Pres should order police to escort transit workers to their post

[mrhopeforwes]

...or take them to jail. ...the law's the the law and this it potentially a security issue. ...what would happen if there was an immediate need to evacuate the city?

[SteppingRazor]

1. The law is crap.

A union should have the right to strike. Haven't workers been stripped of enough power already?

[elehhhhna]

2. put 'em on a chain gang!

[Kingshakabobo]

3. They should be taken out and shot as enemies of the state.

:sarcasm:

[kliljedahl]

20. Torture them first

Mustn't forget that



Keith’s Barbeque Central

[liberal N proud]

4. OK Mr. Bloomberg - Was-amata, can't get a train ride today?

Go ahead and support the Reagan style killing of another union in this country.
It is only one more union busted by the republican regime. Unions are useless anyway right?
When all the unions are busted and gone, you can kiss your benefits at work gone as well. You can kiss 8 hours a day gone as well as on the job safety.
But go ahead, kill one more union sweat shops weren't all that bad now were they? Ask your great grandfather.

[mrhopeforwes]

10. you didn't address my point: it's a SECURITY issue

and believe me, I'm all about the workers being able to use their leverage against the minority who control us simply because they've got the capital. ...at the very least, they should be asked to put all their strike plans on hold to after the holidays.

[im10ashus]

12. Well then let me ask you this.

If it's a "security" issue, shouldn't these workers be paid more since they are so heavily relied upon to be a first responder?

[Sanity Claws]

15. Evacuate to where?

Seriously, even if the transit was operating, where would the people go? I think it's common knowledge that there is no way to evacuate the City if a disaster were to occur.

[liberal N proud]

19. Security - The terrorist have to use the same transportation

I would think NY a little safer with Mass Transit down. Train stations are a favorite target of the terrorist. Trains down, fewer targets.
Get your walking shoes and high tail it.
If there was a mass evacuation of NYC, I doubt the subway would be the way to go.

[mrhopeforwes]

23. busses would be the way to go, my friend

[msongs]

5. is it the new york diet plan? nt

[Walt Starr]

6. Hell with that, just name them 3/5 of a person already!

:sarcasm:

[Sanity Claws]

7. Sweetie, did you hit the wrong web site?

The only weapon workers have is the right to strike. I don't intend to turn NYC into a police state and prevent workers from striking.
Haven't we seen enough of the police state from the current * administration?

[mrhopeforwes]

13. again, address my point: It's a SECURITY issue

and you're preaching to the choir about workers' rights and the leverage power to stick it to the man.

[Sanity Claws]

16. See my response above

There is no way to evacuate the city in times of emergency.

[patcox2]

30. What a straw man argument.

Its total bullshit, you make up a hypothetical need to do something that it has never been necessary to do in history.

They would go back to work if there were an emergency in which their work was critically needed. Of course, they're union people, you think they wouldn't?

But really, your big scary monster, its just a typical Bushian fear tacti, isn't it? "You have to let me spy, or your all gonna die." "You have to let me torture, or your all gonna die." "You have to let me crush the union, or your all gonna die." Fits right in the pattern.

Hope the koolaid tastes good.

[patcox2]

31. "You have to let me crush the union, or you'll all be killed! Al Queada!

You have mastered the Bush administration's false argument to support all of the illegal and abusive things it does. "You have to let me torture, or you'll all be killed." "You have to let me detain americans, or you'll all be killed." "You have to let me spy on you, or you'll all be killed." "Look over there, behind you, its Osama-Saddam!" "Boo." "Orange Alert Right Before Election."

And now the latest, "you must let me throw the union members in jail, or you'll all be killed."

Its as idiotic an argument against the union as it is in all the other situations you and yours use it.

Too bad you are easily scared, it must suck to be such a wuss, trading your freedom for the feeling of security.

[im10ashus]

25. Again, address MY point.

If it's a "security" issue, shouldn't these workers be paid more since they are so heavily relied upon to be a first responder?

[rock]

8. Haven't you heard? You no longer have to obey the laws.

I got this from a very high placed source.

[NYC Liberal]

9. On 9/11, New Yorkers WALKED. So how does no public transportation

have anything to do with an evacuation?

[mrhopeforwes]

17. ever hear of old and invalid people?

