Last week, the MTA and the TWU did not reach an agreement on a new contract. Based on some insider reports I have heard, there is a very high probability of a strike this week. The NY Times has done some good coverage of all sides: MTA, Union, Commuter. In particular the article that resonates with why I believe the strike will happen and could get ugly is that George Pataki is running for president and wants to look tough against municipal unions. This coming from the same man who negotiated sweetheart deals to win the endorsement of other powerful unions when he was running for governor.

Again, I really hope there isn't a strike, but if there is I hope people will not only realize the value of mass transit but perhaps find that walking or biking or telecommuting is really not that bad. I also wonder how Bloomberg's mandatory carpooling experiment will work out.