I want to talk to you for a minute about why this could happen, what the city is doing about it, and what New Yorkers should do if a strike should occur. The union was asking for unreasonable increases that would result in very severe fare and toll increases for all New Yorkers. For its part, the MTA did put a legitimate and reasonable offer on the table. And now, it's sitting down with the union and negotiating to reach a solution. Both sides should negotiate around the clock.
Labor negotiations are hard work.
They take concerted, rigorous, tireless efforts. And they require many, many attempts to reach agreement on a whole host of complicated issues. Both the union and the MTA should use every possibility and every option in order to avert a strike, including mediation and assistance from the outside, if that's needed to reach a resolution. They should consider putting negotiations over a longer period of time and removing the threat of a strike from any option that's being considered. The consequences of a strike would be very, very bad for the MTA, but they'd be particularly bad for the union, and obviously for the people of the City of New York.