Government Strike Breaking

[REDWAVE]

A New York judge, Jules Spodek, has just issued an injunction against the impending NYC transit workers strike, invoking NY's anti-union Taylor Law. You'll recall Bush recently invoked the slave labor Taft-Hartley Act against the longshoremen on the West Coast. Imperialist war abroad also means war on the working class at home. All this proves once again that the capitalist state is an organ of class domination, of oppression of the workers by the bosses. The veil of "neutrality" between labor and management it tries to maintain has been ripped open to reveal the iron fist of repression.

I say: this injunction is blatantly unconstitutional, a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment prohibition against involuntary servitude. The members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 should rip up this outrageous and illegal court order and defy it! They should go on strike against billionaire Mayor Bloomberg's austerity program, and all working people in the NYC region should support them in their struggle.

 

[Freya]

A New York judge, Jules Spodek, has just issued an injunction against the impending NYC transit workers strike, invoking NY's anti-union Taylor Law. You'll recall Bush recently invoked the slave labor Taft-Hartley Act against the longshoremen on the West Coast. Imperialist war abroad also means war on the working class at home. All this proves once again that the capitalist state is an organ of class domination, of oppression of the workers by the bosses. The veil of "neutrality" between labor and management it tries to maintain has been ripped open to reveal the iron fist of repression.

I say: this injunction is blatantly unconstitutional, a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment prohibition against involuntary servitude. The members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 should rip up this outrageous and illegal court order and defy it! They should go on strike against billionaire Mayor Bloomberg's austerity program, and all working people in the NYC region should support them in their struggle.

I'm sure the working people will be able to support them just fine when they can't get to work either. And if they are anything like the transit workers here, they won't get much sympathy for their plight. When you get $25/hr for driving a fucking bus, it's hard for those making $12, and actually working hard for it, to work up any tears for you.

 

[miles]

A New York judge, Jules Spodek, has just issued an injunction against the impending NYC transit workers strike, invoking NY's anti-union Taylor Law. You'll recall Bush recently invoked the slave labor Taft-Hartley Act against the longshoremen on the West Coast. Imperialist war abroad also means war on the working class at home. All this proves once again that the capitalist state is an organ of class domination, of oppression of the workers by the bosses. The veil of "neutrality" between labor and management it tries to maintain has been ripped open to reveal the iron fist of repression.

I say: this injunction is blatantly unconstitutional, a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment prohibition against involuntary servitude. The members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 should rip up this outrageous and illegal court order and defy it! They should go on strike against billionaire Mayor Bloomberg's austerity program, and all working people in the NYC region should support them in their struggle.

red, if you're an attorney, I'm a jet pilot.

Involuntary servitude? You're so full of shit.

 

[REDWAVE]

Freya

Stop flashing your tits at me, will ya?


You know I'm just kiddin' ya, dont you? PLEASE keep flashing your tits at me.

 

[miles]

Re: Freya

Stop flashing your tits at me, will ya?


You know I'm just kiddin' ya, dont you? PLEASE keep flashing your tits at me.

Watch it red. They aren't union tits.

 

[Freya]

Re: Freya

Stop flashing your tits at me, will ya?


You know I'm just kiddin' ya, dont you? PLEASE keep flashing your tits at me.

ugh! I'll take them away if you don't argue with me. I'm in the mood for a tussle tonight.

 

[HeavyStick]

Re: Freya

Stop flashing your tits at me, will ya?


You know I'm just kiddin' ya, dont you? PLEASE keep flashing your tits at me.

Yeah stop it Freya. Flash him Karl Marx's cock in a jar of Formaldehyde. He'll become so locked onto the image of "Cock de jeur" he'll lose control during autoerotic asphyxiation and he may never recover.


What a loss really.

 

[teddybear4play]

Someone please quote this so RED can see it

The NYC transit workers are some of the most well-paid workers in any civil service area. The average NYC bus driver makes more than the average beat NYPD officer. Many subway workers have guaranteed minimum salaries of $50,000 and some of them only work 3 hours a day.

This is what happens when unions' power goes too far. They're holding the city hostage to squeeze even more out of it, when they already have plenty. But REDWAVE has his head so far up the unions' asses, he has to go along with them.

If I were Mike Bloomberg, I'd fire every one of them who struck, and replace them with people who are willing to do their jobs instead of mill around and bitch.

TB4p

 

[Freya]

Flash him your tits Teddy - that seems to get rid of him. Well at least the sight of mine did.

