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The Transport Workers Union president Roger Toussaint will kick off his ten-day jail sentence - for last December's three-day transit strike - by having a rally outside King's County Supreme Court at 4PM. Then Toussaint and his supporters - including the Reverend Al Sharpton and John J. Sweeny of the AFL-CIO - will march across the Brooklyn Bridge and head over to the Tombs, where he needs to report at 6PM. But supporters will also hold sit-ins outside the jail. Toussaint tells the NY Times that his jail sentence is stupid, "It's one thing if you threaten a jail sentence while a strike is on. t's another thing to send someone to jail three months afterward." And he tells the Daily News that he's not worried about jail, but he's worried about his family worrying about, like his 10 year old son. The Post's reporter got threatened when he observed Toussaint's "last day of freedom" while eating in Boerum Hill ("curried chicken, accompanied by rice and beans and spicy cabbage at the West Indian home-style favorite Stir It Up on Atlantic Avenue").
The $2.5 million fine from the TWU will go back to the city; how it'll be used is another matter entirely. Hmm, maybe one day of free subway and bus fares (which means unlimited monthly cards get extended by one day)? And in showing which way their support sways, the Post claims that Toussaint's past claims of high school activism are fake while the Daily News reports that MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow bought a $260,000 Ferrari.
And reader John sent us this image of Roger. We'll expect a "Roger Behind Bars" image coming from someone else. Updated: John has created Cafe Press merchandise of "Free Roger" - if only his supporters could get them in time for today!
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Regardless of whether you agree with the TWU, does anyone else feel that it's really odd that anyone could be sent to jail for a labor strike in the USA?
No. Not at all because the scumbag performed an illegal strike.
Oddly enough, he walked across the Brooklyn Bridge today. Maybe he should've done it while all the people he stranded were doing it back in 17 degree weather in December.
Bastard.
Someone should mug him as he walks across.
Well, the strikers aren't going to jail - just their moronic leader.
And I believe it was a Democrat that said "it takes a village". The transit workers should have kept working because they are public servants. Raise or no raise they make a very decent salary with better benefits than most people. This is hardly Sinclair's The Jungle. Perhaps everyone should take a trip to Asia to see lousy working conditions.
Four words - throw away the key.
I'm no fan of Roger but my unadulterated ire is for the MTA. I loathe no other city agency as much. What happened to that big surplus? The MTA is like the CIA accountable to no one.
The strike was instrumental in kicking off a chain of events in my life that has left me financially catching up for the past few months. Suck it up, Roger.
Roger deserves life in prison.
"does anyone else feel that it's really odd that anyone could be sent to jail for a labor strike in the USA"
hell no. he should be in jail for what he did. that illegal strike only hurt regular working people. i don't know why people are even surprised.
do the crime = do the time
In other news, Peter Kalikow just got himself a new 260,000 car.
"Meanwhile, MTA chief gets $260G Ferrari"
that explains where my money goes. it's certainly not for new or improved service. or trains that show up on weekends. or clean stations.
he deserves it. it must be hard to keep convincing the public the MTA is broke and needs more money.
I have no sympathy for Roger and he is getting off light.
There was some city councilwoman who was comparing the whole thing to slavery and her and other were trying to make the whole thing a racial issue. If Toussaint was white he would also have gone to jail. He is no Mike Quill.
As for Kalikow's Ferrari, I think we all would love to see his secret lair near MTA HQ which has several of them. Kalikow obviously has a lot of compensating to do. You can find some pictures of part of it here.
Did they actually bother to mention that Kalikow probably bough that Ferrari with his own money. I don't have any love for Kalikow, but that sort of statement is just irresponsible and inflammatory.
I have no sympathy for that bastard. He deserves more jail time.
The Taylor law was broken by this union's leaders. Regardless of whether they, or anyone else thinks the law is wrong, it is a law with clearly defined penalties for breaking it.
