local unions and ows declare nyc subway fare-strike

[bricolage]

this is pretty cool, though I'd be interested to hear how the participants were split between OWS activists and subway workers (I presume this is the rank and file mentioned). also anyone know where it took place, hopefully not just in the centre of Manhattan.

This morning before rush hour, teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street, in conjunction with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union, opened up more than 20 stations across the city for free entry. As of 10:30 AM, the majority remain open. No property was damaged. Teams have chained open service gates and taped up turnstiles in a coordinated response to escalating service cuts, fare hikes, racist policing, assaults on transit workers’ working conditions and livelihoods — and the profiteering of the super-rich by way of a system they’ve rigged in their favor.
http://occupywallst.org/article/successful-fare-strike-morning-tens-thousands-ride/

[Sasha]

http://strikeisaverb.net/?p=70
“Rank and File Initiative” Communique:
Rank and File Initiative [email protected]

#farestrike
This morning before rush hour, teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street, in conjunction with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union, opened up more than 20 stations across the city for free entry. As of 10:30 AM, the majority remain open. No property was damaged. Teams have chained open service gates and taped up turnstiles in a coordinated response to escalating service cuts, fare hikes, racist policing, assaults on transit workers’ working conditions and livelihoods — and the profiteering of the super-rich by way of a system they’ve rigged in their favor.
For the last several years, riders of public transit have been under attack. The cost of our Metrocards has been increasing, while train and bus service has been steadily reduced. Budget cuts have precipitated station closings and staff/safety reductions. Police routinely single out young black and Latino men for searches at the turnstile. Layoffs and attrition means cutting staff levels to the bare minimum, reducing services for seniors and disabled riders. At the same time, MTA workers have been laid off and have had their benefits drastically reduced. Contract negotiations are completely stalled.
Working people of all occupations, colors and backgrounds are expected to sacrifice to cover the budget cut by paying more for less service. But here’s the real cause of the problem: the rich are massively profiting from our transit system. Despite the fact that buses and subways are supposed to be a public service, the government and the MTA have turned the system backwards—into a virtual ATM for the super-rich. Instead of using our tax money to properly fund transit, Albany and City Hall have intentionally starved transit of public funds for over twenty years; the MTA must resort to bonds (loans from Wall Street) to pay for projects and costs. The MTA is legally required to funnel tax dollars and fares away from transportation costs and towards interest on these bonds, called “debt service.” This means Wall Street bondholders receive a huge share of what we put into the system through the Metrocards we buy and the taxes we pay: more than $2 billion a year goes to debt service, and this number is expected to rise every year. If trends continue, by 2018 more than one out of every five dollars of MTA revenue will head to a banker’s pockets.
This much is clear: the MTA’s priorities are all out of whack. This fare strike is a means for workers and riders to fight for shared interests together — but this is just a first step. All of us — the 99% — have an interest in full-service public transportation system that treats its ridership and employees with dignity.
The MTA is a shared, public service — fund it with tax revenues.

Eliminate free money for bondholders at the expense of taxpayers.

End the assault on worker’s livelihoods.

[The Douche]

This is a great action!

[marl]

Free rides. :thumbup1:

[bricolage]

can you merge this with this (http://www.revleft.com/vb/successful-fare-strike-t169590/index.html), or delete mine seeing as noone's replied.

anyway I think this is cool stuff but I'm really interested to know where it took place. I mean giving people from subway rides in bed stuy is a hell of a lot different from doing it in the lower east side or whatever.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Threads Merged

(little different so the order was messed up, my bad)

[the last donut of the night]

oh my god this is so cool.

[marl]

As May 1st moves closer, we'll most likely see some more relations between local unions and Occupy.

[KurtFF8]

MTA, NYPD, And FBI Investigate OWS's Free Subway Stunt (http://gothamist.com/2012/03/30/mta_nypd_and_fbi_investigate_owss_f.php)






MTA, NYPD, And FBI Investigate OWS's Free Subway Stunt


http://gothamist.com/attachments/garth/201203_freeentrymain.jpg
The blowback from Wednesday's OWS-affiliated Fare Strike (http://gothamist.com/2012/03/28/did_you_get_a_free_ride_on_the_subw.php)—in which people chained open subway entrances in roughly 20 stations—has begun. And it appears that in addition to the local fuzz and the MTA, the feds are sniffing around, too!
Quickly after the incident hit the news, the NYPD let it be known that it was investigating the incident. And while no arrests have been made, they have definitely been talking to workers who may have been involved in the stunt. According to the Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_crews_grilled_on_ows_9Nx1kNaPdh7moDztYk5rUP#ix zz1qbtznKVy), "A clerk and a cleaner at the Beverly Road station in Brooklyn — one of the spots of the citywide protest — were questioned by MTA brass for two hours," and another agent was also questioned. But an inter-Occupy e-mail we obtained says the stunt made it all the way to the F.B.I. Here's the e-mail, with identifying information taken out (emphasis ours):

Hello Everybody, I know this "fare strike" is really exciting and the action went off fairly well but I want to offer some words of caution... In case you don't know who I am, I work for TWU Local 100. It's unclear how much rank and filers actual participated in this. From what I've pieced together from several sources (and it's hard to get the full story) OWS activists got phone numbers for station booths (probably from [redacted], a retiree from the union) and called in and posed as turnstile maintainers and did the action. Most of you probably don't know this, but those station agents are getting hounded by management and have had house visits from the FBI. These station agents are now at risk of losing their jobs and livelihoods! They will surely be disciplined, hopefully there isn't legal repercussions as well. The gothamist article makes this seem like the union was involved, but officers and the union hall didn't know about this, which is a good thing because they don't need to know, and don't want to know because it protects the union legally. Building a real fare strike like in Greece or Spain takes a movement and mass public support (and consciousness raising) and can't be accomplished by a publicity stunt. There are also other ways to get the same message across without risking people's jobs. For example, the Young Communist League several years ago used to do actions in Harlem where they bought unlimited metro cards and swiped people in for free all throughout morning rush hour. People recognized that as affectively [sic] not paying the fare and it also doesn't put workers' jobs at risk; it also gained public support for the organization. This is just a little food for thought. I just don't want people to get swept away in the excitement of all the direct action and not realize they may also be pulling other people into their shit, and those other people are going to catch the fire, not them. If it happens that station agents lose their jobs because of this I can guarantee it will hurt the relationship between TWU and OWS. That's not what either group wants. Let's not just toot our own horns and get wrapped up in the ultra-leftist emotions but also think about this strategically and seriously. That being said, let's create a broad discussion about how to build a public movement for a fare strike and not just the clandestine "propaganda as deed" actions that make anarchist avtivists feel good about themselves.

Comradely,
[redacted]


The FBI has not yet responded to our e-mail regarding their interest in the action. Meanwhile, the way the stunt was pulled off was much more interesting than we'd expected. Sucks for those unsuspecting station agents though.

[Os Cangaceiros]

That being said, let's create a broad discussion about how to build a public movement for a fare strike and not just the clandestine "propaganda as deed" actions that make anarchist avtivists feel good about themselves.

:blink:

[The Douche]

:blink:

Haters gonna hate, union member, probably a trot, NYC, so could be an SWPer. *insert other sectarian speculation*