TWU Wants Strike Penalties Lifted
MTA workers on strike at the Parkchester Station on day 2 of the 2005 transit strike. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
As I wrote about at the beginning of last month, the Transport Workers Union is continuing its fight to get their strike penalties lifted. The TWU is now down to only a couple of penalties with the biggest issue still being their checkoff power.
According to court papers filed on Halloween, the state attorney general & MTA supported the TWU regaining “due checkoffs” but only on a probationary basis. They want the due checkoffs privilege revoked if the TWU strikes again. Here is a comment from Mayor Bloomberg who sides with the state attorney general & MTA on the stipulation:
What they’ve submitted so far, if you read it very carefully, number one, it’s not the union, it’s the president of the union, and number two, it simply says they acknowledge that they don’t have the right. They don’t say they won’t.”
The issue is a big one to the TWU as they said they have lost over $1 million dollars due to the penalties.
I personally don’t know if they should go for such a stipulation. They would weaken their power if they were to promise not to strike again. They should seriously consider all options before such a proposal. The case is expected to be heard in the Brooklyn Supreme Court later this month.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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[…] TWU Local 100 got closer to their goal on Halloween when the MTA & state attorney general filed court papers supporting them regaining their rights but only on a probationary […]