"what was this thread about?"
It was about New York City's negotiations with the mass transit unions to avoid a subway strike when the contracts expired at the end of 2014. Fortunately they agreed on a new 4 year deal in November with a one time 3% uplift for motormen who had been underpaid compared to similar employees in other Northeast cities so the strike was averted.
The conductors' union also won a concession that in addition to "watch the closing doors", they could also say "mind the gap' for fun a maximum of once per shift.