My thoughts on the MTA Union’s transit strike:

1. The strikers are criminals.
The Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act (Taylor Law) was enacted in 1967 following a series of public sector strikes, including a 12-day New York City transit strike in 1966. The Taylor Law makes it a crime for public sector employees to strike, and imposes on each illegal striker a 2-day fine for every day on strike. In exchange, (and this is the big one!) the strikers can’t be fired for striking. So unfortunately, no one can do what Reagan did when he fired the air traffic controllers.

2. The strikers are anti-union.
First of all, Transit Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which is organizing the strike, is doing so against the will of its parent union, TWU International. The TWU International president has criticized the strike and has called for the strikers to get back on the job. One possibility is that TWU Int’l could remove the leadership of TWU Local 100, appoint new leaders, and put the strikers back to work. TWU Local 100’s illegal strike goes against the wishes of its parent union, which is bad for the union itself, and unions in general.
In addition (see below), the strikers are turning commuters’ perceptions sharply against the union.

3. This is an example of rich monopolists screwing over the poor worker.
The MTA (Mass Transit Authority) is a monopoly – there is no competition for local mass transit in NYC. Its workers are relatively rich, at least compared to the people who ride their mass transit: MTA workers need only a G.E.D.; they earn on average $55,000 per year; they pay zero for health benefits; they can retire on a full pension at 55 after 25 years of service. The average MTA user is much, much poorer than the MTA workers.

So the situation we have here is criminal, anti-union, rich monopolists screwing over the poor workers of NYC.
In 20-degree weather.
Right before Christmas.

What makes this even more frustrating is that the MTA offered a 10% raise over 3 years. Local 100 wanted a 40% (FORTY percent!) raise over 5 years. Plus, they wanted retirement with a full pension at age 50!
Almost none of their riders have this kind of sweet deal…
The MTA is asking for changes: raising the age of retirement, requiring MTA workers to contribute to their pensions, and to their health insurance.
BUT, all of these changes would apply to workers who will be hired IN THE FUTURE!
So, the criminals are striking over proposed changes that wouldn’t personally effect them at all!

New Yorkers are pissed – see this page for a summary. The author copied the comments section of a transit workers’ blog into a Word document. There are over 700 comments, most of them negative.

I just hope it all gets resolved soon. Bankrupt Local 100, give them NOTHING, except for fining each worker 2 days of pay for every day on strike.

C

UPDATE: Replace the workers with robots! They've tried it in Paris, Cairo and Calcutta, and it works! This quote from the New York Sun article says it all:
All of us are replaceable, but some are more quickly replaceable than others. Already,the MTA spends 80% of its operating budget on personnel expenses.

80% of the budget on these clowns!
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/22/2005 11:31:00 AM

 
A quick note to JP:
Regarding the bachelor party in Vegas, it's not that hard:
Crazy Horse (behind Circus Circus, on Industrial, I think) -or-
Olympic Gardens on Las Vegas Blvd (near the Stratosphere).
We've both been to these two places and they're big, dark and are not a high-pressure experience... Crazy Horse is a bit better, in my opinion...

Stay in a cheap, cheap hotel - not a big one. You don't spend much time in the room, and when you do, you're too tired to care about amenities.
There's one near Mandalay Bay across LVB. Another one is big - has a casino, and is next to the Monte Carlo. Don't remember the name... I stayed there on my 1st trip to Vegas.

Party at the Palms! We've met some interesting people there, if you remember!
Let me know how the planning goes!

C
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/21/2005 06:16:00 PM

 
sounds like a big aweful mess in NYC! I mean, we just had a transit strike in Philly and things were bad (increase in traffic accidents, more congestion), but Philly in no way relies on mass transit the way that NYC does. C, have you considered walking one way to work? could be fun.

am going on a work trip tomorrow and thursday to birmingham, al and savannah, ga. I just spoke to the lady in alabama and she was complaining about freezing cold, 50 degree F temps. hoho. if she only knew. But she is originally from so cal, so what can you expect.

