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Transit worker strike brings NYC to a halt
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-21 13:58 Gov. George Pataki said the union acted illegally and "will suffer the
consequences." But union attorney Arthur Schwartz accused the MTA of provoking
the strike.
No negotiations were scheduled between the two sides, although a mediator
from a state labor board was meeting with both union and MTA officials Tuesday
afternoon.
Commuters pack the
Brooklyn Bridge during the evening rush hour in New York December 20,
2005. [Reuters] | The MTA asked the Public
Employment Relations Board to formally declare an impasse, the first step toward
forcing binding arbitration of the contract, said James Edgar, the board's
executive director.
It was the city's first transit strike since an 11-day walkout in 1980, which
happened in much warmer April weather. The effect this time, however, was
tempered by the advent of personal computers, which enabled many commuters to
stay home and work via the Internet.
Others boarded water taxis along the Hudson River, or jumped into carpools.
Many lined up in the cold to await private buses arranged by their employers, or
shared yellow cabs with strangers. There was a minimum $10 fee for cab riders.
"The city is functioning, and functioning well considering the severe
circumstances," the mayor said. The union "shamefully decided they don't care
about the people they work for, and they have no respect for the law. Their
leadership thuggishly turned its back on New York City. This strike is costing
us."
Jack Akameiza, 66, was trying to figure out a way to go the nine miles from
Manhattan to Coney Island. "I cannot go to work," he said. "I cannot take care
of my family."
Some commuters were upset at the union, others with management. Some, as they
made their way to work, blamed both sides.
"It's two arrogant groups not caring that 7 million people are
inconvenienced," said Kenny Herbert, 45, of Brooklyn, who took the train to work
Monday night but needed a water taxi across the East River to get home.
On the picket lines, transit workers expressed outrage at the MTA.
"We're tired of being treated like we're the garbage of the city," said Angel
Ortiz, 32, standing on the Bronx-Manhattan border with hundreds of other
striking transit workers beneath an elevated rail line that carried no trains.
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