Race and the Politics of the Transit Strike

Adrianne Shropshire

Race and the Politics of the Transit Strike

I continue to be surprised by the level of distain for Roger Toussaint and TWU local 100 that is expressed in the mainstream media. The coverage of Monday's rally of support and march across the bridge to the Tombs was filled with ridicule, condescending language, and general disrespect. And there appeared to be, just as during the strike, distain for the very notion that the current fight of these workers is tied to the legacy of the civil rights movement in this country. At first I thought it was that the mainstream has a hard time linking struggles. They are better at understanding labor struggles, immigrant struggles, civil rights struggles as separate and isolated phenomena. But now I wonder if it could be that mainstream America has yet to recover from the demands imposed on them by the civil rights movement, could never accept King's final call for economic justice, and now views all calls emanating from the Black community for social or economic justice with contempt?

More than 1,000 people, marched and rallied on Monday. Most of the protesters and marchers were Black. The demeaning tone of the coverage seemed to suggest that anything organized by Black people with hints of the civil rights movement, is actually little more than vaudeville. Something to be ridiculed and demeaned. A NYT article led with "In an act of street theater intended to recall the civil rights movement of the 1960's". A Times opinion piece referred to the 1,000 plus gathering of activists to voice their anger over the jailing of a labor leader as a "pep rally". It further went on to describe the protest as a two act opera that Toussaint had orchestrated for himself. The Post, of course, had its usual slew of ridiculous headlines like "Jailbird on Parade" and "Marching on Tombs-day, Roger's jail production".

Race has been an undercurrent in the fight since the beginning. The public sector remains one of the few places where Black workers have some density in jobs that offer decent wages and benefits. Any attacks on public sector workers is automatically an attack on the economic viability of the Black community. From Bloomberg's "thug" comments to an interesting NY 1 poll that got almost no coverage in the press during strike, race has been present. The poll revealed that about 54% of New Yorkers, overall, believed that what the union was asking for was reasonable. But it also took a look at how New Yorkers felt along racial lines. 35% of white New Yorkers blamed the union for the strike, while only 12% of Blacks did, and 17% of Latinos. Only 38% of whites thought that the unions demands were fair. But 75% of Blacks and Latinos thought that the union was justified in its demands.

When I watched the broadcast coverage of the march that evening, reporters on the street asked mostly white commuters if they thought Toussaint deserved what he got. They all said yes, although a couple anchors weighed in with "well, there was a mix of comments so those don't reflect what all New Yorkers think". But balance in reported apparently wasn't an issue. As I rode the 2 train home to Brooklyn that evening my own "woman on the street" experience made the poll real. Tired West Indian and African American workers piled into the train car, saw my TWU local 100 bandana and said "did they put in jail? That's a damn shame."

Comments

You cite the different responses by race as indicative of white racism. Isn't it possible that, if differing responses by race indicates racism by one side (an iffy proposition; for example, the responses may better reflect differing income levels), that the racism is by the Blacks and Latinos?

Posted by: jerry | April 27, 2006 05:49 PM

I actually cite the different responses to say how the media has scewed what opinions get placed in articles and on the television.

And since the individual being ridiculed in the media is Black, I'm not sure how that shows the racism of Blacks and Latinos.

Posted by: Adrianne Shropshire | April 27, 2006 06:13 PM

We all know this is bigger then the MTA workers breaking the Tailor Law...Kalikow is trying to use the Tailor Law for his own advantage. The white man in amerikkka makes and breaks the law any time he wants to. What the ruling white class hates is a black man from the West Indies that has taken an unapologetic, uncompromising, unyielding position even behind the wall (in jail)on fundamental issues that effect working people.

Roger Touissaint has the defiant, fighting spirit of Touissaint L'Overture the late, great Haitian Revolutionary and that, along with his uncompromising stand is what the ruling white class of this state and Kalikow fears.

We the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense stand by and firmly behind, Roger Touissant..A true Warrior, Hero and Freedom Fighter.

Freedom or Death !!!
Black Power !!!
All Power to the People!

Posted by: Khadijah-New Black Panther Party for Self Defense | April 28, 2006 07:31 PM

We the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense stand by and commend MTA President Roger Touissaint for taking an uncompromising, unapologetic, unyielding stand on the fundamental issues that affect working people. We feel that Peter Kalikow is using the Tailor Law for his own advantage which is cowardly, we know that this is bigger than some tailor law. The ruling white class of amerikkka makes and breaks the law any da*^ time he/she gets ready, and uses the law for their own convenience which is what Peter Kalikow is doing, we know it's about a black man from the carribean who had the power and guts to shut the city down with a transit strike, just before one of the most busiest times (where the most money is spent) of the year, and we just loved it....we loved every second of it, and we ride the trains and buses, but we feel the sacrifice was well worth it. Here is a brother who stood his ground even behind the wall (in jail) and we also know that history has shown us, that a black man/woman or child like that, is dangerous to white amerikkka. Roger Touissaint is a true warrior, hero and freedom fighter, and it would not be a wise thing for anyone to make any attempt on this brother in any way shape or form.

Black Power !!!
Freedom or Death !!!
All Power to the People !!!

Posted by: Khadijah-New Black Panther Party for Self Defense-Brooklyn, NY | April 28, 2006 09:04 PM

Posted by: Khadijah-New Black Panther Party for Self Defense-Brooklyn, NY | April 28, 2006 09:11 PM

Posted by: Khadijah-New Black Panther Party for Self Defense-Brooklyn, NY | April 28, 2006 09:19 PM

I support the MTA workers and Toussaint, but please, chill-out. It's classism, not racism. They would do the same to the poor of any ethnicity.

Posted by: Anon | April 29, 2006 12:03 AM

Strikes by public sector employees have long been illegal. The TWU has had a long history of defending its right to strike. Mike Quill, TWU president when the union was largely Irish said, on his way to jail in the face of an anti-strike injunction: "The Judge can drop dead in his black robes."

When the union struck in the past, it was condemned in the media regardless of the color of its leaders.

The current problem, as I see it is that the TWU is deeply divided as shown by the very narrow contract rejection in December. Perhaps as a result, its leaders did not reach out to its natural allies in the community (at least so far as I can tell), so, while many New Yorkers sympathize with the TWU, those opinions have been unfocused.

Thus, in a struggle which is at least half political, the TWU fought alone -- without the popular support that might sway politicians.

What's most alarming to me is that TWU leadership seems to be continuing this isolation. Even in the post-strike confusion, have you seen TWU officers or staff at community gathering explaining their views, building alliances? Well, I haven't.

Posted by: Daniel Millstone | April 29, 2006 08:51 AM