"Some basic historical facts: the entire subway system (at least most of it) was dug with bare hands and shovels before 1900. It took 3 years to complete the project, including excavations under the river with water sipping in. Today, the MTA plans the opening of the second avenue (hopefully) in 2019, (after about 20 years of laboring with modern equipment)..."
Yes, but they didn't have UNIONS pre-1900!