Roger Toussaint's Billion Dollar Christmas Present

Last week's 60-hour extralegal extravaganza put on by the Transport Workers Union cost New York businesses an estimated $1 billion in lost revenues, according to Mayor Bloomberg.  This of course doesn't include the cost incurred by the city itself, in the form of overtime payable to police, fire, and other emergency workers and the various logistical burdens imposed by the illegal strike.

Sort of makes the $3 million in fines that the TWU may or may not wind up paying pale in comparison.

For reference, $1 billion is roughly the amount of the short term pension shortfall forecast in the city budget under the current MTA-TWU contract.  In other words, that's money the city didn't need stripped away by way of a greedy, lawless tantrum.

The MTA and the TWU have still not inked a new contract, and negotiations are now under a media blackout.  Latest reports still held the possibility of jail time for local TWU chief Roger Toussaint and his fellow union thugs leaders.  It's great that the buses and trains are running again, but this is an important time for Bloomberg and Pataki to keep the pressure on to make sure the maximum fines are paid and the appropriate jail time is served.