridge, he smiled, admired the view and called the strike "outrageous."

The union called the strike around 3 a.m. after a late round of negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke down Monday night. Union President Roger Toussaint said the union board voted overwhelmingly to call the strike.

"This is a fight over dignity and respect on the job, a concept that is very alien to the MTA," Toussaint said. "Transit workers are tired of being underappreciated and disrespected."

MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow called the strike "a slap in the face" to all New Yorkers, and Gov. George Pataki said the workers were "recklessly endangering the health and safety of each and every New Yorker."

The union said the latest MTA offer included annual raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 3.5 percent; the previous proposal included 3 percent raises each year. MTA workers typically earn from $35,000 as a starting salary to about $55,000 annually.

Toussaint said the union wanted a better offer from the MTA, especially when the agency has a $1 billion surplus this year.

"With a $1 billion surplus, this contract between the MTA and the Transport Workers Union should have been a no-brainer," Toussaint said. "Sadly, that has not been the case."

A key issue was the MTA's proposal to raise the age at which new employees become eligible for a full pension from 55 to 62, which the union says is unfair. The MTA later agreed to allow pension eligibility at 55 for new employees, but they would be asked to pay more out of their salaries.

The contract expired Friday at midnight, but the two sides agreed to keep talking through the weekend and the union set a new deadline for Tuesday. The citywide strike was preceded by a walkout Monday by two private bus lines in Queens.

Commuter frustration was evident both before the strike and after it was called.

"Enough is enough," said Craig DeRosa, who relies on the subway to get to work. "Their benefits are as rich as you see anywhere in this country and they are still complaining. I don't get it."

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/finan...e_down&chan=db

[Esperante]

You dirty mod you! A repost!

Good riddance. I think that in the long run this will be of benefit to the city, but for this holiday season it'll be a cold hard bitch.

I hate unions. This particular union is particularily whiny, and definitely taking advantage of the fact that the city relies on its rapid transit.

The MTA sucks. They're raising fares, lowering wages and presenting an unsatisfactory 'product.' Trains are late more often, dirty, slow, crowded....the current MTA heads are doing a downright shitty job at managing their system.

"It's a form of terrorism, if you ask me," said Maria Negron
GAH! I ****ing hate ignorant sheep who gobble up whatever the media throws at them! It's not terrorism, it's demanding fair pay! Jesus Christ...people like this make me want to puke.

[man 430gt]

This is more offical

[man 430gt]

"Originally Posted by Associated Press
NYC commuters coping with transit strike

"It's a form of terrorism, if you ask me," said Maria Negron,"
Hmm Maybe a bit of exagerating there..And i think many people may acutally find that offencive...

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

"Originally Posted by Associated Press
NYC commuters coping with transit strike

"It's a form of terrorism, if you ask me," said Maria Negron,"
Hmm Maybe a bit of exagerating there..And i think many people may acutally find that offencive...

i did, my parents are greatly affected, both working at home.
as for me im staying on the island and the island trains are still running-all i get out of this is a shorter school day

[Rockefella]

I'll merge this thread with mine. Sorry about reposting.

[Rockefella]

You dirty mod you! A repost!

Good riddance. I think that in the long run this will be of benefit to the city, but for this holiday season it'll be a cold hard bitch.

I hate unions. This particular union is particularily whiny, and definitely taking advantage of the fact that the city relies on its rapid transit.

The MTA sucks. They're raising fares, lowering wages and presenting an unsatisfactory 'product.' Trains are late more often, dirty, slow, crowded....the current MTA heads are doing a downright shitty job at managing their system.

"It's a form of terrorism, if you ask me," said Maria Negron
GAH! I ****ing hate ignorant sheep who gobble up whatever the media throws at them! It's not terrorism, it's demanding fair pay! Jesus Christ...people like this make me want to puke.

Agreed, on the most part. The MTA is an absolute mess, and their backing by Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg is a laugh. The TWA workers are working w/ pitiful contracts, and fight for better pay, so Bloomberg/Pataki call them bad people. If they strike, police enforcement will ensue. Just STFU government, if anything threaten the MTA.

[rev440]

Yeah its kinda stupid. From what ive heard its the center of New York and there expected to loose 4-5 MILLION dollars a day.

[Rockefella]

Yeah its kinda stupid. From what ive heard its the center of New York and there expected to loose 4-5 MILLION dollars a day.

Yeah, just about. That's not that big of a deal though. The congestion of the city is and will be immense. From what I've been watching on the news and through talking with my dad who works in the Bronx at North Central Bronx Hospital, you're only allowed to drive if you have 4 or more occupants per vehicle; any less and you'll get turned around to Upstate/Long Island NY, NJ, + Conn. Supposedly, just sitting in a taxi will cost you 10 dollars, plus about double the fee on the cab ride.. the ferries are running, but slowly and with tons of traffic, and any private livery cab services are backed up for days.

[Esperante]

Yeah its kinda stupid. From what ive heard its the center of New York and there expected to loose 4-5 MILLION dollars a day.

Try 200,000,000-600,000,000.

Rok-Manhattan is the only place turning around cars with less than 4 people. I think that's what you meant, but it was a little vauge.
But seeing as you living in New Jersey, Manhattan is about the only way to go to get to the Bronx.

At least the PATH and LIRR are working. From what I know there are still alternative routes to take, but getting across town could take several hours.

[NSXType-R]

Hmm, I didn't know this was a repost. Sorry, Rockafella I didn't check. Yeah, I heard a lot of people are losing money. All the small businesses and the police officers on OT is going to cost the city a bunch. Delete this thread if necessary.

[Esperante]

Ha. You didn't repost it, he did.