Blood from a stone -- or else

IF THERE were an award for shortsighted saber-rattling, this month's winner would be the Boston Carmen's Union, Local 589. This week, union president Steve MacDougall threatened that his members will slow down service on the MBTA if the agency doesn't quickly get members the back pay they are owed.

In July, an arbitrator awarded the union 3 percent raises for each of the last two years and this one, plus a 4 percent hike next year. The T is current with those raises. But, with expenses outpacing revenue and a mountain of debt, the agency wanted a little more time to decide how to fund the back pay.

The pay hike itself - compounded, 13.6 percent over four years - is a solid increase at a time of extremely tight budgets. Given the MBTA's straitened circumstances, including a massive $8 billion debt, one would think a public-spirited union would cut the agency a little slack.

But not the carmen. Instead, MacDougall says his members have a plan to slow things down if the T's board of directors doesn't resolve the issue at its next meeting. That plan includes maneuvers like calling in sick en masse and holding buses until all passengers are seated. So at a time when sky-high gas prices have made the T more essential than ever, the carmen are trying to pressure management by threatening to inconvenience riders.

The back-pay issue is likely to be resolved soon, probably when the board meets on Oct. 10. Still, such tactics, albeit legal, are unprofessional. And if things should hit a temporary snag and the carmen go forward with their plan, they would be doing a huge disservice to the very customers they are employed to serve.