Transit strike

According to an article in the Washington Post, the New York Transit Strike is over. The strike lasted for five days, comnpletely disrupting the everyday life of people working in the city. Some perks of this new contract include a 10.9 percent pay raise over the next three years, the retirement age would stay the same, at 55, and the workers would have Martin Luther King Jr. day off as a holiday. The only downfall is the employees must contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries to health care, which was free before the strike.

The first New York City Transit Strike was in 1966. This strike began on January 1, 1966. When the union would not cooperate, the TA(Transit Authority) got a judge's order to arrest 9 of the union leaders.Quill, one of the leaders being arrested told reporters:

The Judge can drop dead in his black robes. I don't care if I rot in jail. I will not call off the strike.

Then, on January 10, 15000 workers picketed City Hall. Three days later, on January 13, it was announced that the union was recommending settlement. Some of their gains from the new negotiated contract included a .96 cent pay raise, an additional paid holiday, and increased pension benefits. There wouldn't be another strike until 1980.