GOP and the City is covering the NYC transit temper tantrum:

Estimated daily cost of a strike to the city – $400,000,000

Average Salary for a Subway/Bus operator – $62,000

Starting Salary for a NYPD Police officer – $25,100

Trying to get support from a public that makes less money (on average), will get less salary increases (3.5% versus the TWU’s request for 8%), and will have to work over a decade longer (TWU retires at 55)….while making them walk to work in 25 degree weather – Priceless

GOP and the City points to a transit worker union blog here. Check out the comments section (379 comments and growing) from NYC residents giving the union their trademark piece of mind:

These jerks have some nerve trying to seek pity.

I have a 16 month old son who will be taken to day care today in his STROLLER. In 20 degree weather. I am paid hourly and will lose today’s salary.

You have only hurt your fellow New Yorkers with this strike, mostly in our pockets. Do not expect any sympathy when you can not pay your fines.

I am disabled and dying from Kidney failure on a fixed income, thanks to your selfish strike I have no way of getting to my doctors office or to the hospital for surgery. If my health is affected by your deplorable actions I will not hesitate to sue your ‘union’…

Robert George at Ragged Thots gives you the back story.

Suitably Flip notes there’s a criminal hearing this morning regarding the union’s actions.

Karol at Alarming News:

I like that people get to see what Unions really are, and what they really do. What private sector employee gets a mandatory 8% non-performancep-based raise each year? What private sector employee has a standard retirement age of 55? How does driving a train or a bus entitle someone to these types of benefits? And then when they don’t get what they demand, they shut the city down and make us look like Paris.

Evan Coyne Maloney:

I do not understand why unions aren’t considered illegal cartels. If I wanted to become a subway train driver, I could not do so without first joining the union, whether I wanted to pay the union dues or not. What’s the difference between that and being forced to pay protection money to the mafia? In either case, the mob or the union “protects” me (or my job), whether I want the protection or not…

Mark Tapscott offers NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg some inspiration from Ronald Reagan’s audio archives.