Oh... and I just finished reading all the posts. I won't go into whom I support but I certainly DO think many of the demands by the union are outrageous (and do agree with Bloomberg when he calls them "thuggish") but speaking of getting around in "reasonable" weather?!? Ok, at least there isn't a blizzard or torrential rain, but come on! It's freezing outside and if you have to walk 30 to 40 blocks in the this, it doesn't seem too "reasonable". And as far a the city being "paralyzed", the only time (in my memory) that I can remember the city being even *more* paralyzed is right after 9/11.

Where do I sign up for a THREE YEAR CONTRACT? In my dreams? As a self employed person I live day to day based on my performance.

Boeing engineers just voted down a 4 year contract and renegotiated a 3 year contract.

FYI -- In case you are really following this (like we are, of course):

Judge Orders Additional Fines, Contempt Hearing In Transit Strike Breaking News: Justice Theodore T. Jones has found two striking transit unions in criminal contempt and ordered them to pay fines and their leaders to appear at a contempt hearing for a walkout that has left millions of commuters stranded, NewsChannel 4's Tim Minton reports. Also, Mayor Michael Bloomberg will give a briefing on the transit strike at 2 p.m. ET. Watch it live on NewsChannel 4 and on WNBC.com.

As it happens, my family came into town the other night, so I'm experiencing the strike both as a local and as an out-of-towner.

The economic impact is real; the streets are half empty, the venues that are usually annoyingly and vastly crowded at Xmas time, are less crowded than even in a very slow season, not at all like the usual holiday or weekend crowds. We got to the Top of the Rock (RCA building in Rockefeller Center) new observation decks yesterday, with no wait at all, we had almost not bothered trying. There was still a 90 minute line at the Empire State building, however. By the way, the Top of the Rock observation deck experience is excellent. It is not as high up as the ES building, but for that reason it is easier to identify what you are looking at, and yesterday was a clear day so we could see forever, at least, most of Manhattan.

There is much reduced car traffic as passenger cars are restricted to HOV. Because it is the week before Xmas, I think a lot of locals either already scheduled time off, or opted to take time off once the strike happened. Plenty of people, especially the working poor, are being seriously inconvenienced--either they can't get to work and won't be paid, or the small business they work for isn't opening up,or it takes them hours to come to work by alternatives. Even if people can get to work, maybe their child caregivers can't get to them, or they can't get their children to the caregivers or their work schedules are upset by schools' delayed openings. Some who live in the suburbs can actually find it easier to get to work in Manhattan than those within NYC who have no transit alternatives.

Medical staff are arranging to stay overnight in the hospitals, because they can't risk not being able to get to work. Surgeries are limited to emergencies. People can't get to weddings, funerals, immigration offices, doctors appointments, and other important places.

The city is however mostly open for business, just suffering an economic toll. Most people are cheerful and patient and wearing comfortable shoes. Even usually-agressive truck drivers and cab drivers are allowing pedestrians to cross streets safely, without racing them to the intersections. A lot of police are out, giving people suggestions. It is VERY cold here, especially when you are out in it for hours at a time. It is even worse when walking across river bridges.

There are taxis to be found. Car services seem to be fully booked, we tried reserving one last night to go to the theatre and were laughed off the phone twice. Many taxis are price-gouging (charging more than the meter, and they tell you that before you get in), they are enjoying the strike.

We are on average fine here, though individuals may be suffering, and mostly we are taking things in our stride, literally. As you know, we have been through much worse than this.

I will save you my opinions on the Union and the MTA, but suggest that you peruse today's front page stories in the New York Times, on line.

Well, well said, Craig.

My sincere empathy goes out to all who have terrible commute worries. The wind is harsh and it's a brutal length of day, I know.

Thanks for all the updates- and good wishes to all that it will be resolved soon.

In this one- the only one coming out the loser, will be the user.

Well said, Elaine. I do not believe the taxis should be metered though. I thought it was a flat fare by zone? All in all, yes, we have been through MUCH, MUCH, MUCH worse but this is just... I don't know... just unreal. I just heard on WNBC that the blood bank has declared a state of emergency and that many, many home healthcare workers could not make it to the homes of the elderly and infirm that they care for thus leaving them in very critical conditions (lack of medication, etc.). All I can say is that I hope the local injunction is passed.

So will the courts order the employees back to work?

What do you NYers think will happen?

Yes, there are so many people, even in a place of great activity like Manhattan- who need people and "stuff" to get to them quickly. I doubt that anything could be quick.

elaine, you and your family sound like you are making the best of a it. Thanks for taking the time to update.

In answer to what we NYers think will happen...

1) The MTA will cave on the pension issue (it was ridiculous for them to press it on Monday night to begin with. The state will save no more than $20MM from that change, and the police overtime alone from this strike will cost more than that!) Plus, the whole thing is nuts! Under the Taylor Law, the parties can't negotiate pension changes - - it can only be done by the state Legislature (who, politics being what it is, pretty much never cuts pension benefits, and instead sweetens them...usually near election time.)

