In NYS, strikes by public employees are illegal under the state Taylor
Law. How we may feel about the stirke, it's still illegal. I agree
that they should be treated with respect. The NYCTA which runs the
cities busses, subways and the Staten Island Rapid Transit is under
the control of the MTA. Employees do get disciplined for the most
minor infractions. I agree with them on what they are asking. But like
it or not, the strike is still illegal.
There are many who would like to change the Taylor Law. There are many
points to the law that protects the public employee. We cannot pick
or choose what laws we want to obey.
Howard S. Wharton
Fire Safety Technician
Occupational and Environmental Safety Services
State University of New York at Buffalo
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know Howard, that's the same line
many folks in the Confederate States of America used to say before
and during the Civil War in the 1860's. "No matter what you may think
about slavery, it is the law here (in this southern state) and you
have to obey it, and anyway, most of us try to treat our slaves in a
good, humane fashion." And even the Supreme Court agreed with the
southern people now and then, especially in one very notorious case
before the court. Here is a piece of advice for you: the transit
workers do not belong to the citizens of New York nor the politicians.
If the residents of New York are so damned inconvenienced by the
strike (and I am sure they are) then their wrath should be taken out
on the lousy political adminsitration and transit system who forced
the workers to go out on strike to start with; either go on strike or
lose much of their pensions; get cuts in pay, etc.
How much money has NYTA lost through theft by its own workers and
general ineffeciency? Clean up its own house, _then_ talk about any
percieved need to cut back pensions and salaries. As I have mentioned
here before, Chicago Transit Authority lost literally _millions of
dollars_ due to employee theft and mangement's overall inef
feciency. I am sure NYTA is not a lot different. Oh, and by the way,
in the 1960's strike by transit workers, it was the same deal:
A NYC judge blustered about it, fined them umpteen jillion dollars per
day in fines, and when the court _tried_ to collect the fines the day
the strike finally ended, the union's posture was "we still have
umpteen millions more in our treasury, let's continue the strike a few
more days until the money is totally gone ... who will be the ultimate
loser? If the city (when it gets fined by some higher government)
resolves the matter by casually budgeting the money (needed to pay the
fine) each year but then _continues to do things as they always have_
we can do the same. To hell with you! We can go to jail also; isn't
that where we belong while muggers and rapists roam the streets freely?"
The court reconsidered its imposition of a fine, and forgave the whole
debt, and the workers went back to work the same day. Read the court
transcripts from the strike 25 years ago. I think this time around will
be a lot the same way. Anyway, Howard, aren't you from around Buffalo
somewhere? I thought in general the people in upstate New York hated
the 'city people'. What do you care if/when/how they settle the
transit strike? This message is brought to you by the Tin-Foil Hat
man, who stands ready to humiliate, mortify, and discredit the entire
net whenever the solor rays hit his brain, as the Scientist would say.
PAT]
Howard S. Wharton (yhshowie@acsu.buffalo.edu)