Crush Liberalism

Union gets fined $1 million per day for illegal strike

That ought to get their attention. From the AP:

Commuters trudged through the freezing cold, rode bicycles and shared cabs Tuesday as New York’s bus and subway workers went on strike for the first time in more than 25 years and stranded millions of riders at the height of the Christmas rush. A judge slapped the union with a $1 million-a-day fine.

The sanction was levied against the Transport Workers Union for violating a state law that bars public employees from going on strike. The city and state had asked that the union be hit with a “very potent fine.”

Get this gem:

The union said the latest MTA offer included annual raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 3.5 percent. Pensions were another major sticking point in the talks, particularly involving new employees.

“Were it not for the pension piece, we would not be out on strike,” union President Roger Toussaint said Tuesday in an interview with the New York-based all-news channel NY1. “All it needs to do is take its pension proposal off the table.”

The strike is illegal. Yet here you have the union president actually stating the reason that they’re breaking the law. “We wouldn’t be violating the law if only… We’ll be happy to obey the law if only…” Try that when a cop pulls you over for speeding: “Officer, I wouldn’t have been violating the speed limit if only you guys had made it 10 mph higher!”

I had a co-worker ask me “Just what are the workers supposed to do if…” I cut him off, and said “State law is clear: their strike is illegal. A judge has agreed. What are they supposed to do? How about their freakin’ jobs?? If their jobs or bennies suck, go get better jobs with better bennies!”

Unions suck. They once served a very valuable and noble service, but like today’s “civil rights leaders” and Clinton interns, they have outlived their usefulness and are desperately trying to remain relevant.

December 20, 2005 - Posted by crushliberalism | Uncategorized