Those of you who checked your NYU email this morning probably found a not-so-pleasant email from Jules Martin, NYU’s VP for Public Safety and Transportation. In the email entitled, “Possible Disruptions to the NYU Transportation System,” Mr. Martin notified students of the possibility of a union strike this weekend, one that would leave us without our regular and much depended on NYU bus transportation.

According to the email, CoachUSA, the company that operates all of NYU’s buses/trolleys, has been negotiating with its union drivers since their contract expired last week.

Should a strike occur, students will be left without bus transportation, but Mr. Martin tells us that NYU has set up a “reimbursement process,” through which students could receive compensation for their transportation costs. This compensation is quite measly though; it covers a daily Metrocard of $4 and is only available to students living in the following dorms: University Court, 26th Street, Gramercy Green, Greenwich Hotel, Broome Street, Lafayette Street, and Water Street.

Mr. Martin was unavailable for comment, but I was able to reach a CoachUSA representative. An employee named Shamilia expressed with certainty that “there will be no disruption of [transportation] service,” and told me, “I can guarantee there will be no strike” this weekend. According to Shamilia, the president of the company gave this information to her.

As a student living in Gramercy Green, I really depend on the bus because, like most of you, I don’t usually have the thirty minutes or so to walk to campus. Winter is creeping up on us and the thought of walking back and forth to campus is a chilly nightmare. $4 really isn’t very much compensation either, covering only 2 trips on a bus or subway.

Let’s hope Shamilia’s right and there’ll be no strike this weekend. If there is, NYU will have a bunch of cold, angry students to deal with.

Image by chascow licensed under Creative Commons.