Gothamist: Shopping During the Strike Already Down

jh

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:43:43 -0500

I feel like a genius for baking cookies this year. Everybody got cookies from me, and they all got them Monday, just in case there was a strike.

cory

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 08:00:22 -0500

following yesterday's comments: if you don't think you're going to walk several miles or drive in traffic for several hours, then: 1) you're already shopping online, or 2) you're waiting for post-Christmas sales, which in the core of ny metro should be just awesome this year... but, up here in southern vermont, where there's no traffic, the roads are clear of snow, the blanket of snow in our meadow stretches right up to distant treelines, the firewood is stacked and ready for our fireplaces, people are polite and waiting for serious winter to begin, then... think about a b&b gift certificate for the special people on your christmas list... hickory ridge house, southern vermont bed and breakfast... winter is waiting for you (and the people you love)

c

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:45:11 -0500

"$55,000 a year with free medical care and a fat cats pension after 25 years" Are you kidding me with this? Your morning bus-driver isn't weekending in the damn hamptons on $55k/yr, friend. But, hey, if your visions of class warfare have TWU members sitting back in a chaise lounge sipping martinis made from the sweat and tears of the commuters, be my guest.

Jon

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:33:32 -0500

Folks, if you're wondering, "laurence" does in fact work for the twu local 100. There's 40,000 of them and you can bet a lot of them are online attempting (and failing) to defend themselves, now that every major paper in the city and the public is against them. I will say I've had to deal with some real animals in the subway, and many of them were transit workers. These unskilled simpletons would be flipping burgers or on welfare if they weren't at the MTA making $55,000 a year with free medical care and a fat cats pension after 25 years, and now they want a 25% raise financed by the public. Absolutely despicable.

laurence

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:03:12 -0500

"I hope people take the privilege to make their lives miserable once they get back to work. " I don't see how their lives could be anything but miserable: practically living underground, inhaling steel dust all day long, dealing with crazy passengers who hate them no matter what they do, and not getting any slack even though service on trains (up until this month) was the best that it's been in fifty years. Seems pretty crappy to me without any help from you. If you remember the 1980s, track fires, derailments, grafitti, violence, filth, and an altogether unreliable service was the what they called service. I'd say they do a really good job, actually and deserve to be rewarded for it. Unlike the MTA who has kept two sets of books and run surpluses for the past three years (and hid them) and yet continues to raise fares. But Pataki would never ever fire his good old buddy Kalikow -- I'd call that a union too -- one that I'd happily spit in the face of.

disgruntled

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 21:08:34 -0500

I just tried shopping at home, in Williamsburg, and while I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I get bad service in the boutiques on Bedford - well, I'm surprised I got bad service in the boutiques on Bedford. I'm going to drive out to the suburbs and spend my money. idiots.

Not reading your replies

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 21:02:12 -0500

Those thugs broke the fucking law. I hope people take the privilege to make their lives miserable once they get back to work. If 7 million people depend on the subway, and just 4 million of them are as angry as me, TWU workers should really watch their own asses,because there are ALOT of people who wish to inflict bodily harm on them. They're going to need those health benefits fo'sho.

Brooklyn Retailer

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:29:41 -0500

I have news for you, stores on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, are raking it in this week with the strike. Everyone is staying home and shopping.

JO Mamm

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:29:12 -0500

FUCK THE TERRORISTS WORKERS UNION!!!!!!

k

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:00:02 -0500

amen, what laurence said, amen.

igor

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:59:36 -0500

I will not shop at Macys.. I don't like Scooby Doo.. scooby doo reminds me of phyllis diller and halloween..not christmas..I didn't buy one thing at MACYS this year..

