Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign, a riders' advocacy organization that is part of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said that he was encouraged by Mr. Toussaint's statement.
"It seemed to point a possible way out of the terrible tragedy that we are all going through," Mr. Russianoff said in a statement. "Why have the thorny issue of pensions pressed amid the heat and passion of a strike?" He said, "A forum of all the stakeholders to debate the issue of pension reform makes sense, rather than singling out one union that happens to be on the political outs with the mayor and governor."
If anything, every single one of us without an interest in the strike in New York should be supporting these workers whole-heartedly. Who else has gone and sacrificed two days pay for every day they strike so that they DON'T pass on the cost of their benefits to younger workers?
Or take it this way, when has anyone NOT thought twice about passing on the cost of their tax cuts to future taxpayers who are going to pay the bill? What is the difference?
Mayor Bloomberg, too, raised the question of whom the strike is hurting.
"Roger Toussaint and the board have sought to portray the strike as a fight for working people," he said at a news conference. "That argument doesn't hold any water. Working people are the ones that are being hurt. Busboys are getting hurt, garment industry workers are getting hurt, owners of mom-and-pop businesses are being hurt."
For standing up for younger workers, this is what these striking workers face. They are called "goons" and "thugs" and "greedy" by billionaires. The other working people who are most affected by this strike and who have to walk miles to work are now being eulogized by the same people who continue to refuse giving them a raise in the minimum wage.