....but I admit you have a point. However, you also sort of make my point because the city SHUT DOWN on 9/11. You're acting like you expect the city to function AND have no transit.
...and the city losing $400 mil a day could cause things to snap economically. Plus, IT'S THE FREAKIN' HOLIDAYS WITH SO MANY TOURISTS IN THE CITY. THEY SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE BEEN ASKED TO WAIT TIL JAN. ...but believe me, I think they're in the right and it's pitiful that the powers that be forced them to make it come to this.

[patcox2]

32. See my post 31.

nt

[madeline_con]

11. The "Prez" should order another bourbon and shut the hell up. n/t

[Puglover]

14. You might get a more positive response

to your post elsewhere. Knock knock....this is a PROGRESSIVE site where most believe unions have a right to strike.
Tell me, are you a big fan of Chimpies wire tapping as well?

[mrhopeforwes]

21. yeah, I'm aware it's progressive, and I do believe in strikes

Look, even though I would force the escorts if I were the president or could give him advice, I also wouldn't allow it to get to this point in the first place because I would have used the bully pulpit to highlight that the workers are right.

[senseandsensibility]

18. I am surprised to see this anti worker rhetoric on DU

There is ALWAYS some reason to prevent workers from striking, if you buy into right wing spin. It's s "security" issue for teachers and nurses to strike too. In the eighties, when raygun hired scabs to replace the striking air traffic workers, it was a "security" issue. It's always something. This post doesn't belong on a progressive board, and I hope it gets the response it deserves. Management, meet the workers' demands!

[mrhopeforwes]

22. I thought "progressive" meant encouraging differing pts of view

...see my other post about believing in workers' rights

[senseandsensibility]

24. By all means express yourself

and I will express myself as well. Deal with it. If you're gonna post this kind of stuff here, you'll get rough responses.

[scarface2004]

26. president to designate...

all union workers as enemy combatants, then take them to gitmo for extermination. problem solved, and yes he has the power under the constitution according to his lawyers.

[patcox2]

27. I'm sure they'd go back to work if there were a need to evacuate.

There, I have addressed your idiotic security issue. Now go away.

[alcibiades_mystery]

28. He should hire some Pinkertons to throw 'em a beatin'

Dirty Reds! :sarcasm:

Yeah, like if there was an immediate need to evacuate New York City, the transit workers being at work would smoooooooth that process. :rofl: Have you ever been to New York? :rofl:

Let me clue you in: it would be impossible to evacuate even moderate numbers of people from NYC in a short time even under optimal circumstances. Repeat: IMPOSSIBLE. Remember the evacuations in Texas before Rita? Multiply those problems by ten and add choke points and panic. The entire enterprise is simply unworkable, and everyone in NYC knows it. It's a ridiculous proposition on its face.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. the MTA should have thought about this

before forcing crap down the union to try to bust it

Why do you hate workers by the way?

[MadHound]

33. Security issue my rosy red ass!

First off, the Taylor law is unConstitutional on the face of it, and hopefully somebody will challenge it in court. And what, exactly, is the security issue here? It doesn' imperil anybody, it merely inconviences them. Biig difference. If there was an immediate need to evacuate the city, I'm sure the workers would return to work. But to use "security" as a point in order to break the union is absolute crap! Hell, under that sort of definition, almost any strike could be broken. But hey, maybe that's the point here:eyes:

[patcox2]

35. You could also justify domestic spying, indefinite detention, torture.

Yup, you could justify a lot of things if you drink the "al queada is gonna get ya if ya don't let Bush do whatever he wants" koolaid.

[MamaBear]

34. For What It's Worth

Emergency vehicles had the clearest sailing they have ever had in this City during the rush this morning, except for at the checkpoint at 96th Street.

When we were under attack on 9/11, people walked. When the lights went out in August of 2003, mostly everybody walked.

This morning I rode, not in the way I had expected, but I rode and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I was crammed into a livery van with too many other people, in my claustrophobic estimation. I'm glad the Transit workers will be back on the job fairly soon, and I hate it that this had to happen at Christmas, but you can't always choose. If the City were so worried about its Christmas business, why have the contract expire a few days before? Is that supposed to be another tool to batter this union?

Plus, the police were out in force this morning. The only danger I was in this morning was frostbite waiting for a van to come along

This strike is mighty, mighty inconvenient. I hope it turns out well for the workers. If it does, it will be the best thing for our city.