Posted on 12/21/2005 4:39:51 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
December 21, 2005 - 07:02.
When it comes to the Transport Workers Union strike in NYC, the Today show just can't bring itself to pronounce the 'I' word, for illegal.
In contrast with his Today show appearance yesterday, this morning NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg took off the verbal gloves, repeatedly condemning the union for its illegal strike, which violates of the Taylor Law prohibiting public employees in New York from striking. Among other things, Bloomberg stated that striking union members would be fined two days pay for every day the strike lasts.
But whereas Today gave sympathetic treatment to the plight of commuters and the city's economy, and Katie made sympathetic noises in her interview of Bloomberg, the show continued its peculiar reticence when it came to reporting the undeniable fact that the strike is illegal.
The 'I' word was never uttered by any of the Today crew covering the strike.
Lester Holt came the closest, indicating that a judge had found the Transport Workers Union "in contempt" and had imposed fines on it. But in contempt of what? Holt informed us only that the union had been found in contempt "of court". For all we knew from Holt, it could have been for picket lines too close to schools. No mention of the strike's illegality, no word of the Taylor Law.
When Katie concluded the coverage by observing: "it is really a difficult situation," she probably had in mind the plight of the city.
But her comment aptly applied to Today itself, as the show tiptoes around the intractable fact that a union is blatantly violating the law in a way that causes hundreds of millions of dollars of damage daily, with much of the brunt being borne by lower-income New Yorkers suddenly without jobs or unable to get to them.
Today Show/NewsBusters ping.
****
Democrat Congressionnal Election 2006 Platform:
Elect us, and we’ll impeach Bush, Bush who tried to protect you from murdering Muslims.
Yeah, that’ll work real well.
LOL.
Under the Taylor Law, the transit workers do NOT have the right to strike.
Workers have the right not to work. They have the right not to show up to their jobs. If an employer doesn't like it, the workers should be fired.
FIRE THEM ALL.
BLACKLIST THEM ALL FROM FUTURE GOVERNMENT JOBS.
REFUSE TO EVER AGAIN DO BIZ WITH THIS UNION, OR IT'S LEADERS.
PRIVATIZE THE TRANSIT SYSTEM.
FOX has been calling it illegal all morning. Compared this to the mob. Callers are overwhelmingly saying "FIRE THEM!"
I bet Haliburton could get the trains and buses moving.
Give them a no-bid contract for 180 days, that'll give the politicians a chance to come up with long range plans.
I saw a bit this morning. Bloomburg's been the only person to use the I-word.
I'm home watching Fox & Friends......
Sorry, I meant "Big" deal.
Well, yes, they have the right to strike in the sense that police can't force them at gunpoint to go to work. But pursuant to the Taylor Law, and as stated by Bloomberg, they will be fined two days pay for every day they strike, and their union is being fined $1 million per day. Some 'right'!
Thank God, our local NYC Fox network has a big "ILLEGAL STRIKE" logo.
And they wonder why Fox is winning the ratings wars. You can just see the news meeting at NBC..."Now, we can't seem to take sides in this; these are good working people in the proud union tradition, most of them people of color, who our demographic surveys tell us we must reach out to if we are to maintain market share blah blah blah...."
While 99% of the NY audience is screaming "DIE RAT BASTARDS DIE" as they freeze on their forced march to work. And the angriest are those same people of color.
I never watch the Today show. I wonder, though, how many times the word illegal was used in the discussion on the NSA electonic intelligence gathering.
The local FOX affiliate (WNYW) has a graphic they've been using- It has the word "ILLEGAL" right over the top! Jodi Applegate, one of the hosts, made a comment that "Even the New York Times called the strike illegal"!
Throw Roger for the train!!!
LC
Nice - I'd love to see it. Anyone out there with screen-capture technology?
FOX on the ball this morning. They have a bus taking people where they need to go. Awesome! And GREAT PR for FOX.
If the Taylor Law fines workers and subjects them to jail time for exercising their right not to work, it is unconstitutional. The MTA's remedy is not to "force" workers to work through fines and jail, but to fire them if they don't work.
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