If you haven’t heard, New York City’s transit system was shut down at 3am today by a union strike. Nealy 7 million people are walking, biking, or stuck in gridlock. New York Governor George Pataki denounced the strike and the transit union: “They have not only endangered our city and state’s economy, but they are also recklessly endangering the health and safety of each and every New Yorker,” he said. He is also worried that a strike could cost the city $400 million a day (what “cost the city” means is unclear — loss of revenue numbers are always so vague and have little meaning other than the shock value). New York State has a law that makes it illegal for transit workers to strike.
An interesting development: New York police are enforcing carpooling — if you want to get into Manhattan there must be four people in a car. Read reactions to the strike on the NY Times site [ registration required, which can be circumvented by visiting Bug Me Not ]. For a more humane point of view, check out the Gothamist.com blog for a plethora of personal posts on the strike. They also made a video about walking over the Brooklyn Bridge.
