I second Bob Treumann's thoughts. There is a split in understanding here. Most of the transit dependent don't have a voice, they are not organized, so we have to listen carefully to hear it. The danger is well-organized, well-connected people will try to speak for them, and admittedly, that could mean me and anyone else on this forum.
I have played a key role in a union in my workplace. I have volunteered for numerous progressive organizations. Dennis Kucinich most closely represented my views in the primaries. Let me quote the Star Tribune Editorial board from earlier this week: "...the union may never have understood the trap it was falling into. By going on strike it played into the hands of transit's most committed opponents. Inevitably, the issue became not only health care benefits for retired transit workers but the future of the transit system itself. Indeed, in some twisted corners, the question has now become not how to double the system in anticipation of future population growth, but how to make it smaller and more confined to the poor and disabled." - from http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4668077.html Some of my progressive friends may hate this, but this strike isn't hurting Pawlenty - indeed its probably helping him. Its hurting the transit system. It may hurt union members. It is hurting poor people, many of whom are immigrants, and don't have access to contribute to forums like this. In this case the transit dependent don't care about political messages or strategies - they just want transportation. I too have a real sense of how this strike is playing among transit riders, not from transit rallies, but from random people I know. The transit-dependent who support the strike are the exception rather than the rule, but they are the politically-oriented, the technologically connected, the well organized. The transit dependent don't generally care about sending political messages in this context, they care about earning a minimal wage themselves and getting to work. I was recently employed by a transit advocacy group. I have found it necessary recently to buy a new car, and MetroTransit has lost one supportive customer permanently - either my wife or I, depending on how you look at it. I might support a strike if it seemed likely to get workers somewhere, but with Pawlenty at the helm, there's every sign the strike is sending us into reverse. When the union gets to the negotiating table on Monday, they have an ethical responsibility to negotiate a good deal for transit riders as much as for themselves. And that might mean settling for a lot less than they want, and ending this strike in short order. Bob Spaulding Downtown Saint Paul _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Metropolitan Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/tcmetro Rules: Sign posts with real name. You may not post more than twice a day.