C, hope you got my emails about stuff. We will talk about what time to leave for Hanover on Saturday soon.
love to all,
H
- posted by H @ 12/20/2005 12:04:00 PM

 
TRANSIT STRIKE!

The MTA (Mass Transit Authority) and the union couldn't agree on terms, so the strike which was threatened last Friday has occurred.

No buses, no subways. How to get to work?

Well, it turns out that if you want to drive your car below 96th Street in Manhattan, you need to have at least 4 people in your car (until 11 a.m.).

So, this morning, I just walked out of my building, walked up to Broadway and 97th, and got in a livery cab which had 3 people, and needed a fourth. We zoomed right through the police check-point, and everyone was happy. I gave the driver 10 bucks to get me to work - he was trying to make a living, after all.

Hopefully these guys will come to some kind of agreement soon - the commuting hassle aside, this is going to kill the holiday tourist traffic, which means less income to NYC, never a good thing...

Stay tuned!
C
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/20/2005 10:50:00 AM

 
Well, that's the rub! Lost Season 1 ends with a cliff-hanger.
Season 2 is airing Wednesdays on ABC now, except that for the last THREE WEEKS they've shown re-runs!
I don't know if the DUI arrests of two of the actresses has anything to do with it...

If you guys aren't familiar with blog 'carnivals', they are collections of blog postings from many sources, all dealing with one topic.

The first Carnival of German American Relations is up... Worth a read!

C
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/14/2005 12:49:00 PM

 
yes, LOST is evil in the way that it sucks you in. Question though: disc 6 ends with Exodus 1 and 2. they open the hatch and then the season ends?? you gotta be kidding me!!! gavin and I were all psyched to sit down and watch more last night, thinking that there would be episodes to watch after Exodus. we were sorely mistaken and watched Blazing Saddles instead. good movie, you all should rent it again.
When does season 2 come out?? need it!

We have some snow here in Philly, ice on the roads that isn't fun and makes me get off the bike and walk so that I don't slip. so cold this morning just a 7 minute ride made my toes freeze in the shoes. JP, Cali weather must be nice.
love to all,
H
- posted by H @ 12/13/2005 09:06:00 AM

 
We had a nice bit of snowfall here in NYC, too, on Thursday night...

H - I'm glad (and not surprised) that Gavin is so into Lost - I've heard many stories of people watching a half-dozen episodes in a row when they first experience it.
The show really grabs you. For me, I try to imagine how I would survive on a "deserted" island after a plane crash. Plus, there are the weird things on the island, the personalities of the other survivors, etc. Add the flash-backs which make the survivors' lives compelling and three-dimensional, and you have a hit!

The second seasons answers some questions, but these answers only lead to more questions. Who are "the Others" and why do they kidnap (mostly) the children? Why do they risk their lives to do so? (As you, H, saw in the 2nd season, the tail section survivors killed at least a few of the Others.)
What the hell is going on in the hatch?

Things here are the same, otherwise... will update my Amazon wishlist soon!

