The MTA says their current offer is their "final offer" to the Transit Workers Union. And what's the offer? Three percent each year over a three year contract; the union wants 8% more. And benefits-wise, the MTA would ask new hires to pay 1% of their pay to go towards their health plans (workers do not do this now). Finally, the MTA wants to increase the retirement age from 55 to 62 after 30 years of service, whereas the TWU wants to lower the age to 50 after 20 years of service, for new hires; the TWU says there would be "two tiers" employees, which they don't want. (Here are some more of the union's demands, which include child care and the MTA's excessive challenges to the TWU's arbitration.) more ›

Yesterday, the Design Trust for Public Space and Parsons held the Redesigning Taxi Cab discussion, and Newsday's Ellis Henican has a funny column about reactions and thoughts. He says that no one "seemed too eager yesterday to sing the praises the industry's current workhorse, Ford's 12-mile-a-gallon Crown Victoria, famous for its sunken seats and stringy legroom," but Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus said, "They're not that horrible. They're selling them on 42nd Street as Matchbox cars." Ha. Daus did emphasize "I feel very strong about the taxi staying yellow," and from Newsday's slideshow of images, it seems like most people agree. But this effort to discuss a redesign sounds lofty Gothamist, as much as we love it, because it seems that the TLC has some bureaucratic problems to deal with. Like auctioning discounted taxi medallions for fuel-efficient cars, but not actually approving fuel-efficient cars for use as cabs, as reported by the NY Times. That is seriously hilarious. Daus claims the TLC does want hybrids, just hybrids with lots of legroom, since passengers complain about legroom most, and not many of them have that much. more ›

New York is in a tizzy because it's the day before The Gates in Central Park officially open. Gothamist must say, we love how there's so much excitement about public art. Honestly, there hasn't been this much excitement and anticipation from photobloggers in New York since...the Republican National Convention last summer. Wow, Mayor Bloomberg, you really know how to push New Yorkers' buttons! The finishing touches won't be put on The Gates until tomorrow at 8AM. Christo and Jeanne-Claude were beaming on the Today Show, alongside Mayor Bloomberg; Katie Couric showered all three with hosannas over the project, and Jeanne-Claude is Gothamist's new hero, as she smacked Katie a little bit. Seriously, whether or not people love or hate The Gates, it's pretty thrilling there's so much passion around public art. Even Newsday's Ellis Henican agrees! more ›

It looks like Kerik will be going to his old job at Giuliani's firm. Newsday has a thorough look inside the mess, and its columnist Ellis Henican says "I hate to say I told you so...but I told you so"; it's true, Henican had a crazed editorial a week and a half ago. Boy, Gothamist bets is President Bush wishing he nominated Asa Hutchinson; Hutchinson may be boring to the media, but maybe that's because he's fairly straight up. It's always the case that you wonder why politicians don't learn (Zoe Baird? Kimba Wood? Lani Guinier?), but apparently, they just don't. more ›

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs announced his voter-registration/voter interest drive initiative, Citizen Change, earlier this week. The way to reach the 42 million voters between 18 and 30? The urgent, fatalistic and ultimately pithy: "Vote or Die!" (It also sounds like a video game.) The program is non-partisan, non-profit, and chock full of celebrity endorsers, with 50 Cent, Leonardo DiCaprio, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z and Ashton Kutcher on board. Vote or Die! shirts went on sale earlier this week, and Diddy Combs will be making appearance at both conventions - the Democratic National Convention on July 29 and the Republican National Convention on September 2. more ›