Good Lord I remember that. It was awful then just like this is terrible. The only difference back then was that I was 20 years younger, a hell of a lot angrier, and we were willing to fight for our share of a booming economy. Plus I knew I could still walk out and get another job if things went south. Today I'm not nearly as sure, the economy isn't on our side, and there are days (like today) where the lack of communication from IBT makes me wish I had all of those union dues back.
Even then though my kids were little and I hated the fact that I wasn't working. It was during that strike that I swore I would convince my kids not to put up with this nonsense and make sure they ended up on the right side of the economy. One of the most frightening days of my life was when my son said he wanted to be a truck driver. I raised them to respect hard work, never cross a picket line, and to remember that all of those letters after their names don't make them any better than anyone else. My YRC wages put them through some of the best colleges and professional schools in this country even after all of the cuts and I just hope they stay open so other families can have the same opportunity.
We're not fighting for our share this time. Instead it looks like we'll be trying to borrow a little more time and betting that the economy gets better. One way or another it looks like this will be the last time I have to sweat over contract negotiations. I sincerely hope it works out. It's easy to say "shut it down" while we're you're still working...