Bloomberg and the strike in NYC

I heard Mayor Bloomberg of NYC talk about the "illegal" strike among union transport workers on (I think) CNN last night. Bloomberg has also called the workers on strike "thugs". The strike, illegal or not, seems to have public support however, at least according to this opinion poll. Decent wages are always worth a fight, and New Yorkers seem to agree. The whole issue of Republicans, Democrats, and unions in NYC is pretty complex, but I found one interesting column here.