Aha, the Metropolitian Transportation Authority and the Transport Workers Union - they're just two crazy kids that just need to talk things over! The state's Public Employment Relations Board has asked both sides to talk it out once again, not opting to go to binding arbitration - yet. As you may remember, last month the union rejected the contract the MTA and TWU management agreed upon (3-4% raises over three years, paying 1.5% towards health care). Now the union members want the bigger raises they had been gunning for way back in, man, was it last fall? Oy. This is a small reprieve for the TWU, which recently asked its members to continue paying its dues via a direct deposit system, in case the members' due payments that are automatically deducted from their bank accounts stop. Anyway, some think the two sides will work things out before needing arbitration - Gothamist hopes so, but a spring transit strike might be novel - think about the fun outfits we'll wear, fun bike routes we'll take.