Steerike!

The NYC transit strike of 2005 has officially ended. At just 3 days, it was very poorly timed - too long to just be an exciting adventure, yet too short to be a disaster. Basically, it was a nuisance. While I wasn't very happy about having to pay for taxis to get to work, I had no trouble finding them in the morning. As for getting home, walking 2 miles every evening is good exercise which I could probably use. If it weren't so cold outside, I'd probably enjoy it. I'll sometimes walk home during the spring or summer when the weather is nice - it's a great way to decompress after work.

The big losers in this strike, it seems to me, were the union rank and file. They elected a militant leader who approached negotiations with outrageous demands a rational person knew wouldn't ever be accepted by the MTA. I understand that the union got a lousy contract last time, with a measly 1% per year raise, but that doesn't mean that the next time around you should expect 8% per year. Face it - you screwed up last time. You lost. The MTA won. This time, definitely try to do better, but don't expect the MTA to compensate you this time for your bad negotiations last time. Life doesn't work that way. And then, when a good offer is placed on the table, union leadership walked away from the table over pension contributions from future employees. This is what the union rank and file was losing pay over - pension contributions from workers who haven't even been hired yet. The TWU local 100 was fined $1 million per day, and essentially was bankrupted, because Roger Toussaint held out over an issue that doesn't affect a single current member of the union. I sincerely hope that the union membership finds itself some new leadership soon - it's obvious the powers that be in the city of New York will not be forgiving if the union strikes again.

Sprint!!!

I am sitting on Val's couch right now, as she's drying her hair and getting ready so we can go over to Grandma's for her annual holiday get-together. It should be an interesting mix of holidays - Grandma is technically the only non-Jewish member of the family, but it's at her apartment so I suppose it's a Christmas party. With Bagels and Lox. Perhaps not as traditional as, say, turkey or chicken, but certainly more enticing. I have heard a rumor involving some jambalaya that may or may not be present at some time tonight. This is unconfirmed. Reports of cookies from Veniero's are much more substantiated.

I decided to make Val go running with me today - it's one of the last nice days of the year before global "warming" turns NYC into Siberian taiga for 3 months. She knows I used to do a lot of running in the past. However, she was not quite prepared for that sprint up Clyde Street at the end of our little run. Despite that, she still wants to do it again. You know, it's been a while since I've done the Central Park loop... (Insert diabolical grin here.)