12.21.2005 | $400 million a day

Perhaps this is what the State of New York should fine the Transit "Workers" Union. Having grown up and lived in the City, and being from a union family, all I can say is that these guys don't deserve anything but the boot to their lazy lard asses. My dad and uncle risked getting their heads busted for walking a picket line just to get the minimum wage, with no benefits.

It's certainly a truism that any labor strike is made all the more effective by coming at the worst possible time. For transit in New York, the week before Christmas qualifies nicely, and it's estimated (New York Sun) that the strike will cost $400 million per day in economic losses. The Sun's editorial today really says it all:

The strike is a blatantly illegal act of economic sabotage by a union so selfish that it is willing to destroy one of the most important business weeks in the city in a last-ditch attempt to preserve privileges that most private sector employees can only dream of. It is a case of premeditated illegality that actually deserves the high-octane, out-front law enforcement that Mr. Spitzer has reserved for use against Wall Street tycoons.

I hope that the strike ends quickly; I know what a pain it is to have to get somewhere when you can't depend on public transit in New York. What I'd really like to see happen is for someone in Albany to grow a pair of brass ones and crush the union. Since Spitzer is the top cop, though, don't hold your breath.

In the meantime, know who the real villians are: lazy, spoiled transit workers.