NYCT/Arbitrators Rule on Transit Workers' Contract, The saga is finally over Options

[NickG]

From the New York Times, 12/16/06:

Ending a marathon contract dispute that included an illegal 60-hour transit strike, an arbitration panel ruled yesterday that the city’s subway and bus workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority must abide by essentially the same deal that the two sides approved almost a year ago.

The full story is here.

[CNJRoss]

And the stage is set for January 16, 2009!

It will also be interesting to see the New York ligislature returns the pension overpayments, or if the MTA has to fund that $130 million.

There may be a contract, but this is set to boil over on more than one front.

Ross

[AlanB]

And the stage is set for January 16, 2009!

It will also be interesting to see the New York ligislature returns the pension overpayments, or if the MTA has to fund that $130 million.

There may be a contract, but this is set to boil over on more than one front.

Ross

But at least one good thing is that they have now made it much harder for the union to strike right before Christmas, removing a major threat. Any strikes before the contract actually expires would be much harder for the union to justify and much easier to deal with in the courts.

And considering that one of the renagade union VP's told the press that the entire reason that they did strike when they did was to impact Christmas and the millions of dollars typically spent in this city at that time of year. They didn't strike for any other reason than to get the strike in before Christmas where it provided them with the most power, negotiations had not deteriorated to the point where a strike was really needed at that time. But waiting would have left the union with less power, so they struck for that reason and that reason alone.

Thankfully, that threat is now gone.