I read in today’s news that about 1,000 transit workers crossed the NY Transit strike line today. These are about the only people who make sense to me.

How can a group that allegedly has the best interests of its ‘members’ (yes, I know membership is forced here in NY – and that the union leadership only cares for itself and its ‘at the expense of our members’ pay and benefits) allow its members to loose two days of pay per day off, be fined, loose anything they could possibly gain in a matter of a few days, and become law breaking hooligans? In addition, they are going against the advice of their own international (I like that term – everyone sing along and all hail Marx and Lenin).

Union mentality defies all logic and believes it is a law unto itself. Would I cross a line – absolutely. I’m not breaking the law, endangering my family’s welfare, or breaking my commitment to the public good for anyone’s agenda.

From the AP, one of the union members stated:

“The union executives called for a strike, and we have to do what we have to do,” McRae said on Manhattan’s West Side.

Mr. or Ms. McRae, I hope someone sues you first.

This, ‘we have a right’ mentality is another one of those roots of all evil – teaching stupidity to people. Don’t make a moral decision, let us decide for you. Don’t live up to the commitment you have, not just to your employment contract, but to doing the greater good.

It will be interesting to see what happens when someone walking over the Brooklyn Bridge falls and gets hurt or killed; when someone freezes to death walking home on Christmas Eve. Everyone will blame someone else. Everyone will sue. I will put it where it lies, that man or woman transit operator (McRae?) who should have been on the —A, C, or E line— running the train.

Now, I do believe unions have a place. In the early to mid 1900’s, yes. When employers abuse, harm, kill, and treat workers as slaves – yes. Solidarity (in Poland and other similarly styled freedom fighting groups elsewhere) – yes. Would I stand with them – yes. The AFL, CIO, TWA, CWA, Teamsters, SEIU – no way.

I was forced to be a union ‘member’ in two places I have worked. $1,000 a year out of my pocket for nothing. $1,000 a year to give people, who would otherwise be earning a clerk’s salary, a salary equal to an executive. The reality they never understood is that you can throw a salary at anyone, but it doesn’t make them an executive.