Defying threats of fines, imprisonment, and outright slanders by the mass media, New York City transit workers went on a three-day strike against the city bosses, Wall Street, and the rich in late December. Every thinking worker could see this strike was not just against the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), but a struggle that touched the future of all workers in the city and the country.

Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, Wall Street, and their MTA flunkies’ vicious attack on the transit workers is part of their overall plan to roll back all the gains that workers and their unions have made in NYC in the past 70 years, especially on wages, pensions, and working conditions.

As for the transit system, the aim is to fund the MTA (an undemocratic organization run by unelected state and city political appointees to do the bidding of their big business bosses) solely through fares and interest-bearing bonds rather than taxes on businesses and transit subsidies, as it previously was. This means more closings of stations, underfunding of working-class areas, fare increases, cuts in service, worse safety with one-person train operation, and more layoffs of transit and bus workers.

In January, in an incredible show of defiance of the business and political establishment, the membership of Transit Workers’ Union Local 100 rejected the proposed contract that had the endorsement of Local 100 president Roger Toussaint.

Although the contract was rejected by only seven votes out of 22,461, it clearly reflected the determination of transit workers not to accept the meager wage increases and healthcare concessions (under the deal, workers would have paid an indexed 1.5% of their annual wages for their health benefits), and the loss of over $1,500 per worker in fines for striking because of the Taylor Law.

It is very significant that, despite the attacks of the media on the “greedy” workers, a large section of NYC workers supported the strike. This was because the transit workers’ struggle over pensions, declining living standards, and healthcare finds an echo among millions of workers who are facing the same problems.

The transit workers’ dispute is unfolding as General Motors and Ford have demanded huge healthcare cuts and announced new rounds of massive layoffs, and IBM announced it would replace its pension system with 401(k) plans. Nationwide last year, real (inflation-adjusted) wages declined by over 0.5%, while The New York Times reported that real wages in NYC outside of Manhattan fell by 2.9%. The rejection of the contract creates a new situation. Already, the media have started a huge propaganda campaign to weaken the union and break the resolve of the rank and file. Reflecting the sentiment of a growing section of the big business establishment in New York, NY Post columnist John Podhoretz wrote: “If New York’s transit workers dare to strike again, they should be arrested by the thousands and fired en masse.” But such a plan has the potential to backfire and have serious consequences.

The TWU has so far rejected the demand of the MTA for binding arbitration, which would not allow the workers to ratify the contract. Also, the MTA has returned to “negotiations” with a considerably harsher proposed contract, presumably to pressure the union leadership to accept arbitration.

However, it is unlikely that the MTA will make any further concessions without a credible threat that the union is determined to again bring the city to a standstill. Roger Toussaint should not have ended the strike without consulting the members. Now that the contract has been rejected, it is crucial that no time is lost to mobilize and prepare the 34,000 transit workers to win a better contract. This should be done with the election of democratic committees to mobilize the rank and file as well as the broader labor movement with a program that includes:

• Amnesty from the Taylor Law! This law was enacted after the 1966 transit strike and prevents city and state workers from striking, while allowing employers to violate the rights of workers and refuse to negotiate in good faith.
• No Healthcare Premiums! The TWU should demand no change in their health benefits and should organize a campaign for a national healthcare plan to cover all workers.
• Open the MTA’s Books! The unelected MTA bosses have discredited themselves by keeping two sets of books on the MTA’s finances, and squandering the recent $2 billion surplus. The only way to find out what is really going on is by opening the MTA’s books to the labor movement. As political appointees, the MTA brass is not truly accountable to the people of NYC and they should be replaced by elected representatives of the city, the riding public, and the workers.
• A Fighting Program The TWU needs to link the fight against concessions to a program to demand that banks, big business, and the rich pay for vital public services in the city, including a free transit system and massive investment to upgrade the entire transportation system. This should be part of a program and a movement that campaigns to put the needs of working people (healthcare, childcare, education, transportation, housing, a clean environment) before war and corporate profits.
• Mass Demonstrations The unions that represent city workers (including AFSCME, SEIU, UFT, CWA, Teamsters) should organize mass demonstrations in every borough and on Wall Street, demanding the city and the MTA stop its attacks on Local 100 and city workers, mobilizing and preparing their members for solidarity actions if the attacks intensify. This would be the best way to launch a serious campaign to abolish the anti-labor Taylor Law. Just as Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement were prepared to defy unjust laws with civil disobedience, the unions should also challenge laws that blatantly violate the rights of workers.
• Prepare to run worker candidates as a political alternative to big business to show that the unions are fighting for every working family in the city. The transit workers’ struggle has shown that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans will stand up for working people. The “NO” vote must become the beginning of a campaign for the working class and the labor movement to build its own political party and to challenge the profit-addicted system of poverty, racism, and war.