TWU Doesn't Realize Shame Won't Work On State Senate GOP

Getting a comprehensive bill passed to help the M.T.A. and the millions that use it is becoming more and more of a longshot. The closer we come to May 31st, the harder it gets. The State Senate is unable to get something done because of a few bad apples in the Democratic caucus that think political grandstanding is worth a 25% fare increase for straphangers. The Transit Workers Union, who will also suffer from lost jobs due to service cuts, is trying to push NYC's three Republican Senators in hope of sparing them the doomsday budget.

From The NY Daily News:

Hoping to shame Republicans into supporting a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout, the Transport Workers Union will launch an ad campaign Monday targeting a trio of GOP senators from the city.

"Republican state Sens. Frank Padavan, Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza have a choice to make," the TV advertisement states. "They can vote for an MTA rescue plan that saves fares, services and jobs - or they can join their fellow Republicans and sit on their hands while our transit system grinds to a halt."

This effort, while well-intentioned is not going to do anything but help sustain the advertising revenue of whomever plays the spots. Shame isn't going to work on a minority caucus that is hoping the Senate fails New York in such spectacular fashion that the GOP might be able to take back the majority next year.

The only hope of getting something passed is having the troublesome Democrats (Espada, Kruger, Diaz, etc.) get back on board and support whatever Smith and Silver come up with. While that would be an incredible feat, it is much more likely than the likes Lanza, Golden and Padavan scorning Dean Skelos' message of how Republicans are being treated like dirt by Smith and therefore the minority must hold out together because of it.

Spitzer Stands Up For Transit Workers Union

Spitzer showed himself to be a Democratic Governor today by announcing his support for the Transit Workers Union. There is nothing better than a strong collective workforce when you want to bargain for fair pay and good treatment. As Attorney General he angered the brass of the TWU by stripping them of automatic deductions from workers' checks to pay for dues but that seems like it might come to an end. He has agreed that they should be able to collect the money to remain fiscally secure.

From The Daily News:

In a move sure to spark controversy, Spitzer will support the financially struggling TWU Local 100 if it seeks to win back the right to automatically deduct dues from workers' paychecks, according to a labor leader familiar with the governor's plan.

"The governor is trying to position himself to see a productive collective-bargaining season in 2008," the union leader said, noting that the historically bad relationship between the TWU and the MTA has long complicated contract talks.

"He'll take the public relations hit now because at the end of the contract, he doesn't want to go through that kind of problem again," the leader concluded. "He's positioning himself, putting himself and the MTA in a better position for the future."

Yeah the MTA will be pissed, but sometimes you need to act for everyone's own good. The men and women that keep our trains and buses humming deserve the best conditions out there. The people at the top of the MTA often do not have it all together, something that helped prompt the strike two years ago. If the TWU can sit up straighter at next year's round of talks to renegotiate their contracts, that will not only help transit workers' future, it will keep the MTA working as smoothly as possible.