trams

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The pension reform raises the retirement age for women to 65 and workers in hazardous industries will have to work an extra two years. Many accuse the conservative government of going back on pre-election promises not to cut pension rights.

Starting at 6.30, citywide buses and trams were completely shut down. Metro services were reported to be overcrowded beyond capacity.

The government's reforms would mean the merging of pension funds and increasing the pension age for some workers. The government, however, has not made public any details on the size of savings that will accrue from the reforms. The trade unions have also argued that the current pension system could survive if bosses were made to pay their contributions.

The strikes have virtually paralysed the country as workers nation-wide seek to defend their pensions and protest against a government that has broken its promises.

In the spring of 1993, San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan launched an attack on the living standards of the city’s working class by demanding a fare increase of 25 cents per ride on MUNI. MUNI is San Francisco’s main public transit system, made up of motor coaches, trolleys, metro trains, and the world-famous cable cars, with approximately 686,000 passenger boardings every weekday.

Fare strike in PDF format (2.14Mb)

Fare strike!
San Francisco 2005
First-Hand Accounts

INTRODUCTION

The history of a short strike of Czech tram drivers, with a detailed account from the picket lines. The strike had the first picket line violence between police and strikers since 1989, and was defeated, but still has some important lessons.

Demonstrators injured in Paris

From the BBC:

Buses, trams, commuter trains and underground trains are necessary for workers to get around - a direct action campaign in Sweden and Finland is demanding that it be free.

Oisin Mac Giollamoir interviews Anna from the planka.nu campaign.

How did planka.nu start?

Introduction

Back in April the MTA Board, which runs Muni (the bus and streetcar system in San Francisco) voted to increase the transit fare from $1.25 to $1.50, to cut service on many bus lines, and to lay off about 200 drivers. This Thursday, Sept 1, is when the fare hike is supposed to go into effect. This is the second fare hike in two years. Since 2003 the fare has gone up 50 percent.