NYC needs Reagan

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
It is illegal for mass transit workers to strike in New York,

"They are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within forty-eight hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated." (Washington, D.C., August 3, 1981)

On August 3, 1981, almost 13,000 air-traffic controllers went on strike after negotiations with the federal government to raise their pay and shorten their workweek proved fruitless. The controllers complained of difficult working conditions and a lack of recognition of the pressures they face. Across the country some seven thousand flights were canceled. The same day, President Ronald Reagan called the strike illegal and threatened to fire any controller who had not returned to work within forty-eight hours. Robert Poli, president of the Professional Air-Traffic Controllers Association(PATCO), was found in contempt by a federal judge and ordered to pay $1,000 a day in fines. On August 5, an angry President Reagan carried out his threat and fired the 11,359 air-traffic controllers who had not returned to work. In addition, he declared a lifetime ban on the rehiring of the strikers by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). On August 17, the FAA began accepting applications for new air traffic controllers, and on October 22 the Federal Labor Relations Authority decertified PATCO.

If I understand correctly, in order to get into Manhattan, because of the current strike, automobiles must contain no less than 4 people.

Merry Christmas New Yorlers, signed your local MTA putz.
 
You're right, 4 people per car between 5am and 11pm.

These are the times I'm damn glad I chose not to work in the city. I can't imagine the pandemonium going on right now. And I don't want to.

Abooja, how are you faring?
 
They're striking because because $63,000./yr isn't enough. If not, quit your union gig & get a real job.
 
greenfreak said:
Abooja, how are you faring?
I'm home for the second day in a row. I can't think of one way into Manhattan besides begging car service (livery service) drivers to find me and three other people to drive from here in northern Queens to lower Manhattan, around an 8-1/2 mile trip one-way. I'm willing to do that, except I dont know how I'll get home and don't want to either get stranded at the office or spend 6 hours tonight trying to beg and plead my way home. What's great is that, because I'm a contractor, I don't get paid when I don't work. It's terrific timing too to not be making money, with it being Christmastime and all. Gotta love unions. :rolleyes:
 
Gonz said:
They're striking because because $63,000./yr isn't enough. If not, quit your union gig & get a real job.
Where did you get the 63k figure? I read 30k to 55k.

For better or for worse, NYC has always been a union town. Typically the "scabs" were treated very poorly and didn't get half the work the union guys did. It's a sweet gig if you can get in and you make nice, except for the mounting union dues.

My father, brother and two brother in laws are all in the same union. The men my Dad worked with years ago became union officials and we receive news every once in a while of indictments, fines and jail time. All I can do is chuckle.
 
abooja said:
I'm home for the second day in a row. I can't think of one way into Manhattan besides begging car service (livery service) drivers to find me and three other people to drive from here in northern Queens to lower Manhattan, around an 8-1/2 mile trip one-way. I'm willing to do that, except I dont know how I'll get home and don't want to either get stranded at the office or spend 6 hours tonight trying to beg and plead my way home. What's great is that, because I'm a contractor, I don't get paid when I don't work. It's terrific timing too to not be making money, with it being Christmastime and all. Gotta love unions. :rolleyes:
Shit, I'm sorry boo. I saw a big "MTA carpool" sign pretty close to where I live today but if I wasn't driving around, I wouldn't have known it was there.

What about some internet searches or Craig's List? Maybe you could get a standing carpool setup to and from? I hope this shit ends soon. Rusty's Dad is a limo driver and he hasn't been working either, and doesn't get paid when he doesn't work. His clients aren't going to be happy (Martin Scorcese, Sheryl Crow, etc.) but what can he do? He can't take a hotel room and garage the car because then it's going to cost more money than he would normally make.
 
greenfreak said:
Shit, I'm sorry boo. I saw a big "MTA carpool" sign pretty close to where I live today but if I wasn't driving around, I wouldn't have known it was there.

What about some internet searches or Craig's List? Maybe you could get a standing carpool setup to and from? I hope this shit ends soon. Rusty's Dad is a limo driver and he hasn't been working either, and doesn't get paid when he doesn't work. His clients aren't going to be happy (Martin Scorcese, Sheryl Crow, etc.) but what can he do? He can't take a hotel room and garage the car because then it's going to cost more money than he would normally make.
Thanks. I hadn't thought of Craig's List. I'm reluctant to jump in a car with a bunch of strangers, and I don't have friends in this neighborhood or know people at work who live around here, so the carpool deal seems impossible. If I knew this thing was going to last a week or more, I would consider taking up my parents or my brother and car service it to Brooklyn and take some kind of Command bus to and from Manhattan every day. (Which doesn't appear to be an option from Astoria.) As I'd sooner relish slicing off my fingers without anesthesia, I'm putting off that idea until absolutely necessary. ;)

Oh, and I'm sorry about Rusty's dad. :(
 
The whole thing is a truly ridiculous situation doncha think?

Gonz is right

Reagan didn't allow the PATCO workers to
ground the American Airfleet

someone over there needs to grow a pair!
 
abooja said:
I'm reluctant to jump in a car with a bunch of strangers
Oh c'mon, live a little! After all, you're brave enough to walk through Central Park at night. You would probably be safer in a car with a bunch of strangers. ;)

Winky, the Mayor is even more of a weenie than Guiliani was. The city has already lost millions. And if there's another bunch of big snowstorms that puts the city over budget for snow removal again, there's gonna be long lasting repercussions of this.

This is just what they need right now. Fuckers. If I were them, I'd be worried about what's going to happen when they return to work. I would expect NY'ers to show them how they felt about the strike. That could be ugly.
 
that would be funny NYC style?

razzin' them bastards bigtime

it would be best if they DIDN'T have jobs to return too
 
I won't lose my job over this. I just won't get paid for a while. However, tomorrow, I plan to try to cab it over after 11 a.m. and stay very late. Hopefully, I'll find a way to get home.
 
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