Do people think the strike will go on for a while?

Some people do, yeah. The parties seem pretty far apart. One person suggested something like 30 days, but prognosticators don't get anywhere by being conservative.

My biggest problem with this thing right now -- cuz I'm sure I'll change my mind and find something else more irritating-- is that the sticking point is over new hires. People who do not exist yet. People who are not union members. People who can choose NOT to work for the MTA if MTA pay, benefits and pension plan are simply not competitive enough.

This is not a good reason to hold seven million people hostage in a negotiation over people who, in the very words of Roger Toussaint, are UNBORN.

The union members aren't even saying that their current benefits and income are especially unjust-- unless I missed a memo-- rather, that since the MTA had a billion dollars, it should have spent it on them. Since I now understand that the fare bonuses were intended to increase ridership over the long term (and it's not like the MTA spent the whole surplus on that, especially if they intend to ultimately profit with a sustained increase in ridership) I can't agree with the union members that an illegal extortive strike is necessary just because the MTA had a surplus but didn't give them (and the non-existing union members) enough of it.

Yeah, I'm with you, bon. I support strong labor, but this is annoying.

Gud, what are southern style potatoes?

At least in the frozen tater section, they are a bag of frozen potatoes in little cubes.

On the bright side, I got my xmas bonus today.

That should happen today here as well. Unfortunately, instead of going toward its once-intended purpose, a trip to Russia for New Year's, it will instead be paying for (not even half) of my ... root canal.

I support strong labor, but this is annoying.

ITA. This doesn't even seem to be about labor rights at this point, it's about Roger Toussaint proving that he's got bigger balls than Pataki. I say, lock 'em in a room with a scale and a ruler and get it the fuck over with.

I don't have a problem with labor unions going to bat for the next generation of workers -- that's what unions do. I have a HUGE problem with Roger Toussaint and his personal dick-waving contest.

it will instead be paying for (not even half) of my ... root canal.

Yikes! That sucks. Is it causing you a lot of pain now? Did you get your ticket refunded?

Most or all of my bonus might end up going for my share of all my Dr. bills. But I probably won't have to start paying out large sums of money until next month. Then in Feb comes the tax refund....

Also, it sounds like even the MTA's proposed changes to the benefits still put the transit workers right in line with other people with really good benefits packages.

And I'm currently in the midst of an email campaign about the in-class final I'm supposed to be taking tomorrow night.

Canada is the new France at least for a little bit.

[link]

I'm all loaded up with antibiotics and painkillers (which I haven't even had to use yet) so I'm hoping to put it off until the after the new year when I can work my FSA magic to make the payment part less painful. Of course, my FSA isn't nearly big enough now, since of course the word came down on this right after the deadline to change my withholding.

I don't have a problem with labor unions going to bat for the next generation of workers -- that's what unions do.

I don't have a problem with that in principle-- though they should always put the welfare of the current union members over people who don't exist. But it's a free labor market. Future employees have free will-- if the MTA is not competitive, they will have trouble hiring people. Future hires may have a serious problem with pension obligations meaning that the MTA can't hire them in the first place, let alone what happens to them after 25 years there.