Transit Union's Jail Sentence and Fine for Strike

Yesterday afternoon, Transport Workers Union president Roger Toussaint was sentenced to 10 days in jail, plus a $1000 fine, for his role in last year's transit strike. Though it's unclear whether or not he'll be appealing the decision (he has 29 more days to figure that out!), there are aleady murmurings of him becoming a labor martyr symbol, though Toussaint denies it. Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Theodore Jones said, "I said in December this episode represents a sad day in New York City labor relations and I still believe that. I'm confounded by the tortured tale of these negotiations. It is unfortunate that it had to come down to an illegal strike"; Jones could have given Toussaint community service instead. The two other top TWU officials were hit with $500 fines each, and the MTA and Governor Pataki seemed satisified with the outcome. The NY Times mentioned how some labor unions believe the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees to go on strike (and this is the law that Toussaint violated), gives too much power to management; we wonder if the next governor will do anything to address this.

The NY Post, no fan of Toussaint, essentially criticizes the labor union head's high-living with a smirk as he may face prison.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 11, 2006 9:29 AM

Comments [rss]

hells yes

"walk from Elmhurst to Midtown" - right on with that comment!

since summer is coming, maybe we can just make him sit on the b/d platform at the 34th street station for a few hours. the heat down there during summer should approximate how uncomfortable it was for me to walk in the from the staten island ferry to midtown.

Tim N.

I'd imagine having to walk from Elmhurst to Midtown and back for three days straight in a bitter cold wind would have been a better sentence, but what the hell...

Jay

A typical Democrat Spitzer makes; he claims to represent the people of the state of New York when he represses union strikes? Workers are workers, government or private. So score another trick point for the Democrats who reiterate the so-called 'socialistic' values while adhering to uber-capitalist policies.

It's time to scrap the Taylor law altogether. As the recent AFL-CIO "boxed in" pradigm suggests, the workers who do the jobs that many of us simply won't do are more and more inclined to 'break out of the box' as the only means to stop the malaise in the ever-growing divide of income distribution.

For a better background information on Mr. Touissant, which obviously the news press won't cover, the link is:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/revson/dinner/speakers03-04/speakerProfile/toussaint.htm

MN

Is this the end of the story ?

This is all TWU got? I can't believe this is allowed to happen. The law clearly defines the punishment ($50k/day for Roger, $1M/day for TWU) but judge decided not to enforce the law.

Crime does pay after all. At least in this city.

Besides, TWU workers are now ordered to pay Roger's $1k fine.

This is an open invitation to a new transit strike.

pugsley

I imagine a ten day sentence is exactly what Roger was hoping for. Long enough for him to use as a soapbox, yet short enough as to not be inconvenient. The Taylow law would work fine if it was actually used, but it hasn't been enforced. If the whole mess had been sent to an arbiter last december all of this drama would have been avoided and the transit workers would have a reasonably fair contract. This outcome is what Roger wanted all along. He has other axes to grind than just the interests of transit workers.

glennardo

The Taylor law is just another way to create extremely ineffective labor unions. The TWU is the only union that at least tries anymore and they set the contract pattern for the rest of the city employees. And then we wonder why teachers, police and firefighters can't afford to live in the city anymore?