The Transport Workers Union opposes the binding arbitration that the MTA has requested in order to actually hammer out a long overdue contract, so they filied their papers explaining why they oppose and offering their proposals for a contract. One of the chestnuts the TWU pulled out was for raises near the 24% over three years (that the MTA rejected and the TWU executive board later agreed to much lower ones). It seems that binding arbitration usually sticks it to the unions, so it's quite the gamble, but we suppose there wasn't much else the TWU could do, after the union voted down the proposed contract by seven votes. It's our hope that the MTA and TWU work out an agreement- or that the next strike would be some time in the summer, so we can walk amongst smelly garbage wiliting in the heat.
In other MTA related news, revenue for 2005 was $58 million lower than expected (hello, strike, hello, holiday discounting) and the MTA is postponing the sale of some bonds because the bank is under fire.
