Throw Them Out on Their Merry Behinds
I've been trying to find out a little more about the New York City transit strike before blogging about it, but I just can't seem to find any more information about what, exactly, the transit workers wanted to gain from the strike. One article that I found summarizes the disagreement as your basic demand-for-more-benefits-and-wages-at-reduced-cost dispute.
That being the case, the transit workers who walked out should be fired, not fined. The strike didn't hurt New York too badly, from what I've seen on various blogs. Luckily for the rest of us, the impact on the national economy won't be noticed. Striking workers send a number of messages:
1) Our employer is so rotten, that we have to make him suffer to get a fair deal.
This is the image that every strike tries to achieve. It needs to be believable, though. People can usually pick a side without much help.
2) My job is not so important that I have to be here every day.
Can you imagine a doctor's strike? Would their ethics even allow it?
3) I demand more from my employer.
I wanted to say "I think I'm worth more than this." But, really a strike portrays an image of entitlement. At $47k to $55k apiece, these transit workers can't claim to be underpaid. That's good money, even in New York. I would think that TRANSIT WORKERS don't have to worry much about travel or parking costs either, which is a huge part of the cost of living difference in my opinion.
4) My customers do not matter to me.
The employer isn't the only one who gets the short end of the stick. That's actually the point isn't it: to turn the customers against the employer?
5) I really need this job.
Don't like it? Quit. Employers compete like crazy for good workers, trust me. You can have everything you want if your skills are in demand. Capitalism is great, isn't it?
You can tell that I don't have any pity for the NYC transit union, can't you? The employees in the union ought to quit paying their dues and use them to fund their retirement plans.
That being the case, the transit workers who walked out should be fired, not fined. The strike didn't hurt New York too badly, from what I've seen on various blogs. Luckily for the rest of us, the impact on the national economy won't be noticed. Striking workers send a number of messages:
1) Our employer is so rotten, that we have to make him suffer to get a fair deal.
This is the image that every strike tries to achieve. It needs to be believable, though. People can usually pick a side without much help.
2) My job is not so important that I have to be here every day.
Can you imagine a doctor's strike? Would their ethics even allow it?
3) I demand more from my employer.
I wanted to say "I think I'm worth more than this." But, really a strike portrays an image of entitlement. At $47k to $55k apiece, these transit workers can't claim to be underpaid. That's good money, even in New York. I would think that TRANSIT WORKERS don't have to worry much about travel or parking costs either, which is a huge part of the cost of living difference in my opinion.
4) My customers do not matter to me.
The employer isn't the only one who gets the short end of the stick. That's actually the point isn't it: to turn the customers against the employer?
5) I really need this job.
Don't like it? Quit. Employers compete like crazy for good workers, trust me. You can have everything you want if your skills are in demand. Capitalism is great, isn't it?
You can tell that I don't have any pity for the NYC transit union, can't you? The employees in the union ought to quit paying their dues and use them to fund their retirement plans.
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