MISERABLE CROOKS DOING WHAT EVEN 9/11 COULDN'T

The New York Post ^ | 12/22/2005 | ANDREA PEYSER

[OldFriend]

Not only did Mayor Blooming-idiot say he thought it would be a terrible idea to fire the strikers.

Further he went on to say that he didn't want the leaders jailed either.

Is it any wonder the strike goes on.

[yoe]

I heard some of the complaints from a union leader yesterday, it sounded all the world like racist babble, "we're poor folk who don't have enough to live on" - "we deserve more............" It was sickening. The investigations had better be quick to see just who these people are and what the REAL motive is....what is happening here doesn't pass the smell test.

[Maceman]

On other threads they're saying that the MTA is a quasi-public NY state agency and that the Mayor can't fire anybody there. I think only Gov. Pataki or the Board of Directors of the MTA.

You mean to tell me that Bloomberg hasn't got enough juice to get Pataki's office to move on this?

[bvw]

This will not be the last strike then, By Bloomberg's Words, the jackals that are circling are emboldened to bite off their raw meat too.

[COUNTrecount]

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/59282.htm

[wtc911]

Now I suppose the Governor could get National Guard drivers for the buses,

===========================================

Except for the fact that the NYS NG just returned from Iraq five weeks ago and are seeing their families for the first time in 11 months.

[ElTianti]

You’re correct about the air traffic controller strike.

However, if Bloomburg announced that anyone who didn’t report for work on time tomorrow would be fired and could never be re-hired, I’d bet 70% would be back at work. The rest could be fill-in for by management.

[Alberta's Child]

That's right. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has its own board of directors who answer to the governor, not the mayor. It's a regional transportation agency that covers not only the city but the surrounding New York City suburbs as well.

The New York City Transit Authority -- which was a separate city agency at one time -- is one of several agencies that now function under the umbrella of the MTA.

Mayor Bloomberg has no role in this labor dispute other than overseeing contingency planning within the City of New York.

[Erik Latranyi]

...what is happening here doesn't pass the smell test.

Of course it passes the smell test!!! It is just unfortunate that UNIONS STINK!!!!

[montag813]

I think people should be at least as mad at the MTA as they are at the Union.

What is so stupid about all this is how the MTA Chairman stuck the pension crap in at the last minute. It would only save the city $20 mil per year, and it ongered the union into walking out of the room and strike. STUPID hubris on the part of the MTA.

I'm not sure if anyone outside NY (or even in) realizes what the MTA did with its $1 billion surplus this fall...they gave free 10-trip tickets to all monthly commuter train subscribers. And guess what those subscribers are doing with them...selling them on EBAY! Here's one of those many links below...

EBay Auction of Metro North 10-trip ticket

Most of these tickets go for between $20 and $35. If you bought one at a booth it would average over $100. A smart use of the MTA surplus? I don't think so. It's time for the MTA to withdraw its absurd last-minute 2% to 6% pension demand so us NY'ers can get back to business.

[COUNTrecount]

Bloomie couldn't do that...Pataki would have to.

Pataki had better do something soon or he can see his presidential ambitions go up in flames. Inaction does not make him look like a take charge guy.

[DM1]

"Can't Mayor Bloomberg do to them what Reagan did to the Air Traffic Controllers when they went on strike? Fire all those that haven't crossed the picket line!"
I was wondering about that myself - i know that Reagan basically used the airforce until new airtraffic controllers could be trained but what would Bloomberg call upon for the trains etc?

[petercooper]

[7thson]

From what I heard on Special Report the other night, the Mayor could hire the retires at 1.5 pay.

[montag813]

FIRE EVERY LAST ONE OF 'EM

And replace them with......?

[Alberta's Child]

Firing individual workers is a bad idea. Having the entire union out on strike actually helps the MTA in one very important sense . . . it avoids the utter chaos that would result if, say, 10,0000 of the union's 30,000+ members decided to show up for work today. If bus mechanics and subway signal/communications workers show up for work but there is nobody to operate the equipment, then the MTA would find itself in a position where they had to pay 10,000 workers every day even though the transit system can't function.

Under those circumstances the "strike" would quickly become a "lock-out," and the MTA would become the bad guy instead of the union.

[petercooper]

Now I suppose the Governor could get National Guard drivers for the buses, but I doubt they could run the Subways, since the military doesnt have a subway.

Yes, you have to be a real rocket scientist to drive a subway train on tracks. Ever have a remote control car with the 3 button handset? There ya go.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Reagan knew how to handle extortionists like these. But NY has nothing but crooks and ballless wonders. It is screwed once more by the union mafioso.

[chris1]

You obviously have no clue whatsoever what you are talking about. Most of those getting hurt live in the suburbs and are not flaming liberals, but small businesses and working slobs who are 100% against this.

Most small businesspeople are not fans of the union.

[chris1]

That's what I think he should do. Everyone show up to work tommorow or else you are fired, period, no exceptions.