Workers of the MTA Unite

The New York City transit workers went on strike today for a variety of reasons, including higher wages and a better retirement plan. At one of the busiest travel and shopping weeks of the year, the union thought that having a strike now would give them the most leverage in negotiations (even though a strike is clearly against the law). Beyond the legal implications, I think the strike is immoral and non-productive (especially if it lasts longer then a day, which it might not), particularly from a utilitarian standpoint. It is also horrible public relations (for both the union, the city, and government officials (even politicians like Bloomberg and Pataki that are trying to stay out of it, which I believe is also not in the best interest of the city)). However, I believe that there is a much larger business/government theme that will become more prevalent over time, which is the concept of pensions. Pensions have played a very valuable role in society, allowing older citizens to maintain their self-sufficiency, while promoting stability in organizations. However, I see evidence that what people pay into their pensions and the benefits they receive with continue to decrease. Pensions may become a relic of a past economic system, and it will be replaced with either a federal guaranteed pension plan (very much like social security) or individuals will be charged with saving their own money and planning for their retirement themselves. If people were fiscally responsible this would be a superior idea in all aspects of individualism and capitalism; however, most people do not plan adequately for the future, especially the large majority of our citizens that live pay check to pay check (perhaps in High School they should teach financial management instead of calculus). And it is those families, that don’t have enough money to save, that don’t have any health care at all, that don’t have any pensions, that need the New York public transport system the most and are hurt the most by a prolonged strike. 20 years from now, the union might have only one thing for bargain, at that is salary because there will be no employee paid for benefits at all.

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