I've been hearing quite a lot of buzz about the NYC transit strike, which has really caught my interest, because after all I lived in NYC. And normally, I'm sympathetic to unions, but I gotta say, these guys blow my mind.
They get paid more than I do (and let's compare, I owe $130,000 for the privilege), they work less hours than I do, they have full health benefits, and a pension, and they get to retire at 55. If I retire at 55, it'll be thanks to several shady business ventures, or the lotto. And in this day and age, let's be honest, pensions are a pipe dream.
It's illegal for them to strike, by law. What an unfair law, you might say, but consider this: a lot of people in NYC live by the subways. When I lived in NYC, I had to take the train to school. Far more people use public transit to work at jobs that earn far less than what the transit workers are making. And even if the folks in NYC got to work, they depend on other New Yorkers to buy their sodas or newspapers or hot dogs or whatever.
This strike is actually threatening the livelihood of millions of New Yorkers who live paycheck to paycheck. And that's the thing that pisses me off the most. Strikes are supposed to be about standing up for the working poor. Instead, this strike is all about punishing them. I have no sympathy for the striking workers. In order to cling to unrealistic outdated labor practices, they've put people's lives at risk.
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