Toben Smith says Jail Transit Workers!

[Wasanother]

I think when they're talking about jailing them they are just talking about sending them home.

[ConservativeMan55]

Well...how about fining the workers..and jailing the leaders then?

[Phsstpok]

Bush should fire them

They aren't Federal employees. It's not a Federal law they're violating by going on strike. This is up to Bloomberg, the RINO.

Were it possible, Bush should fire Bloomberg. Frankly I'd rather have Ed Koch back. Ed get's the WOT at a level that Bloomberg just never will. For that reason, even being a Democrat, he's a better Republican than Bloomberg is.

[Palladin]

The NYC transit workers are a bunch of overpaid underworked selfish bastards.

All the minimum-wage and hourly workers who will miss work this week and be unable to pay next months rent, or have a decent Christmas, because of these uncaring babboons, should be given the cushy jobs of the union punks who get fired.

Imagine sitting on your ass all day in a ticket booth and getting paid $45 grand, plus $15 grand in benefits!

I say fire all the lazy bastards and start from scratch with people who would love to have such easy jobs.

[MikefromOhio]

Bush should fire them

Are they federalized? I didn't think they were....

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>Bush should fire them<<<

Bloomberg & Petaki? I'd be fine with that... :)

[ARCADIA]

Perhaps Toben hasn't broken any laws.

No, nor were his thoughts very productive. You resolve this by finding common ground, if not with the union leadership, then with the MTA workers. Throwing stones around, and heaving piles of woodchips on your shoulders, is not going to get us where we want to go.

[Alberta's Child]

What they need to do is exploit divisions within the rank-and-file and separate the younger workers from the older ones who are more adamant about keeping the old work rules in place. Someone who is 53 years old has a lot of seniority, a lot of job protection, and a great retirement two years down the road with fully-paid medical benefits. He isn't likely to lose his job, or any of his taxpayer-funded perks, under any circumstances.

But someone who is 25 years old basically has two options: 1) accept an offer that includes medical insurance co-payments and bumps up the retirement age to 62, or 2) accept an offer that maintains the full medical benefits and retirement at 55, but at the cost of losing several thousand jobs among younger workers (to enable the MTA to pay for the lucrative contract terms for the 53 year-old).

The MTA is no different than General Motors. It operates as a closed union shop in which the ridiculous contract terms for long-term workers can only be maintained by minimizing the number of younger workers on the payroll.

[hyperconservative]

Blah, blah, blah.
Fire their greedy lazy asses!

[add925]

Gut-check time for Bloomberg. Wish I could find a pic of that squirrel with a big set of....you know.

[pikachu]

Bloomberg should say 1) The union is now dissolved, 2) any transit workers not reporting for duty immediatly to train their replacments will be arrested, and 3) those who do report will be on probation for a year if they want to keep their jobs. The union leadership should be put on trial for public endanegrment and the non-reporting strikers should be banned for life from any sort of city/state job.

What will happen? Nothing.

[hyperconservative]

spell much?

[add925]

Ahhhhh, here it is..

[Fraxinus]

How many people are needed to fill all these positions?
What qualifications are necessary? Most buses require Class B CDL with air-brake and passenger endorsements. In DC there are buses that require Class A.

Forget fines, stop negotiating with the Union, and hire all new drivers. The union will come begging to the table if the city starts replacing those members that will not cross the picket line.

[Palladin]

IOW, the MTA has a great Ponzi scheme going!

[ARCADIA]

Blah, blah, blah. Fire their greedy lazy asses!

You would rather pay for their retirement out of the general tax fund?

[Palladin]

You could get qualified people in the transportation industry from surrounding municipalities and states in the blink of an eye... People who are doing the same jobs in Hoboken or Waterbury for half the pay and no early retirement.

It didn't take long to replace all those Air Traffic Controllers after Reagan fired them.

[Palladin]

If they are fired for cause, their retirement benefits could be rescinded. That's what happens to bad cops in NYC.

[ARCADIA]

If they are fired for cause, their retirement benefits could be rescinded.

But, the cost will still be there; it would simply be thrown into the social security and medicare bucket. At least here we have a retirement program that is being funded by something other then the US Federal tax payer.

[Palladin]

All the ones under 55 would have to wait at least ten years for SS and Medicare to kick in. I'd like to see them have to work as waitresses or gardeners to try to come up with enough money to see them thru to age 65, like many of the people they forced to walk to work today.

After an angry NY public gets thru with them, they may not have to worry about retirement. ;)