 

[Freya]

Re: Someone please quote this so RED can see it

The NYC transit workers are some of the most well-paid workers in any civil service area. The average NYC bus driver makes more than the average beat NYPD officer. Many subway workers have guaranteed minimum salaries of $50,000 and some of them only work 3 hours a day.

This is what happens when unions' power goes too far. They're holding the city hostage to squeeze even more out of it, when they already have plenty. But REDWAVE has his head so far up the unions' asses, he has to go along with them.

If I were Mike Bloomberg, I'd fire every one of them who struck, and replace them with people who are willing to do their jobs instead of mill around and bitch.

TB4p

Ooops, meant to quote, sorry.

 

[Saint Peter]

Re: Someone please quote this so RED can see it

The NYC transit workers are some of the most well-paid workers in any civil service area. The average NYC bus driver makes more than the average beat NYPD officer. Many subway workers have guaranteed minimum salaries of $50,000 and some of them only work 3 hours a day.

This is what happens when unions' power goes too far. They're holding the city hostage to squeeze even more out of it, when they already have plenty. But REDWAVE has his head so far up the unions' asses, he has to go along with them.

If I were Mike Bloomberg, I'd fire every one of them who struck, and replace them with people who are willing to do their jobs instead of mill around and bitch.

TB4p

The guy working 3 hours a day is not making 50k a year. If I can pay the bills on 3 hours of work so be it.

It is easy to bitch about the unions that have been successful and still buy your imported crap from WalMart. It is a two way street.

What is lacking in this thread are the issues that caused the transit workers to reject the contract. Did the medical insurance go away? Did job conditions get shit upon?

Mike Bloomberg could choose to "fire" the workers. If the results were similar to what happened in my town, accidents would increase and the public would long for the well trained and steady union drivers. WalMart drivers do not compare.

 

[PaganZepher]

It seems that some of our civil service brethren are being a bit greedy! Maybe they should be fired if they walk out and give someone else a shot at the jobs.

 

[teddybear4play]

Flash him your tits Teddy - that seems to get rid of him. Well at least the sight of mine did.

Nothing compares to your tits, least of all my tits.

Besides, my tits have been nourished by a healthy life of capitalism. I wouldn't want him to be jealous.

TB4p

 

[REDWAVE]

Foul!

OK, unfair-- first Freya mesmerizes me with her tits, then I'm supposed to respond to her & TB's arguments, too? Alright, even in my befuddled state, I'll attempt it.

Just because the bus and subway workers make more than the average worker is no reason why the rest of the working class should turn their backs on them, and let them be defeated. If we turn on each other and let them pick us off piece and piece, we'll all lose. The bosses always stick together when their class interests are threatened. We need working class solidarity in order to fight back, esepecially now when the wages and living conditions of workers are under relentless assault.

 

[REDWAVE]

Saint Peter

There's an article in the NYT today that lays out the issues between the union and the MTA pretty well. If you don't like the Grey Lady, there's plenty of other newsites covering it.

 

[Freya]

Re: Foul!

OK, unfair-- first Freya mesmerizes me with her tits, then I'm supposed to respond to her & TB's arguments, too? Alright, even in my befuddled state, I'll attempt it.

Just because the bus and subway workers make more than the average worker is no reason why the rest of the working class should turn their backs on them, and let them be defeated. If we turn on each other and let them pick us off piece and piece, we'll all lose. The bosses always stick together when their class interests are threatened. We need working class solidarity in order to fight back, esepecially now when the wages and living conditions of workers are under relentless assault.

You know what? When you start making $25 for driving a bus, you are no longer the working class. When you can afford the nice houses, and the name brand clothes, and the fancy restaurants, it's very difficult for those who scrape by from paycheque to paycheque to sympathize with them. They make twice as much for half the job as most people - nobody cares when they whine for more. Especially when those others are seeing the bus fares rising yearly, and the bus drivers driving up in their fancy cars.

 

[REDWAVE]

What about the bosses?

I don't see you complaining about the bosses, like billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who basicly bought the Mayor's office, and the far greater amount of money they make. Corporate CEO's these days make on the average about 400 times as much as the average worker. And most of these transit workers don't live nearly as well as you're making it sound. Also, their job is often dangerous. Many of them dir on the job, because of the bosses cutting corners on safety.

 

[Freya]

Re: What about the bosses?

