SECOND UPDATE : It is official! The TWU's executive board voted to end the strike. I just have one question for them. Was it worth it?
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UPDATE : The Transit Union's leadership has agreed to end the strike so that negotiations can continue. It is now pending approval from their executive board. If voted on, the trains and buses will be running tomorrow.
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Roger Toussaint, head of the Transit Workers Union, is a thug. So says Mayor Bloomberg and he is right. What is a thug? A thug is someone who takes advantage of poor innocents for their own selfish reasons.
Actually on a side note, "thug" was a nickname of mine in college. Some friends and I formed a group called "The Syndicate." I was called "Thug" or "The Notorious P.H.I.L." Other nicknames for people in the group were "The Boss", "Demolition Dave" and "E.Z. E" It's OK. You can laugh. I'll wait until you're done.
... waiting ...
Done yet? No? OK...
... still waiting ...
Allright, that's enough out of you.
So where was I? Oh yes. Roger Toussaint and the Transit Workers Union. They carry none of the Syndicate's grace and style, but they are thugs nonetheless. Because thinking only of their own self-interest, they have disrupted our lives, increased our expenses, shuttered and crippled businesses, and threatened the public health and welfare. And why are they even striking? Because they don't want to pay into their pensions. Well poor babies. The only reason that you have a pension is because you pay into it! No, this is not about pensions. It is about a stubborn refusal to accept a single concession. And it is also about their feeling disrespected. And yes, many of them are disrespected. They have to deal with a public that is often rude and demeaning. They have supervisors who discipline them harshly for the slightest infractions. And they have (literally) shitty bathrooms. But is any of that a reason to strike and take it out on the public who they serve? They seem to think so and that is why they are thugs.
