Transit Strike - NYC
Updated December 21
Unfortunately I am in New York this week. There are two reasons why this is unfortunate. The first is because it’s a few days before Christmas. This is really not a huge deal because we have everything pretty much done at home so I don’t have a bunch of personal things to do. Still, it would be nice to be home.
The second reason being in NY right now stinks is because there is a transit strike. That means that all subways and buses in the 5 bureaus of NY City, Manhattan and the outer 4, are not running. Nothing. It’s not like there is a skeleton crew running some things. There is nothing. The mass transit in the city is shut down. 7 million people use the subway and bus system each day, plus count the thousands who are coming in as tourists, Christmas shoppers or travelers here on business.
Last night when leaving the office, one guy said this when asked how it would be in the morning if there was a strike “Life as you know it will not be the same”. At first I thought this was an exaggeration, but he was right. Things are different.
Keep in mind that I have it pretty easy. I stay at a hotel within walking distance of the office. It takes about 20 minutes to get between the two but that is fine. Some other thoughts.
- They are not letting cars drive into the city between 5am and 11am unless there are 4 people in the car. Police have set up checkpoints to enforce this rule. It is like a police state in lock down. It’s creepy.
- Cabs can charge extra for going between 2 (or more) out of 4 zones set up in Manhattan. Cabs can take up to 4 passengers and charge each one full fair. Cabs do not turn their meter on and pretty much can charge whatever they want. It is insane. It is like the wild west for taxis. So far I have used only one cab. At 6:45AM this morning leaving the hotel and there were only 2 of us in it, but I have heard some strange stories of packs of people standing on street corners grouping themselves into general areas.
- Food establishments, especially ones that rely on low wage employees like the burrito place I went to for lunch, are strapped. I am not an expert, but something tells me low wage employees don’t live within walking distance of midtown.
- This is a HUGE deal for NY City. HUGE. People can’t get to work. Stores, during one of the business shopping weeks of the year, are understaffed. People can’t get to the stores. The streets are clogged with taxis, town cars and other assorted vehicles. It is odd.
- The city had to shut down major roads, like 5th Avenue, so that emergency vehicles could get by if needed. On my way to work this morning I crossed 5th avenue and on a Tuesday morning it was completely clear as far as I could see, from the park all the way downtown. It was creepy.
- I have to go to the airport tomorrow and have the luxury of using a car service. If I had to take a cab, I am not sure what would happen. Usually taxi drivers like going to the airport because it’s a bigger fare I guess, or they are at the end of their shift and going home, so I have never had a problem. But I have been hearing stories that cabs are not going to the airport. And without a cab, and no public transportation, and it being way too far to walk, I would be in deep trouble.
- While the commuter rails, like LIRR and Metro North, are not on strike, they are overwhelmed with the amount of people who are now using their system. The cops are regulating how many people can stand on the platform. Trains are delayed and over crowded. Not pretty.
- During the news this morning they were interviewing some people who were totally stuck. They were angry and ticked, but not at the transportation union. They are angry at Pataki and Bloomberg. They find the government at fault. I saw the union head on TV last night and it looked like something from 50 years ago. The union has crippled the city, is killing the economy, and hurting a lot of people. Not everyone can telecommute.
- So this is what I know so far. As a penalty by law, each person who is on strike has to pay two days pay for each day they strike. The union has to pay 1 million for each day they are on strike, with that amount doubling each day. I am not a labor contract expert like my buddy Mike Williams, so I have no idea if they will really have to pay that or if its just smoke, but that has got to wipe out any gains they get from going on strike. It has to. Are the individual employees really gaining that much against what they are losing by striking?
So I am here, not really inconvenienced, in NY for the first transit strike since 1980. It is very interesting to walk around. I just wonder why they couldn’t have waited until a less busy time, the week leading up to Christmas has got to be one of the worst times ever to do this. And for millions of people, this is one gigantic mess.
I think sympathy for the TWU is slipping by the hour.
Anyway, just thought I’d share.
Update: Dec 21
Getting to the airport was as fast and easy as it has ever been for me. I think the reason is because I left about an hour after they opened up inbound traffic to cars with less than 4 people. But I think the main reason is because the traffic was controlled. Imagine if traffic in any major city was controlled at every intersection and every entry point by police, in uniform, with guns. I left the hotel in a car, that was about half the price of what taxis were charging, and breezed through the city, across the 59th Street bridge, and to the airport. Traffic going in to the city was backed up all the way to LaGuardia, I have never seen it that bad, but for me it was great.
So no problems getting to the airport. I am getting a sense from local news and friends who live there that residents and people who commute from outer suburbs are getting fed up with the union for this. And the local unions parent company, International, did not approve this strike. Read the major NY newspapers online to get a sense of what this is doing to the city. It’s bad.