Los Angeles Transit Strike Continues...

NARP reported in their "hotline" yesterday that the striking Los Angeles MTA mechanics rejected another contract proposal on November 7, that the strike has now entered its fifth week, and the MTA is dicussing whether to go to arbitration.

Does anyone have any insight as to when this might end? How long will the MTA put up with this? And, isn't it strange that the state doesn't step in somehow and force these mechanics back to work? How long will the State of California allow a few stubborn mechanics to dramatically impact the lives of thousands of commuters in California's largest city? Does anyone know who we can write to to ask for strict state laws preventing this type of transit strike from occurring?

JC,

The Los Angeles area has always been known as the automobile and freeway capital of the world. Long transit strikes there are nothing new.

I grew up in LA, and I can't tell you how much of my childhood I spent walking to and from school because of transit strikes.

Below is a link to a picture of "my school bus!"

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics07/00013158.jpg

I lived for many years in the Roberts Arms apartment building in the background.

When the strike is settled and over, the management of LACMTA will probably offer a week of free rides, and everything will be back to normal until the next strike.

IMHO, it sounds like its time for California to join NY and other states and make strikes by state and municipal employees illegal.

Had these workers tried this in NY, each member of the union would be paying huge fines to the City and State by this point in time. Additionally the Union would now be bankrupt and unable to pay the members the pittance that they do pay them for striking.

I'm not suggesting that the workers shouldn't be paid a decent wage, along with benefits, but from what I'm seeing these guys are being ridiculous in their demands. After all this is a public entity, there are limits on what can be paid.

Just my 2 cents.

I should have posted this sooner but I did do the research and talked to numerous labor and government lawyer friends of mine here in California. There is no law preventing municipal workers from striking in California, however, the LAMTA should have tried to obtain an injunction against the unions forcing them to continue to work while the contract is negotiated. They very well could have received it based on an argument of the MTA's service being an essential public need (akin to police, fire, utilities. etc.).

As for NY's "Taylor Law" which was alluded to here it is a law I know well being a law student and a former municipal worker in New York State. The penalties are the individual employee engaged in a "work stoppage" as defined by the law, will pay 2 days wages for every day of the work stoppage. That fine is usually paid to the aggreived government be it Village, City, Township, or the State. Also the fine is usually obtained through garnishment of wages as the affreived government is in control of the payroll over a period of time so as not to be too harsh. The payment method is not presceibed by law but is common practice so as not to appear too harsh.

Thanks for your research, tp49. Well done! I will use some of the info you provided to draft a letter to California state senators requesting California adopt a law similar to NY's "Taylor Law." I am still technically a California resident (Long Beach) even though I am going to college here in Nevada, so I still hold a strong interest in preventing future strikes like this one.

JC before you do that though, I will send you a citation to the actual law to make it easier for whomever you write to to find it or mayb I'll link to it from the NY State Assembly site. Give me a few days to see what I can do.

As for your residency, yes you are still a resident of California even though you go to school in Nevada, however you are domiciled in both places but that's not something you would need to concern yourself about unless you ever find yourself sued in federal court. I went through the same thing when I went away for undergrad (kept my NY license and address as permanent) but now I am a resident of California too.

IT'S OVER,

Here is a link to the LA MTA website announcing the end of the transit strike full bus service to be reestablished in the next 72 hours, rail to be running by 7AM Tuesday morning.