Mediator: Transit strike leaders agree to a return to work

[bishop]

article

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A mediator in the New York transit strike said Thursday that union leaders have agreed to "take steps" to have more than 30,000 striking employees return to work while negotiations continue. The agreement must be approved by the union's executive board, said Richard Curreri, director of conciliation service of the Public Relations Employment Board. Approval is expected by the end of the day, he said. Transit Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint is expected to present the recommendation to his executive board at 1 p.m. Thursday. If the board accepts the recommendation, the union would return to work, but the timetable for getting public transportation back online was unclear. The transit workers went on strike early Tuesday, shutting down the nation's largest public transportation system and creating hardships for more than 7 million commuters. The transit strike is the first in the city since 1980. (A map for the transit strike) Meanwhile, a state Supreme Court justice granted a continuance until 4 p.m. Thursday for court proceedings relating to the strike to allow talks to continue. Justice Theodore Jones had planned to hear the city's suit seeking a temporary restraining order against the strikers and had threatened union leaders with contempt charges if they did not appear. Curreri said the mediators had met separately over the past 48 hours with the union leadership and representatives of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, describing the talks as "fruitful." "We requested the leadership of the TWU to take the action necessary to direct its membership to immediately return to work, and they have agreed to take such actions," he said. The sides have yet to reach a contract agreement, he added. One key issue -- the union's pension plan -- continues to be a sticking point. Earlier, Toussaint had said taking the plan off the table would "go a long way" toward getting the union to return to talks. The disagreements between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Transit Workers Union created "emotionally charged" talks, Curreri said, but the bitter feelings between the two had "improved ... over the course of the day." "At this point in time, I'm not aware of any formal negotiations that have been scheduled, but we anticipate that they will be in short order," the mediator said. Union members are seeking raises, improved health plans and a stronger pension fund, which faces a $1 billion shortfall, according to its leaders. Toussaint said Wednesday that "the pension demands put forth by the MTA are illegal and burden the negotiations." Under a transit authority proposal, new employees would contribute 6 percent of their salaries to their pension funds, instead of the current 2 percent. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority withdrew a proposal to increase the retirement age from 55 to 62. On Tuesday, the Public Employment Relations Board, acting as a mediator, had denied a union request to remove the pension issue, said a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The strike violates New York's Taylor Law, which forbids public employees to walk off the job, but Toussaint argued, "We have pointed out that there is a higher calling than the law, and that's justice and equality." Mayor Michael Bloomberg accused the union of "claiming to be the champions of working families," while the "illegal actions they are taking are costing New Yorkers their livelihoods." (Watch Bloomberg praise "brave" New Yorkers and slam strike leaders -- 5:03) Another issue leading to the strike was a Metropolitan Transportation Authority-proposed contract calling for new employees to pay more for their health coverage than current employees. Negotiators reported some progress on wage negotiations before talks collapsed early Tuesday. An authority offer Monday night, rejected by the union, included a three-year contract with wage increases of up to 4 percent a year. Patience wearing thin The strike has forced millions of people to adopt creative ways of getting around -- or simply abandon plans altogether. (Read the latest commuters' e-mails) Wednesday's cover of the New York Post captured a popular sentiment: "You Rats." Thursday before dawn, one commuter said he was ready for the strike to end. "I'm tired already, and I'm going to work," the man said as he sat in a car stuck in traffic headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Cabdrivers also have complained that despite the higher fares they can charge, they spend much of their time stuck in traffic jams throughout the city. The mayor has said that the economic consequences of the strike, which coincides with the height of holiday shopping and tourist season, range "from severe to devastating, depending on the business." (Find out how tourists are coping) The city looked to lose another $300 million in revenues Thursday, bringing the total loss for the strike to $1 billion, according to Jeff Simmons, spokesman for city Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr.

i think when the state threatened to arrest the union leaders, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

[Chris]

Oh yeah I heard that this morning.

[gr8fuldaniel]

Is this really Constitutionally acceptable? I mean, to not allow a strike. It seems like it could be challenged on the basis of involuntary servitude. No?

[gr8fuldaniel]

Yeah, here it is:

Ammendment XIII Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The thirteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States was proposed to the legislatures of the several states by the Thirty-eighth Congress, on January 31, 1865.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: gr8fuldaniel Yeah, here it is:

I think the strike went against policy that they had to sign to work there.

[gr8fuldaniel]

Quote by: Milton Bradley I think the strike went against policy that they had to sign to work there.

I thought we couldnt sign away our Constitutional Rights?
I wouldnt even fuss about this if it werent all about the Capitalists having all the politicians in their pockets. Do you think Macys had anything to do with the arrest threats?

Now the critical mass of X-mas spending orgy and the VIPER Patrols can resume their little terrorist games. Forcing the working stiff to jump through the endless hoops of Corporate-Political-Industrial-Military complexities

[tinybear]

Look if they don't wanna work, they can resign and let someone else take their jobs, OK? Let's not confuse involuntary servitude with what these guys are doing to NYC.

[Nono]

Thanks for your dependably reactionary toss-off analysis, tiny.

I'm not thoroughly versed in the issues involved, but it did sound to me like they were mostly trying to resist the growing 'precarization' of working people through the introduction of two-tier policies, etc..

Unfortunately, they run a system on which millions of people depend and this all happened in mid-winter (and who benefited from and maybe arranged that?). So it was a PR disaster for the union and a PR windfall for management. Hmm..

At any rate, it's nice to see some working people in the US stand up and give the bosses the finger for a change. And anybody who imagines that standing on a picket line while not getting paid is some sort of fun has never done it.

[RickSp]

There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents individuals from entering into lawful contracts. Anyone who claims that city workers with wages and benefits well above private workers, with elaborate contract protections can be compared to slaves is either delusional or not interested in reality.

Ridiculous rhetoric has been comon during this illegal strike. Roger Toussaint has invoked Rosa Parks, the rights of the "unborn", and lots of blather regarding "dignity" and "respect" for bus drivers earning more than $60,000 per year who can retire are 55 with a fat pensions. Slaves? I don't think so.

[tinybear]

Hey, Rick, I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I agree with you. :)

[RickSp]

Quote by: tinybear Hey, Rick, I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I agree with you. :)

That worries me greatly.