That would suck. Bloomberg, hammer out a deal, I gotta get to fuckin' work.

On the plus side, I was in a dollar store on 36th Avenue and bought an elephant shaped lighter that shoot dual flames out it's trunk for $1.29.

jonmc, I want photos of that lighter. How did your x-rays go?

TWU Local 100 represent!
btw, a strike would be illegal:
Dec. 13 - A state Supreme Court judge issued a preliminary injunction today, barring New York City's transportation worker's union from striking for the first time in 25 years if they fail to reach a new contract by Thursday night's deadline.

It's been illegal to strike for ages now--it doesn't matter--there aren't any scabs or management that can run trains and drive buses safely, let alone maintain the thousands of miles of tracks and signals and stuff.

/union supporter

this rally is to get the MTA to compromise in good faith--and they should. they're rolling in money--the discount cards for the holidays are proof of it, and some of what the MTA wants is insane--no humans on trains?????

I'm a union supporter, too, don't get me wrong. But I also don't have a fuckin' car and I ain't walking from Ditmars Village to the Holland Tunnel in this fuckin' weather, either.

The X-rays went fine. I had to get a blood test too, the phlebotomist wasn't as graceful as some I've used, but she had a Spanish language radio program playing and the only words I recognized were "palabras de dios" so I guess she's a religious type.

I am going to have to save my pee for 24 hours however. At first this worried me since I'd have to carry a pitcher full of piss on the A train up to the Heights. But then again this is New York, there's probably 10 guys on every train carrying pitchers of piss and they aren't even sick.

Thankfully, though, there's a service where they drop off a container at your house that you fill and they pick it up a day later. This is nice, but, shit, talk about your lousy jobs.

"So, buddy, what line are you in?"

"Piss truck driver."

"Really? What are the hours?"

/dizzy from existentensial ridiculousness

that what dollar vans are for, jon--they'll be at every stop on the n and the r if there's a strike.

Really? How about once I get into Manhattan? I gotta get all the way down to Spring & Hudson.

Also, the Doctor told me that during my piss collection, I shouldn't change any of my diet or habits. So I can guzzle beer, smoke butts, and chomp cheesesteaks and pizza to my hearts content. I can only imagine the post analysis conversation:

"We still don't know what's causing your stones, but why aren't you dead yet?"

I also have a elephant lighter, but it shoots the flame out of it's mouth, not it's trunk. I'd like to see that one.

I reeeeeally hope they can work a contract that is acceptable to both parties. Because I don't want a strike- it's too cold :-(

I'm just gonna bring work home on Friday. Much better idea than worrying.

And yes, I count myself very lucky that I can do that.

I'm the assistant editor on the Reverend Al's new talk show, and it's edited in nyc. Maybe i should go stand next to him and yell about how this strike will keep me from finishing his show for him.

honestly, the mta are a bunch of soulless scumbags, and this bullshit stonewall routine they're pulling is deplorable. They've been caught cooking their books to justify a fare hike they didn't need, AND GOT ANYWAY, and never even got punished for it, and now they want to fuck over their employees? bastards.

man i always loved me some sharpton, but i'm pissed at him for doing commercials for car loan sharks in virginia. shit ain't right.

man i always loved me some sharpton,

He's Boss Tweed with a tan. You non-tri-staters just haven't figured it out yet. I still side with the transit workers, though, but most of all I want my subway. As Adam Sciff says on Law & Order, "make a deal."

They've been caught cooking their books to justify a fare hike they didn't need, AND GOT ANYWAY, and never even got punished for it, and now they want to fuck over their employees? bastards.

exactly. i just don't get--at all--why people are bitching when the whole city is dependent on these people--and they have gotten us where we needed to go forever (i am biased tho--my grandpa's only pension was from his last job--an investigator for the MTA)


I totally want them to strike if their demands aren't met--they are vital for this city's functioning. (and i wish i had a union like my grandparents and mother did) Would people be happy with a humanless train? Have people been happy since they killed 1/2 the token clerk jobs and installed the machines? really??

well, much as i agree with you, that was actually a mostly good thing. there are still clerks in booths at the stations i use, but virtually no lines for tokens anymore, and those clerks bascially just watch tv/read magazines when I've seen them. (admittedly, I work nights so my transit hours may make the difference.)

I hope they don't strike, but I support their right to do so. It's one of the few chances that I get to really, really suffer for my principles. I sure hope they don't fucking strike though, I won't be able to fucking go anywhere. The MTA is the worst, fucking Bloomburg reforms the school system in New York with dubious results and leaves these jackals to cheat, lie and steal their way through the budget. It's bullshit.


So sweary this morning.

I heard somewhere that the people who clean the buses make more than I do, after taxes. This, to me, sounds very, very wrong. I was sympathetic to the workers at first, and now I hate both sides of the conflict.

I heard somewhere that the people who clean the buses make more than I do, after taxes. This, to me, sounds very, very wrong.

People who clean things, especially after people use them, should be paid more than people who have nice indoor jobs at desks. Compensation should be related BOTH to what you put into a job and what awful fucking things you have to do. These people were smart or lucky enough to land union (hopefully) jobs with the city of New York and they deserve their pay. Now unions can be seriously corrupt (I used to be a doorman in the city, so firsthand experience all the way on that) but they are one of the last walls between working people and straight living in a company shack and being in debt constantly over a hunk of bologna at the company store. Sorry if that sounds strident, but I'm a labor si kinda guy all the way.

DW: *sigh* I get what you're saying man. And I am really grateful for those people who do clean up after me and they should be recognized and rewarded for their hard, hard work.

Having grown up in Southern California, the unions were not as big a deal over there as they are here. The only union I really cared about were the teachers' unions because I really respect teachers a lot and think they should be paid more desk-jockeys like me and Jonmc.

i'm totally a Union supporter and come from a majority Unionized family (teachers, firemen, and my grandpa worked for the MTA). When i was little and my mother was on strike (it was long and bitter but they won), her union gave us all of Thanksgiving--we wouldn't have had it at all otherwise.

I wish we all were Unionized but too many younger people whose parents weren't Union don't see the value...it's enormous.

(oh, the whole women wearing sneakers to work thing started with our last transit strike, in 80)

Yeah, but I still hope they don't strike.

Oh you can't scare me I'm sticking to the youuuun-iun...