2) Toussaint is gonna do some jail time.

3) The strikers are gonna find out how painful enforcement of Taylor Law penalties (which may not be mitigated by a judge) really is.

4) The parent of Local 100, the TWU International, may put it into trust and boot out the leadership.

5) Someone will amend the Taylor Law again to put more teeth into it. The penalties are harsh, but not harsh enough, apparently.

6) I would guess Union will end strike on Xmas Eve for maximum positive P.R.

Agree on point #6. And agree that the TWU will really find out how painful this is once personal penalties (i.e., freezing of individual bank accounts of the workers) are imposed.

Oh, and let's see if #2 actually happens (doubt it because this would create that whole "martyrdom" thing...).

Well, Mike Quill spent time in the clink after the 1980 strike, and he was quite beloved amongst the membership and public employees, arguably more so than Toussaint is (Toussaint's decision to call a strike reflects internal dissension and politics in the Local as much as it does the negotiations with the TA.)

Does anything think Toussaint is grandstranding at the expense of the workers?

Will the workers and Unions really get fined or will this end up in court for years eventually disappearing?

Well said, elaine!
Roger T just gave his news conference, if they take their Pensions off the table, they will talk immediately.

I had a really hard time understanding him though..Does anyone else have more on what was said?
Thank you~

all the comments are true - I'd also add that there seem to be plentiful taxis within the city if you are lucky enough to get onto the island of Manhattan....some questions about fares abound since the "zone" concept is new and people are unclear about when we cross zones ($10 minimum fare, plus $5 if you cross zones) - each person in a cab if you are sharing has to pay. the lines in and out of the city tunnels and bridges - and all the streets leading up to them - are nuts, well up to noon and beyond and well into the evening post rush hour. 5th ave and mandison ave are closed except for emergency traffic.

Fifth and Madison will now be open to traffic. There were many, many free cabs on the upper east side today. But horrendous traffic in the afternoon on many streets.

Yes, I think it's supposed to be $10 pp plus some zone charges, if the taxi picks up 3 or 4 unrelated people.
Last night after the theatre we were a family group, and the driver told us off the bat that it would be $10+ pp, although we asked him to use the meter. He got $50 for what would normally be an $8 or so fare. We felt taken advantage of, but convenience at 10:30 pm on a bitterly cold night won out.
Today however, we got a taxi in front of a hotel, and when the driver saw we were all together, he said, "I'll just use the meter" and did so. We tipped him very generously.

Toussaint is most certainly grandstanding. I doubt he gives a hoot about the workers. He is all about himself. When I worked for a union, DC37, the largest employer of municipal workers in NYC, I saw close up and personal what union leadership is all about. They cared only about retaining their power base and lining their own pockets. Unions are not democracies, they are dictatorships and if you don't tow the pary line, watch out. It worked with their general membership but it did not work in our unit. We were lawyers and knew better than to allow the leadership to bully us around, though they tried mightily.

To give you an idea of the corruption that went on, the union negotiated an awful contract with NYC which the members overwhelmingly voted down. The leadership sat in the basement of the union headquarters in the middle of the night and steamed open the emvelopes and changed a majority of the NO votes to YES. They were caught and several of them are sitting in prison, where they belong. Unfortunately the Executive Director of DC37 escaped prosecution but he was forced to resign and the parent brought in a trustee from Washington to run the union for a few years. Everyone took a bad hit with that contract, several years of no raises at all. Although I was not a DC37 member (we were union benefits, representing the members in various legal issues such as matrimonial and housing) our contract mimicked theirs and we suffered for it as well. If I seem somewhat down unions, this is why. Mine workers need unions, firefighters need unions and yes, air traffic controllers need unions (very stressful job and they weren't striking for just money but updated equipment and for shorter hours because it was dangerous for them to work long hours--do you want an exhausted air traffic controller guiding your plane along with 200 others? That was a public safety issue, the TWU strike is just plain greed)
Hi Craig, good to see you somewhere other than the Asia forum :-)

The NYT article quotes Bloomberg as saying that Touissaint shouldn't be sent to jail as it would contribute to martyrdom. I don't know if that is possible because he doesn't seem to be too popular of a guy, even within his own union.

This really is outrageous. These workers make more than teachers, firemen, and police officers. Something is really wrong when post-9/11 someone working at a low skill job can make more than a teacher or firman.

While I agree that the pension issue (making new workers pay into the pension at 6%) was very 11th hour by the MTA, I do think that it was to an extent necessary and the pension costs would hae added up to far more than $20 million in several years.

I'm not against unions at all. In fact, they are necessary in certain situations.

However, this situation is a perfect illustration of union leadership not always looking out for the best interest of their members. When members are paying stiff fines I'm sure Touissaint will be out of there, as he should be.