Suck it Roger! His community service should be cleaning the f'ing stations! Why are the grey/white floor tiles that were renavated within the last 5 years all brown now?! Buy some bleach!
EDIT: "renovated" (I don't want to look like a Gothamist article. ;-)
Kalikow is president of H.J. Kalikow & Co., LLC, one of New York City’s leading real estate firms. He began his career in real estate in 1967 and became president of H.J. Kalikow & Co. in 1973. Following his father’s death in 1982, he assumed responsibility for all Kalikow holdings. Mr. Kalikow is the third generation to preside over his family’s 75-year-old real estate company.
Hell if I had Kalikow's money I'd be buying Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bugatti and whatever else I can get my hands on.
Toussaint should go to jail for simply being inarticulate and inefficient enough to NOT prevent a strike. He knew it was illegal, he knew the limits of his demands and the limits of what he could expect, and he deliberately pushed things to the limit.
Does he think he's in France? If he wants respect what's he doing in New York?
I agree with EM. What happened to the surplus? Sorry, I don't care about Toussaint. He is just a pawn. I don't like the way the MTA is throwing the city and transit riders a "stinkin" bone by sending Toussaint to jail for ten days. Who are they trying to pacify with this nonsense? Don't waste our tax money giving him down time for ten days. Show me the money.... MTA. Where is it? Where is the the surplus. While they are showing us the money..... We don't need a subway line on 2nd avenue. They need to clean up the smelly, uncomfortable, over crowded platforms and loud rocky transportation we have now. While the "little people" did not get a substantial raise in comparison to what revenue comes in on a daily basis, the powers that be receive their hefty increase.
The "surplus" went toward the holiday discounts last year. You know the weekend half fare and additional days on your unlimited card.
Not only raises but I bet they get some nice perks.
I wish hackers around the world would stick it to the MTA.
I don't know about the Transit Strike but I do know that Toussaint is a closeted gay guy. He's a friend of dorothy, and a fairy. I once saw two big black guys do him from front and behind at once and he was like "I love me Black Cock!"
Jesus. Do you have Black Cock envy? Why are you thinking about he mans private parts.
No. there is nothing wrong with Black Cock. Black COcks for Everyone. It's just that Toussaint is playing this Martyr card when the dude's plan was to go into sodom paradise all along. THe dude's aiming to get 2 cocks in his butt tonite and his whole anal itinerary is full for the whole 10 days.
What are you talking about, MH? Of course we need a 2nd Avenue line! There are THREE lines servicing the West side, but only ONE line servicing the East side. On top of that, the Lexington Avenue line's tunnels are about a foot and 1/2 narrower than most of the other lines, which makes it even more crowded.
"We need a 2nd avenue line." You know I would be gung hoe if the other lines were up to par,like Washington DC or Atlanta. Why is it that New York City,one of the most sophisticated and modern cities on earth, does not have up to date transportation to match. The Long Island Rail Road is nice, the Metro North is nice, the city buses and express buses are nice, but the subways have a problem. You have smell homeless people or people who have a home and don't wash. Ventilation. Can not understand a thing on most PA systems underground. No Security. Customers are packed in like sardenes during rush hour. Summers are smoldering. I just think they should spend the money in a smarter method. We just finished paying for a high tech metro card electronic system that monitors our every move. The tokens were great. They already existed. Why did we need to go that high tech before customer comfort. Why not spend the money advancing what we have instead of building another dinasour. We do need a 2nd Ave subway. But, not now.
boy, you guys are pathetic.
the man and the workers didn't take a shit deal from a rich, real-estate-developer Pataki appointee. Who violated the same same Taylor Law as Toussaint. Did he go to jail--even get a fine? Hell no.
A double standard, and you jerks are on the side of entitlement and privilege, at the expense of workers that serve you every day.
And if they get a better deal, so do all workers.
What's the Matter with New York City? Talk about working against your own interests!