The Transit Workers Union (TWU) strike has brought NYC face-to-face with chaos. Estimates are that NYC is losing of the order of $400 million a day because of this strike! Now, that's what I call a YUCK! But maybe the workers have a point ... after all, they say they are sick and tired of being "treated like garbage" by the MTA? I mean, here's a classic case of workers rising up for fair wages, right?
WRONG! David Andelman writes in Forbes magazine about the incredible pay and benefits that the TWU workers get. Check this out ... the average bus or subway driver is paid $63,000 a year, a rep in a token booth $51,000, they pay virtually nothing into a generous pension plan, ... oh, and they retire at 55! But they are being treated like garbage because the MTA now wants them to put in 4% of their pension contributions. Wow!!
Now, I'm not a traditional conservative who necessarily thinks unions are evil. They serve an important role as an advocate. My mother headed a teachers' union for a while, fighting against a successful school that penny-pinched and tried to screw teachers while some in administration roles allegedly were siphoning money. But I do appreciate how they fought their battles. For starters, their only "strike" was on a Saturday, so that not only were no classes affected, but students did not have to see their teachers protesting against their very own school. I showed up at one of their rallies to support them on a trip home, and was indeed inspired by the dedication of the staff.
Pity the farly better-paid TWU workers don't have the same ethic!!
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