laurence

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:41:22 -0500

I'm with the union on this one; what's the point of a union if you're not allowed to strike. Where is your leverage? A bad attitude? A slow down? To think that for all of these hundreds of millions of dollars lost, all that would be needed in order to end the strike is $20MM. That's peanuts compared to the surplus that the MTA had. And they devoted $100MM of that to free rides: for what? They could have avoided the strike entirely by simply putting that money towards their people. Also, (and I don't mean this to sound charged) if you're upset about your working conditions and your compensation, I suggest that you engage in some collective bargaining and stand up for what you believe you're owed. That's all the TWU is doing. It's a shame that the PBA and Firemen's Unions worked without contracts for so long; they really gave Pataki and Bloomberg carte blanche to try and walk all over every other city union, because what are they going to do? The fact that a starting salary for a police officer is 25K is criminal. It makes me want to spit. But because police officers can't strike, what leverage do they have? And now the TWU is standing up for themselves and are being called thugs. Some unions are definitely corrupt and greedy; the TWU does not appear to be one of them -- they're not asking for anything more than what they already had. The TWU is just doing what the other unions should have done: stood up for themselves.

Larry

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:54:06 -0500

I bet the MTA "workers" are PRAYING they get cash for Xmas!

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:47:00 -0500

i wanna spend money at stores, but now it's too cold and far to shop...and online shopping is costing more than usual with express shipping...wished i didnt push it off to this week to shop for xmas...cash for xmas gift is ok too right?

bern

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:10:04 -0500

MTA - cook the books, crooks. Union - want better benefits and raises than the rest of us working stuffs? Bugger off. Despite my politics, I come down against the union on this. I've had to contribute more of my salary to health care. Why should you be any different?

jizzbomb

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:36:00 -0500

How the hell are we even gonna get to macy's? I delayed my shopping again this year but if this is how it's gonna be then it's gonna be online. now I'm actually rummaging for regular household shit for presents. Granny ella is gonna get a really nice heavy duty office stapler this year.

cory

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:35:40 -0500

came into town for aunt's 90th birthday monday and left car in a garage ... wouldn't miss a transit strike for all the tokens in the world ... mike quill a personal hero after all... last night, for all the commotion on the streets of manhattan below 96th, there were real soft spots ... some shops empty, or closed during business hours for lack of staff... dropped in on east side home depot to check out high end products there, but miriam and i were the only customers on the premises... a starbuck's we walked past never opened tuesday... bloomie's sooo quiet... no shopping bags from anywhere on the streets yesterday... just me and miriam at e.j.'s and a young mother with her two daughters for breakfast ... zabar's this morning, where we go to load up on supplies for our southern vermont inn, zabar's, my zabar's, the lox cutter just shaking his head sadly... no wait at the checkout at fairway on 125th ... but the inbound traffic waiting for the 11:00 a.m. curfew was humongous on broadway and the cross county parkway ... miles and miles of single-occupied vehicles queued up for the long haul in, traffic not moving at noon in westchester - what are these guys thinking (?)... A PRETTY GOOD TIME TO GET OUT OF TOWN... special offer to gothamists: if you have a new york city area code, we'll give you a fourth night free if you stay three nights at hickory ridge house from now til the end of january -- but you must reserve before the strike is declared over ... woodburning fireplaces, no traffic jams, wi-fi access for telecommuters, and no horns, sirens or arguments. escape to southern vermont for a change.

Seth Werkheiser

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:30:39 -0500

I walked and picked up some last minute items, but nothing sizable, since I have to CARRY it home now, either on the bike or by hand... blah

Not reading your replies

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:28:11 -0500

The strike is preventing terrorism on the train, how smart of the TWU/MTA!! It was a christmas present for them to save us! Take that! falafel man!

kwanito

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:21:47 -0500

The Gap is suffering diminished sales?! Bullshit, there's one on every block in Manhattan. I'd like to know if Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts have increased sales because of the number of pedestrians who need energy and warmth for their long walks.

tien

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:15:56 -0500

that's pretty brilliant.

sweaterhead

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:12:00 -0500

I got an e-mail from j.Crew this morning offering free express shipping to get your stuff in time for X-Mas -- just for people living in NYC. Thought that was kind of interesting targeted marketing. Too bad I don't need any $80 jeans with embroidered wales.