Fare Strike? Huh?

By Margaret Lyons in News on Dec 1, 2004 11:32PM

The folks over at Midwest Unrest are organizing a fare strike for December 15 to protest the CTA cuts.

What's a fare strike you ask? It's when nobody pays, and then the bigwigs quit counting their money up in the CTA tower and run out into the street, where they fashion sandals from discarded tires and join hands to sing several rounds of "We Shall Overcome" while selling vegan burritos. No no no, we're sassing you, they sing "Kumbaya." Again with the sass! We're unstoppable.

Nope, a fare strike is when riders don't pay and drivers don't make them—a form of protest with the added perk of financial crisis. According to Midwest Unrest , "When riders refuse to pay, and workers refuse to collect, that will really hit [the CTA] where it hurts. We can get where we need to go, have a free ride, and put pressure on them at the same time." It's a way to take a financial stance on a financial problem because "the only way they will respond to our needs is if we can put real pressure on them—if we can disrupt business as usual."

We're skeptical. But intrigued. A fare strike would have to be massive for it to be an effective or even noteworthy protest rather than just a bunch of people riding the bus for free. According to the Young Democratic Socialists at the U of C, fare-strike organizers are collaborating with some CTA workers, but it's an uphill battle because workers are afraid of being punished.

So far, we're short on details. Help us out and explain the deal with fare strikes.