I don't see you complaining about the bosses, like billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who basicly bought the Mayor's office, and the far greater amount of money they make. Corporate CEO's these days make on the average about 400 times as much as the average worker. And most of these transit workers don't live nearly as well as you're making it sound. Also, their job is often dangerous. Many of them dir on the job, because of the bosses cutting corners on safety.

This isn't a discussion on corporate CEO's. This is about your claim that the average working man should back overpaid transit workers, and I'm giving you my opinion on why lots won't. In Canada, people are not very sympathetic to unions, except for those people in other unions, because for the most part, they get paid twice as much for half the work of other people.

 

[Saint Peter]

Re: Re: Foul!

You know what? When you start making $25 for driving a bus, you are no longer the working class. When you can afford the nice houses, and the name brand clothes, and the fancy restaurants, it's very difficult for those who scrape by from paycheque to paycheque to sympathize with them. They make twice as much for half the job as most people - nobody cares when they whine for more. Especially when those others are seeing the bus fares rising yearly, and the bus drivers driving up in their fancy cars.

50k in NYC will get you all of that? I dont think so. The "I dont make shit so you should not make shit" attitude is flawed. The unions bring up the wages in the non-union sectors.

And your bus fare increases have less to do with the driver's cars than cost of insurance, fuel, and equipment.

 

[REDWAVE]

Freya, honey

And you're entitled to your opinion. In fact, you could easily win me over, and get me to agree with you, if you just did one little thing . . .

 

[zipman]

Re: What about the bosses?

I don't see you complaining about the bosses, like billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who basicly bought the Mayor's office, and the far greater amount of money they make. Corporate CEO's these days make on the average about 400 times as much as the average worker. And most of these transit workers don't live nearly as well as you're making it sound. Also, their job is often dangerous. Many of them dir on the job, because of the bosses cutting corners on safety.

You really have no clue, do you? Here's a little context. These workers are already paid a very generous salary. There original demand was for a 24% raise (above and beyond their current salary) over a 3 year period. They later reduced this to an 18% raise over 3 years. The problem is that New York City is still in deep financial trouble as a result of 9/11. The money for these workers will detract from other critical city services and humanitarian programs.

Better to pay them more than help a single mother get an education or provide health insurance for an elderly man who needs it. Yeah, rise and unite

 

[Freya]

Re: Freya, honey

And you're entitled to your opinion. In fact, you could easily win me over, and get me to agree with you, if you just did one little thing . . .

I showed you my tits, what else do you want?

St Pete - I don't have a clue what money buys in NYC. I'm relating this to what I've seen here in Canada. And I know for a fact that bus drivers in my city of 90,000 people get over $25/hr. And bullshit, increases don't relate to that. Every time they get a raise, bus fares go up. And yes, making that kind of money makes it far easier to get all those things than making $12 does.

 

[Saint Peter]

Re: Re: Freya, honey

I showed you my tits, what else do you want?

St Pete - I don't have a clue what money buys in NYC. I'm relating this to what I've seen here in Canada. And I know for a fact that bus drivers in my city of 90,000 people get over $25/hr. And bullshit, increases don't relate to that. Every time they get a raise, bus fares go up. And yes, making that kind of money makes it far easier to get all those things than making $12 does.

I understand that 25 is better than 12. So my question is why not join a union and have the support of brothers and sisters in negotiations rather than take on the system by yourself and be beaten into 12 bucks?

 

[Freya]

Re: Re: Re: Freya, honey

I understand that 25 is better than 12. So my question is why not join a union and have the support of brothers and sisters in negotiations rather than take on the system by yourself and be beaten into 12 bucks?

It's not that easy. You don't get to just up and join a union. And some people actually like where they work, or are against unions in general. Fuck, we bitch about the cost of products now - imagine if every factory was unionized?


Oh and Redwave - I have a little search for you to do while you're on the topic of overpaid bosses. Find the yearly salaries of union bosses. The head of the UAW here makes over $500k/yr - while pushing for his workers to strike at the drop of a hat and get $30/wk in strike pay.

 

[Saint Peter]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Freya, honey

It's not that easy. You don't get to just up and join a union. And some people actually like where they work, or are against unions in general. Fuck, we bitch about the cost of products now - imagine if every factory was unionized?

Now you lost me Freya. You complain that your 12 bucks does not go far and yet do not want to make the move to better your position. Seems like the person who never votes bitching about the politicians.

You can join a union. Go down to the hall and ask. It may require years of apprenticeship to make the top dollar. It may require journeyman upgrades to get the best jobs. The investment is well worth it.