Don't believe the hype

For those who are content enough to form your opinions from simple headlines, please stay ignorant and read no further. But then, this blog is not for you anyway.

In yet another blatent example of the NY media painting a biased picture of the recent transit strike, the headline from todays NY Daily News: "$ubway $anta Clause: New contract gives $110M pension payout bonanza to transit workers"
First paragraph: "Thousands of bus and subway workers are poised to reap up to $14,000 each in a new contract pension windfall that will ease the pain of their strike penalties - but will cost commuters an estimated $110 million."
How horrible!! Those selfish thugs!!

But what is the basis for this headline? Later in this same article (please read it yourself):
"The $110 million represents a refund of extra pension contributions that up to 20,000 union members made between 1994 and 2000. The new transit contract will give workers back the 2.3% of wages they paid toward pensions for those six years - plus interest."
"Thousands of MTA workers like Rios paid 2.3% extra into the pension fund for six years so they could retire at 55 instead of 62. But when the Legislature lowered the retirement age for all MTA workers to 55 in 2000, their extra contributions were for naught."

Wait a minute? After that headline, it turns out that...IT'S THEIR MONEY!!

All throughout the strike, the media fanned the anti-union flames. Inform yourself before you decide.

- Vox