Strike at Government Lab Enters Third Month.

October 14, 2002 11:13 PM

Strike at Government Lab Enters Third Month. This is happening at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which studies highly contagious viruses. Maintenance workers are on strike and the replacement workers have been involved with missing equipment and an accident. The official site boldly declares that "Not once in our more than 40 years of operation has an animal pathogen escaped from Plum Island." Somehow I am not filled with confidence. And, while they say they only deal with animal pathogens, there is a lot of crossover with Foot and Mouth and West Nile. Should we be worried about this?
posted by sciatica (3 comments total)

I'll say "no" and the fact that 3500 miles and the Rocky Mountains are between me and Plum Island have everything to do with why. Enjoyed the book, though.
posted by Mack Twain at 12:10 AM on October 15, 2002

Didn't West Nile get a foothold in the U.S. via the New York City area? Something to think about if you're of a paranoid disposition, anyway.
posted by QuestionableSwami at 8:15 AM on October 15, 2002

It's not like these union slugs can't be replaced. They're maintenance workers for chrissakes. And they are an obvious security risk.

Bush would be wise to fire them just like Reagan fired the air traffic controllers as a warning to the postal union which had been contemplating a strike.
posted by paleocon at 5:57 PM on October 15, 2002