The battle between Jay Walder and the TWU continues to heat up in a major way this week. Today, in the Daily News, the editorial board lays out the case for common-sense changes to the MTA’s work rules. Included among their suggestions are the not-so-controversial proposal that the MTA be allowed to use the same snow-removal equipment at shows run by various unions, that Transit Authority garages be permitted to service buses run by multiple unions and that workers stop abusing the sick day system. “I genuinely believe if we can get a different dialogue going with labor, some of this is avoidable,” Walder said. “Even some of the station agents. If we have a different dialogue, it might be possible to bring back people and do things through an attrition process, but you won’t get there unless there’s a different dialogue going on.”
But the TWU, protesting Walder’s agressive stance and the dismissal this week of 250 station agents, has upped the ante. As amNew York’s Heather Haddon details, the TWU has taken its protest and the familiar inflatable rat to the Tribeca streets outside of Walder’s home. With signs protesting “an $800 million payout to Wall St. crooks,” union members are there to stay as this battle brews. “It’s indefinite for right now,” TWU head John Samuelsen said of the rat outside of Walder’s home. This is getting ugly indeed.
16 comments
I didn’t realize Jay Walder gave $800 million to Wall Street crooks.
Anyone have a large inflatable rat trap?
Ahh, President Obama’s union friends are such nice chaps.
Obama isn’t particularly pro-union. He’s done minimal effort to support EFCA, and his Secretary of Education is drawn from the reformist camp rather than from the teachers’ union camp.
Oh really? That’s like saying the catholic church isn’t pro life. Have you read the latest news?
Unionization to become easier at airlines following federal rule change
5/10/2010 4:12:00 PM from USA TODAY
The Obama administration today changed a 76-year-old rule governing union elections that’s expected to make it easier for airline and railroad works to vote to unionize. The Associated Press calls the change “a major victory for organized labor” while TheStreet.com labels it “historic.” It was announced today by the National Mediation Board.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes the change, writing “the new rule requires that unions win a majority of votes only from those workers who cast ballots, rather than from a majority of those eligible to vote. In most cases that would reduce the number of votes needed for a union to win, since under current rules workers who don’t vote are effectively counted as a ‘no.’ ”
The Wall Street Journal writes “the rule change, which was published online Monday in the Federal Register, was immediately opposed by the airline and rail industries.” AP adds “the rule will take effect 30 days after publication … . The flight attendants’ union said it would seek a representation election at Delta soon afterward.”
Reuters says the move “was widely expected,” adding “big unions representing thousands of flight attendants and certain ground workers said they plan to test the measure soon at Delta Air Lines, the world’s largest carrier that is mostly non-union. Other airlines potentially affected include JetBlue Airways and AirTran.”
While labor groups lauded the decision, the Air Transport Association – a trade group representing airlines – said it planned to seek a review of the change. The Journal-Constitution writes a “suit is expected to be filed in the next few days in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.”
“We continue to believe the National Mediation Board does not have legal authority to implement this rule, one that undoubtedly will lead to more labor discord,” the ATA says in a release. “It is quite clear to us that the NMB was determined to proceed despite the proposed rule’s substantive and procedural flaws, leaving us no choice but to seek judicial review.”
Ben was making a comparative statement, I believe. As he indicated, Obama has done more to anger unions (particularly in the education space) than most democratic politicians.
That was Alon, not me. I try to leave federal politics out of purely local labor issues.
Yes, Alon, my bad Ben.
This is the action of a moderate, not a liberal. Elections decided by a majority of voters is a normal practice; I thought it was the anti-union people who insisted on a secret ballot. (Right now, employers can know who definitely votes no, but unions can’t know who definitely vote yes).
It’s classic moderate Obama: no card check, no trade war with China, none of the union movement’s other betes noires – but here’s fair elections as a consolation prize.
But sure, let’s pretend that anything other than going back to the Gilded Age means Obama’s owned by unions. It’s much more fun than doing serious political analysis.
There has to be some law that is broken with the Rat being brought into a residential area. Maybe a neighbor can call the cops saying they are being a nuisance to society…
What I find the most troubling is that there are some union workers and state politicians who honestly, truly believe the MTA is at fault here. The TWU is basically the perverse Democratic equivalent of the Tea Party: refusing to find solutions, refusing to negotiate, and believing that if only “government” (here, Walder) went back to doing things the old way everything would be OK.
That is incorrect assessment TWU has been burned by the MTA when they have agreed on a contract and the other side does not have the intention to honor the contract – I kind understand their position, Walder made TWU life uncomfortable then it should be both ways
Guess the union feels that they should get paid for playing pool 4 hours a day. What a life…
Mr. Samuelson, please expect Mr. Walder to knock on your HOME door about 2 AM to open negotiations. What bad form, oh and by the way, I never got my share of the $800mm
Does anyone here realize the MTA defied the judge’s explict instructions not to lay off anyone until the summation of the hearing? And the MTA is defying the TRO by closing the same booths on this Friday that the Judge is curently ruling on? This is an MTA gone wild, an outlaw agency willfully defying the laws.
wow. are paulp and james just some computer experiment trying to trick people into thinking that they are really human? there is a blatant disregard for reality expressed in their posts.
[…] In response to this criticism and the MTA’s firings of hundreds of unionized workers, the TWU stationed an inflatable rat outside of Walder’s home. Today, TWU president John Samuelsen upped the ante in comments to […]