If Rosa Parks had obeyed the law, many of us who drive the buses today would still be sitting in the back of the bus. -- Roger Toussaint, TWU Local 100 President
Kos alumnus Steve Gilliard has another good post up about the NYC transit strike.
On the flip--important things to understand about the strike:
- Management (MTA) is to blame for the strike -- a) long-term worker abuse and disrespect leading to contentious negotiations; b) sabotaging the negotiations on Monday night with last-minute provocation in demanding that new workers pay 6% of income to pension fund (another in a series of attempts by the MTA to exclude new members from effective union protections).
- New Yorkers support the union. Bloomberg (R), Pataki (R) and the media (R) are spinning it ("greedy thugs") but New Yorkers support their neighbors and public servants.
- The transit workers are striking for basic necessities--healthcare, living wages, humane working conditions.
It is important to support this fight.
I hope to have a post up this evening that will provide links to corroborate the points made above. In the meantime, you can find all the links and righteous indignation you need to understand the action at Gilliard's site.
I will also be posting information about contributing to the union's strike fund and contacting NYC media to encourage them to cover the action fairly.
Solidarity now!