Ground Hog's Day For TWU

Taking a page out of the Bill Murray movie, TWU Local 100 set in motion the machinery for a re-vote on the contract that was turned down by the membership in January. As the Times is reporting this morning this sets up a potential confrontation between the union and the MTA, since the agency is arguing that a contract, once turned down, is no longer on the table.

This is, as labor historian Joshua Freeman says, "an extremely confusing situation." It is also one that is fraught with danger for Jolly Roger Toussaint. The Local is already feeling the financial pinch from the strike, a docking of workers' pay is to begin this week, and the resentment against the leadership of the union will only grow worse if the contract issue is allowed to continue to fester.

Roger needs to get this all behind him quickly or else he will be history and a new group of leaders will take over.