Raises For Bus & Subway Workers Could Be In Jeopardy
Millions of riders who depend on mass transit daily are not the only ones worrying about the MTA’s ever growing financial crisis. The actual employees responsible for transporting these same millions are looking at an upcoming future that could threaten their ability to get pay raises. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:
The MTA cash crunch – already blasting straphangers with planned fare hikes and service cuts – may put the squeeze on transit workers next, experts said.
Bus and subway workers face three grim possibilities: no raise this year, a one-time payment that doesn’t carry over into next year or a pay hike of approximately 1.5% or less, experts said.
“Raises probably will be modest at best,” David Gregory, a labor law professor at St. John’s University, said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s contract with Transport Workers Union Local 100 expired in January.
An arbitration panel is charged with dictating a new and binding pact covering wages, work rules and benefits for approximately 36,000 workers.
Arbitrators must balance workers’ desire for more income with an employer’s ability to pay, labor experts said.
A veteran labor-management mediator said it’s “going to be very difficult” for the panel to grant raises “when you’ve got an organization with a hole as big as the MTA is in.” The mediator spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Click here for the complete report.
The prospects of these hard working employees getting raises in these current times looks quite bleak. The union will have a tough time here as the MTA’s ability to afford pay raises is a big issue. Throw this in with the public sentiment that times are tough & most are not getting raises does not help the cause. It will be interesting to see how the arbitration panel handles this extremely delicate issue.
I will also note that I was not the least bit surprised to see the completely asinine responses left to the Daily News piece. Jokers like those share the herd mentality that the blue collar MTA employees are the bad guys just like the white collar higher ups. The logic is extremely flawed for both sets of employees but don’t tell that to these fools. Everyone is lazy & should consider themselves lucky to have such an easy job. These are the same fools who will support politicians who could give a damn about them & their needs. Go figure…..
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Comments
[…] not offering raises to blue collar employees first became public four days ago due to an exclusive report by the New York Daily News’ Pete Donohue. He followed that up with a report which talked […]
god is good we will be fine!!! keep blaming the little man for the rich mans down fall, he will get is reward!!!
[…] on a report in the New York Daily News which talked about how raises for MTA employees were in jeopardy due to their ongoing financial crisis. The prospects of raises looks even bleaker just a few days […]