Roger Toussaint On The Quickest Way To Unmartyr Yourself

After reaching rock-star status, TWU Local 100 President figures out that the quickest way to come down from the cross is to rail against sensible laws forbidding public servants like police and firemen — and, yes, transit employees — from going on strike:

Roger Toussaint, president of Local 100 of the Transit Workers Union, walked out of jail shortly after 9 a.m. today, after serving less than four full days of what was supposed to be a 10-day sentence for leading an illegal strike in December.

Defiant in brief remarks outside the jail complex in lower Manhattan, he said, “We will not back down” to demands by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to limit pensions and benefits.

Mr. Toussaint was released after his sentence was trimmed to seven days because of good behavior. Following usual jail procedure, the authorities released him on the last working day before the weekend.

Mr. Toussaint denounced the law that prohibits strikes by some public employees. “The Taylor law is a bad law, an unjust law,” he said, “pensions and benefits need to be defended.”

Roger, who the fuck is working on your public relations?

Let’s unpack this for a minute. After being released from jail early — bringing to an abrupt end the schadenfreude felt by millions of stranded commuters — do you:

A) Thank your supporters and vow to carry on the good fight against rapidly shrinking benefits for the workers of this country?

B) Thank your supporters and take the opportunity to reiterate that the Transport Workers Union means business, no matter what wildly inappropriate and unfair actions the Metropolitan Transit Authority takes?

or C) Rail against a 40-year-old law that ensures that public works in the city run smoothly, a law that I imagine most people who aren’t part of the Socialist party probably support?

Of all the things Toussaint chooses to say . . . what a stooge.

Roger, there’s a time and place for bringing up Taylor Law reform. The press conference immediately following your being released from jail early is probably the worst possible time and place!