C
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/12/2005 04:45:00 PM

 
Hello all,
I am all for the amazon.com wishlists, and have updated mine. those of my fair brothers do not seem to have been updated of late. get up on it.
Been traveling a lot, hence busy. Was in harrisburg this weekend, and stayed at dad's the night before the assessment I did. He bought some nice wine for me and we had a pleasant evening, though dad claims ming was jealous of my presense. Went to Indy Tuesday night and returned last night on a little plane (only 3 seats across and max 20 rows), the norm for Indy flights. Philly is nice from above, especially with all the xmas lights on the houses.
This weekend we are going to Florida for Gavin's grandma's 90th birthday party. G's dad, brother and sister-in-law will be there as well. Looking forward to the 80 F warmth down there after some very low temps and snow in Indy, and here of course.
Right before xmas (21st and 22nd) I have to go down to alabama and georgia to get families otherwise very spread out across the country. might take Friday 12/23 off (or 1/2 day) to be able to take a rest.
So a lot is going on. Am waiting to hear from Penn about the Masters program I am starting. My PhD program application is due on the 15th and I am waiting to hear back from the Master's program acceptance (which is 99% certain) so that I can put the classes I will be taking in the spring on my application. This could be a small but decisive boost for me.
Otherwise, watching LOST like crazy, C and J. I have never seen Gavin so into a show. He's this into the movie Spinal Tap but that's about it. During his first session watching LOST he watched 6 episodes in a row, all by himself while I was not home. NEED 2nd season DVD!!! C, will you buy it? if so, need it ASAP when it comes out.
all from me. back to work.
love to all,
H
- posted by H @ 12/08/2005 12:44:00 PM

 
A quick note from me to JP: Have you ever heard of this game, Silent Storm? It's a WWII turn-based small-squad tactical combat game. Originally released in January 2004, Silent Storm Gold came out today (it includes an expansion pack). $16.99 on Amazon. I just ordered it, and will let you know how it is. Sound like a good Christmas present for you? FULLY destructible environments, thin walls you can shoot through... Wow. Some down sides: story is weak, the enemy's turn takes a long time to compute... What do you think?
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/01/2005 05:35:00 PM

 
I agree that the circumstances are a bit different with the blackout stuff. All this back and forth though...
Dad, will be showing up at 6 or 7 pm, yes, not 6 or 7 am. That will be enough time for dinner and dish washing!!
haha. or maybe we could just go to china buffet. yum. your choice.
Got the windshield on the subaru fixed today: total was $230. will be nice to have a brand new windshield. I will be arriving in a rental car though, Dad, as I don't see any need to put wear on the subaru for work purposes. high rolling here!!

Amazon wishlist is cool with me. Dad, what do you want for xmas?
JP, I was looking for flights for you for Xmas. book now!!
C, hope the raisin bran is coming along.
love to all,
H
- posted by H @ 12/01/2005 04:38:00 PM

 
It was a good time in Philly! It was nice to finally see your place, H!
JP - good to see you too. The beard is a bit mountain-man'y, tho... Heh.
Dad - good to see you as well! I'm glad you liked the Grambling State/Southern football game - they show that match-up on TV every year. We'll have to watch it again next year!
Thanks also for the early Christmas money, Dad!
H- I'm in favor of Amazon wish lists, and I have something else for you guys, too.

Some news from Germany, and I admit I'm still somewhat annoyed at the German media's coverage of the August 2003 black-out, which lasted for a couple of days:
Germany struggles to restore power after storm
A heavy snowstorm near Muenster brought down hundreds of power lines and 50 pylons. About 250,000 people lost power for about 5 days.
Davids Medienkritik has some pictures of the broken power towers - pretty scary.
Davids Medienkritik also re-wrote SPIEGEL TV's description of the 8/2003 black-out in the U.S. to show how this 11/2005 black-out in Germany would be covered, if SPIEGEL TV used the same type of language. Pretty funny:
"BLACKOUT IN GERMANY - The dazed European power was plunged into chaos by the largest blackout in the economic super power's recent history: Cities in the dark, planes on the ground, and a nation marching single-file like geese through the darkness. The land of social justice was shut off by a couple of inches of snow. A European power between perception and reality - SPIEGEL TV with observations from a country whose lights have gone out."

C

UPDATE: Here's a cheery tidbit from an article entitled German pride slogan shamed by its Nazi past:
Studies show that Germans are among the world's most pessimistic and unhappy nations. The gloom stems mainly from economic woes and chronically high unemployment.
I really do think we were lucky enough to live in Germany when it was at its peak - before it went into decline. And I can't think of anything that realistically can stop the downward spiral, at least not in the short-to-medium term...
C
- posted by Christoph Roggenkamp @ 12/01/2005 12:39:00 PM