Is another bus and subway strike soon going to cripple New York City? Should the Transport Workers Union (TWU) actually be an all-Irish union?

Believe it or not, these two very different questions have come up recently, as tension between TWU workers and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has heated up.

This week, the TWU -- founded by Irish immigrants such as Mike Quill in the 1930s -- has vowed to make lots of noise at a protest outside of the MTA’s offices. 

At issue is an effort by the MTA to void a three-year contract that gives transit workers a hefty raise.

However, the contract may simply be a short-term issue. Given the rising tension between the union and the MTA, some are whispering the s-word again -- strike. 

It was back in December of 2005, of course, that the TWU went on strike for several days, forcing New Yorkers to walk, bike, drive their own cars and even share taxis against their will.

Prior to that strike, the TWU held several “days of outrage” in an effort to make their position clear.

Well, after this week’s protest outside of the MTA offices, guess what else has been scheduled? A TWU “day of outrage” on October 14.

Are we building up to another strike? Union officials have said nothing of the sort just yet.

Whatever the outcome, the Irish remain an important part of the transit labor movement. It must be added, however, that the TWU is dealing with quite a bit of dissension within its own ranks.

Just last month, The Chief newspaper, which covers all things civil service in New York, reported that an Irish immigrant bus driver active in the union clashed with a TWU vice president.

The bus driver, named Joe Sexton, is reportedly famous for invoking the memory of Quill, the Kerry-born firebrand who founded the TWU.

Now, invoking the holy name of Mike Quill around TWU members is nothing new. 

Several depots and other TWU facilities are named after Quill, and he was recalled reverently during the 2005 strike by controversial TWU president Roger Toussaint.

However, Sexton, the Irish immigrant bus driver who also serves as a union official representing certain Queens bus drivers, butted heads with TWU vice president Enzo Sinnona. 

Sinnona accused Sexton of acting inappropriately in union meetings and, at one point, even suggesting the TWU should be an all-Irish union.

Sexton denied these charges but was stripped of certain union privileges.

What might seem like a minor dust-up, however, highlights key divisions within the TWU. When the Sexton issue became public, the Irishman was defended by John

Samuelson, who happens to be running for president of the TWU local which represents New York City bus and subway workers. 

Samuelson leads the controversial Take Back Our Union faction of the TWU, which argues that a more confrontational approach needs to be taken with the MTA.

On the other side of the aisle is acting union president Curtis Tate, who is battling Samuelson now that Toussaint -- beloved by some, loathed by others -- is leaving the presidency.

When discussing the ongoing saga of Sexton and his troubles with other TWU officials, Samuelson even invoked Toussaint’s name, telling The Chief newspaper that Toussaint was targeted by factions within the union the same way Sexton has been.

Where will this all end up? We will certainly know a lot more in the coming weeks. 

Irish Americans no longer make up the majority of transit workers as they did in the days of Mike Quill. 

However, Irish immigrants and Irish

Americans who remain active in the TWU have forged impressive ties with the Caribbean immigrants and other members who make up the increasingly diverse transit workforce. 

In the coming weeks, all of them are going to have to decide which direction they will go when it comes to battling to MTA.

For the millions of New Yorkers who rely on bus and train service, this could be a very anxious couple of weeks indeed.