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On our walk to work this morning, we found the streets pretty busy for early in the morning, with people walking to work, stopping at coffee carts and nodding at each other in recognition that, yes, many of us were wearing sensible shoes. When Gothamist made it to our office, another building worker asked us how we got in. And it struck us: The socially accepted walls of silence were crumbling down as we were making conversation with others beyond the weather and how slow the elevators are! Sort of like the cold-weather, working Joe-or-Jane's blackout, the Transit Strike of 2005 will be fodder for many conversations - and missed connections! - to come. 
And the hook-ups? Please, we predict a lot of "Hey, I live near your office...why don't you just stay over?" offers. But not to us - we're about to set up camp in our office. We have our WetNaps, Febreze and deodorant!
Have you been chatting with your fellow pedestrians? Or were you a biker who made fun of that guy on the scooter? Tell us!
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so i was chatting with a fellow pedestrian and i was told that this whole women wearing sneakers to commute thing started with the 1980 transit strike...if it is true, one good thing came out of it
jumped in a car with some coworkers this morning who I had never met but recognized.
chatted about holiday shopping and I convinced one more person that macs are far superior to the dreaded pc.
all in all, not a bad commute considering there was no traffic between 96th and midtown.
still think these transit folks need to GET BACK TO WORK.
We support the Transit Worker's strike; I am sick and tired of give backs to the city... Union workers are tired of tiny 3% salary increases while inflation rates just for food alone have risen 2.4% in 2004 and now 2.7% in 2003, and we're coping with astronomical increases in rents and housing prices. The MTA projected losses for this year two years ago, and now have a huge surplus. I am an M.S.W. level social worker who is beginning to have the same difficulty clothing and feeding my family that my poor clients have...what's wrong with this picture?? ENOUGH already!
well, if you're sharing a ride, some good things might come of it. especially if you're coming from the same area of the city.
Who gave and who took in these negotiations?
I think this passage from the NY Times is telling:
"The union's executive board voted 28 to 10, with 5 members abstaining, to start the strike, but Michael T. O'Brien, the president of the Transport Workers Union of America, Local 100's parent union, warned the board that he could not support a strike because he believed the authority's most recent offer represented real progress. "
I believe Toussaint had his mind made up last week and the negotiations since Thursday night's debacle were a sham. An unpopular strike, supported by a minority of TWU rank-and-file,
around the holidays, with the union misinforming the workers and the public about the key issues.
The result: Toussaint will have to pack his bags.
I fully support the TWU.
Solidarity with the workers; down with Kalikow!
If the transit workers' jobs were so menial, why are so many new yorkers griping? we take the subway too much for granted.
Bet there is a "Law & Order" Episode revolving around the Strike.
Gosh, I feel like scrooge saying this, but hey, it's not THAT much fun...
I walked a mile to the Forest Hills LIRR station this morning and waited on like for an hour to kinda join in the experience. Then I started to freeze and headed home.
It wasn't THAt great of an experience and I am very much looking forward to it being OVER.
PS- I would gladly take any transit job available right now for 50 thou. Just point me in the right direction. I don't feel at all sorry for those bozos.
Man, where can I get air for my bike tires in Midtown? I rode on rims from Brooklyn to 48th. Yikes.
"Union workers are tired of tiny 3% salary increases while inflation rates just for food alone have risen 2.4% in 2004 and now 2.7% in 2003"
dude hate to break it to you, but getting a 3% pay raise a year is TYPICAL in most jobs. Oh yea, and dealing with annoying customers and bosses... also typical. Hmm.. getting an average of 55k.. NOT TYPICAL and being able to retire with a pension at 55.. NOT TYPICAL.
Seriously, I wish I had those benefits. Go work at barnes and noble MTA workers, you'll see how awesome it is to have your jobs.
Tisch Rigby,
Well, if you're not satisfied with what you're getting paid, why don't you unionize? Then you can all go on strike and screw all the New Yorkers who need your help. Oh, wait. You're not that selfish, uncaring and irresponsible, are you? Well, Local 100 is!
I took a commuter van service my law firm set up for the strike. I got to chat with a few people I've never met before, and I stayed warm on my way in.
si: there's a bike shop on 9th Ave around 48th to 50th. I don't remember the exact address but I've passed it many times riding down 9th Ave.
