Arrest the Communist MTA Strikers!!!!

Buses and subways are not running in New York City as the MTA's transit union began a full strike at 3 a.m. this morning.

The city's strike contingency plan is in place, including a new "zone" fare structure for taxis, additional ferry service, enforcement of 4-person-minimum carpools for Manhattan-bound traffic on weekdays from 5 to 11 a.m. and many major streets are closed to all but emergency vehicles.

Transport Workers Union (TWU), currently aligned with the AFL-CIO, was started in 1934 by New York City transit workers who were tired of the abuses by the managers and owners of the transportation companies, who took advantage of high unemployment rates sparked by The Great Depression by offering jobs to and keeping on only those individuals willing to accept excessively low wages, brutal management practices, poor working conditions, and other severe aspects. With the unemployment rate reaching 25 percent, there were nearly 20,000 applicants for every one job in the transit workers industry.

The TWU was headed by charismatic IRT subway line worker Michael J. Quill, an Irish-born militant who came to the U.S. to escape British rule in his homeland. His abilities in public speaking, and 'playing to the media' boosted his effectiveness and the overall draw of the union. Another prominent figure in early union history was Douglas McMahon, who led a group of lieutenants assisting Quill.

Quill was close ally of the Communist Party USA for the first twelve years of his leadership of the union, he broke with it in 1948. He drove his former allies out of the union. At odds with the mayors of New York City for most of his career, he led a twelve day transit strike in 1966 that landed him in jail, but won significant wage increases for his members. He died three days after the end of the strike.


The first significant strike by the newly formed union was in 1935. Previous strike attempts in 1905, 1910, 1916 and 1919 were crushed by the transit companies' use of beakies, hired goons who intimidated and violently attacked any who opposed the transit companies. On July 9, 1935, however, the Squeegee Strike demonstrated the power of the union. Management at the Jerome Avenue barn in the Bronx attempted to make the cleaning crews work faster by forcing the use of a 14-inch squeegee instead of the customary 10-inch tool. When six Car Cleaners were fired for insubordination, a two-day walkout inspired by the TWU caused the mangament to acquiesce and reinstate the workers.

Another important incident happened a month later when Quill and a number of colleagues were jumped by beakies at Grand Central Station. Strangely, this led to Quill and four other union activists, including Herbert C. Holmstrom, Thomas H. O'Shea, Patrick McHugh and Serafino Machado, being arrested. The charges were later quickly dismissed by a court. Nonetheless, the incident was retold in the media and at various work locations, where it epitomized and typified the cumulative history of abuses suffered by transit workers throughout the city.

On January 3, 1937, nearly 600 workers staged a three day sit-down strike when three engineers were fired for engaging in union activity. The workers were immediately reinstated. This event inspired thousands of transit workers to join the union, marked the beginning of the TWU as arguably the most significant influence in New York City transit, and the beginning of the end of the harsh treatment of transit workers in the nation's largest city.

My View of the Situation!!!!!

These bitche's are going to cripple the city during the important holiday shopping season, causing a lot of economic distress for hundreds of thousands of other workers. Lots of babysitters, eldarly caregivers, etc. won't be able to make it to work either. Its just very selfish, especially when you consider how much better the average transit worker's salary and benefits are then a lot of the other people in this city.

Perhaps busboys, dishcleaners, and newsstand workers should go on strike... the working poor with jobs nobody else wants. But as for transit workers, they can strike without pay for as long as they want, for all I care, and I hope they get fined amounts equalling the economic hardship they cause the rest of the city.

There a bunch of incompetent people who cant find work anywhere else and complain about how little they make.

Its all bullshit.

Its all propaganda to feel sorry for these people that they dont make 100,000 dollars a year, like lawyers and doctors.

Go to college and get a better job.

Dont complain and maybe when enough time has passed by you people will see that there are alot of other people much worse off then you.

Your a bunch of selfish Communist fucks!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Quill