# LA Transit Mechanics Strike



## AlanB (Oct 14, 2003)

> Mechanics for the nation's third-largest public transportation system went on strike Tuesday, shutting down buses and trains that an estimated 500,000 daily riders count on to get around Los Angeles County.
> Metropolitan Transportation Authority mechanics walked off the job after midnight, and union officials said bus drivers, train operators and other workers would honor picket lines, halting some 1,900 buses, as well as light-rail and subway lines.



The full story from 1010 WINS News.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Oct 14, 2003)

Is this very bad?


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## AlanB (Oct 14, 2003)

Amtrak Railfan said:


> Is this very bad?


Well in a city that already has huge traffic problems, this is not a good thing at all.

Now there are another 500,000 people who have to find another way to get to work, the store, or whatever else they were planning to do. Some of those people may not even have cars, so they are basically stranded. They will have to walk to where ever they need to go.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Oct 14, 2003)

How about the Taxi Cabs to get to work this morning?


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## AlanB (Oct 14, 2003)

Whilel taxies are an option, they also cost a lot more money than does the bus or the train. So some people who don't have a lot of money may not be able to afford a taxi.

Additionally a taxi will also get stuck in the same traffic jams as all the rest of the cars.


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## tp49 (Oct 14, 2003)

The bus system in LA is very extensive (probably one of the best in the country) this strike has been threatened for the last three years so it was only a matter of time before it happened. As to taxi's in a lot of the places in LA where the busses are most heavily used (South Central, Watts, etc.) most taxi drivers are afraid to go into because of the violence that is commonplace in those neighborhoods.

Makes me glad I'm not in LA, and not driving the freeways.


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## Amtrak Railfan (Oct 14, 2003)

Is the Bus and Subway Service will be back on Wedesday Morning?


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## tp49 (Oct 14, 2003)

The answer in a nutshell is no. This looks as though it will be several days before there is any resolution to the problem.

This is the latest update from the LA MTA's website there will be frequent updates here for the duration of the strike.

Also, Metrolink is not affected by the strike and is running on a regular schedule honoring MTA monthly passes in areas served by both. They are also running a bus bridge to MacArthur Park along the route of the red line for their customers who would normally make the switch at Union Station.


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## Guest_warbonnet (Oct 14, 2003)

That's correct, Metrolink is not part of this work stoppage. So the commuters coming to LAUS on the San Bernardino, Riverside, 91 and O.C. lines are uneffected. I have been corresponding with Metrolink to explore launching service North (east actually) from San Bernardino over Cajon pass to the Victor Valley. (Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville) I-15 is clogged with morning and afternoon commuters going up and down the"hill" It probably is all in vain asI'm sure BNSF & UP don't want Metrolink anywhere near the pass with all the freight they are moving up there.

Wb


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## jccollins (Oct 16, 2003)

This is such bull and just infuriates me! :angry: :angry: :angry: It ought to be illegal, plain and simple, for these transit operators to strike. This is the only source of transportation for the majority of these people and it needs to be reliable, EVERY DAY. This is only one more reason that more people do not rely on public transportation. Los Angeles has a great transportation network (Long Beach is my home away from college in Reno). I have taken it many places and have been very impressed. To shut it down like this is completely unacceptable, for any reason!!!

I would like to see every freeway in Los Angeles shutdown for every day the transit network is down. I would be willing to bet this would cause enough national attention to get this problem fixed!!!

:angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:


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## AlanB (Oct 16, 2003)

jccollins said:


> This is such bull and just infuriates me! :angry: :angry: :angry: It ought to be illegal, plain and simple, for these transit operators to strike.


It's not illegal out there? :unsure:

Here in NY it is indeed illegal for our transit workers to strike. Yes it has happened in the past, but the MTA has been able to run to court and stop the strike usually within a few days. Plus the union has been fined big time, along with the individual members.


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## tp49 (Oct 16, 2003)

jc

Plain and simple complain to the legislature. In some states this is in fact illegal, New York being the prime example where government employees (MTA employees in NY fall into this category) are barred form going on strike and if they do they are punished by having to pay 2x their salary for every day that the work stoppage is in effect. The government whom the strike is directed at is the determiner as to whether the work stoppage is a strike or not. California has no such law on the books, but does tey to ban thier government workers from going on strike in some fashion (I'll need to do more research to find the specifics).


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## jccollins (Oct 17, 2003)

Let us know what you can find out tp49. I will be the first one to write a letter to the legislature if I know a few more specifics on how this works. Thanks for your comments.


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## jccollins (Nov 4, 2003)

The strike is still going on! :angry:


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## AlanB (Nov 4, 2003)

jccollins said:


> The strike is still going on! :angry:


And I heard that the MTA is preparing their last, best, and final offer.

No word on what they will do if the union rejects it, though.


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## PennsyFan (Nov 5, 2003)

They could always make like the Pullman Company and have the national guard fire into the demonstrators.


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