I hope this strike breaks this union. They'll come back to work for a lesser contract offer than they originally struck for. Or maybe the MTA will just fire all of them, Reagan-style. I bet there are plenty of people in this town who would accept what the MTA is offering to new workers.
si - I know of several places to get air for bikes around Broadway and Houston. The BP Amoco at Lafayette has an air machine for 50 cents for a minute of air (fill up fast!), and there is a bike store down a couple of blocks from Houston, and they have free air. Metro Bicycles also has several locations around the city, and you can borrow a pump from them or buy a cheap portable one (check http://www.metrobicycles.com/ for the locations)
Today's commute was actually better than usual. I bike everyday from Greenpoint to 19th and 6th Ave and aside from more people than usual crossing the Williamsburg Bridge the traffic in Manhattan (on the LES) was non existent. It was the best commute in weeks. Hopefully all those people crossing the bridge this morning will realize that riding a bike a couple of miles to work is far more efficient than taking the subway and continue to do so when this is all over.
I find it refreshing that we are paying attention to the invisible. For once, we are curious about how Jerry in accounting got to the office or realize that thousands of people work to make our lives convenient.
I'd never accept a job working for the MTA. I have no desire to breathe subway air, share my lunch with rats, or have to give directions to foreign tourists. I know this strike is inconvenient, but many of these MTA jobs are like working in a coal mine in the middle of the most prosperous city in America. Why should they be invisible when we rely on them everyday?
Thanks for the tips Dude!
Emily, I completely agree with you. But with one caveat. Considering the deal that the MTA offered the TWU is acting like idiots. I think working for the MTA is a thankless job, and the workers need more respect. But this is not the way to do it.
There's something very weird about this. If the issue is working conditions, then why not strike to make work days and work conditions better? But the TWU is not doing that at all. They're obsessed with the pension plan and in all honesty while I think the TWU workers deserve respect, they are coming off as just being greedy.
I think this TWU action would have made more of an impact if the TWU actually came out at lashed out about the MTA and the corruption within the agency. Look at all of the new stations that are built that look like crap or are falling apart within 1-2 years of being renovated? The reality is that the TWU is not really fighting for its own respect, but to get a larger piece of the MTAs already corrupt pie. And in that respect, I can't take this action too seriously.
And with the holidays in less than a week, this is the worst thing the TWU could have ever done. It's amazing to think what the fallout of this could all be. But as someone who typically sides with labor, the TWU is not getting too much sympathy from me now.
correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe it's bad to get air out of pumps at the gas stations. they fill your tubes way too fast. you run the risk of popping them. then you would be really screwed.
DUh! Meesa fully support TRANSIT STRIKE! meesa know that government is bad and they beat us all time in butt! Meesa no can stand it no more! FUCK YOU NEW YORK!!
OK. Seriously. 55,000 a year for turning a wheel and pushing pedals. Now, I'm not saying they don't work hard. They do. It's a hard job, but a lot of people have it tougher, and 55,000 is not a small salary. Hell, I'm an engineer with a combined 6 years of college education, and I make around that. 6 years of education in a skilled job vs. 0 years of education in a job, that while being tough, really doesn't require that much training. Hmmm... yea, they sure need a big raise.
The proper technique to use with gas station air and bike tires is a short burst of air, then check the pressure. Repeat as necessary. No risk of a blowout then.
We had two transit strikes in Los Angeles in five years. The fact that there were no buses made for some of the fastest rush hours in memory. Suck it NEW YORK!
Julius,
How old are you? What is the *average* salary for an engineer?
Pay scales increase dramatically with age in professional careers. That isn't the case with MTA employees and other jobs of that ilk. They are on a fixed increase schedule as determined by their contract.
At first, I was having fun. Biking to work was cool, as was flirting with the various cute girls I saw biking as well, I was thinking "hey, I can vibe with this strike." Then I got to work.
See, I'm an NYC tour guide. My job is dependant on traffic conditions. A trip which should have taken 2 1/2 hours took 4 1/2. I spent most of my time placating frustrated, loud tourists.
The strike isn't fun any more.