Transit Workers Poised For Healthy Raises
In a story that will be sure to piss off the anti-union & anti-blue collar workers that keep the MTA running, transit workers are poised for healthy raises as part of a new contract. The raises which come out to 4% annually would increase costs for the MTA by approximately $400 million. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this exclusive report:
Transit workers appear poised to win a generous contract with healthy 4% annual raises and lower health care contributions that could blow a huge hole in the MTA’s finances, sources tell the Daily News.
Despite recent fare hikes and the punishing recession, transit union officials argued that they deserve a 12% hike over three years, partly because city employees have received similar increases.
A three-man arbitration panel is expected to announce the terms of the new contract for bus and subway workers as early as Monday or Tuesday. The expected annual raises of about 4%, 4% and 3.5% would increase Metropolitan Transportation Authority costs by more than $400 million.
Transit workers and management had reached the framework of a deal in face-to-face talks last year, but the contract wound up going to arbitration in January after Mayor Bloomberg raised behind-the-scenes objections.
Both the MTA and the transit union agreed to abide by the panel’s decision, and workers are not expected to repeat their illegal strike of 2005.
Click here for the complete report.
I am exhausted at the moment so I will have to address this some more later. I expect to see a lot of people speak out against this as many feel that the typical MTA worker is lazy & overpaid. While those with a clue know that this is not the case, the niche that believe in such idiocy clearly exists & will be out in full force.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Elliot Sander’s New Gig
Months after being forced to resign due to the inept & idiotic politicians in Albany, former MTA CEO/Executive Director Elliot Sander has landed a new gig at a familiar place. He now resides in a top position at the international engineering firm AECOM. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this report:
Former MTA CEO Elliot Sander has landed a top job with an international engineering firm.
AECOM, a Los Angeles-based firm with 44,000 employees and more than $6 billion in annual revenues, has hired Sander to be its managing director for global strategic initiatives.
The company’s wide array of ongoing projects includes the Second Ave. subway, the NJ Transit rail tunnel from New Jersey to midtown, a rail terminal in Hong Kong and the longest bridge in Bangladesh.
Click here for the complete report.
Good luck to Elliot in his new position. He will be missed & in my eyes remembered as a man who was given a raw deal while trying his best to rescue the MTA.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR Engineer & Friend Charged With Endangering Passengers
I apologize for being M.I.A. lately. I hope that I can get back to regular updates starting today. So let me get started with catching up by blogging about the LIRR engineer charged with endangering passengers by allowing his friend to operate a Queens bound diesel train. Oren Yaniv and Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this report:
A LIRR engineer and a passenger he let drive his train – at speeds up to 80 mph – were charged Wednesday with endangering passengers’ lives, authorities said.
Veteran engineer Ronald Cabrera allowed William Kutsch, a court reporter, to operate a 500-ton diesel train carrying hundreds of passengers for more than 24 miles between Hicksville, Long Island, and Hunters Point, Queens, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.
Cabrera, 40, and Kutsch, 47, both of Long Island, surrendered to MTA police and were charged with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, authorities said.
Cabrera, an engineer for 16 years, also was charged with misdemeanor official misconduct for the July 2 trip.
Click here for the complete report.
In regards to this incident, the MTA’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) released this statement:
The LIRR acted immediately when these extremely serious and troubling allegations first came to light on July 2nd. LIRR managers initiated an investigation and the engineer was removed from service the day the allegation was received. He has not operated a train since that time. Meanwhile, LIRR disciplinary proceedings against the engineer – up to and including possible termination – are in progress. The LIRR is cooperating with the MTA Police, the MTA Inspector General and the Nassau County District Attorney.
Engineers throughout the LIRR have been reminded of their responsibilities to keep cab doors closed to avoid distractions while operating trains. Also, all employees have been reminded that only authorized personnel are permitted in the operating cab of a train. The LIRR is committed to protecting the safety of its customers and the public. The alleged actions of this one employee do not represent the efforts of our engineers and train service employees at large, who are a highly professional, well-trained and dedicated workforce.
When I first heard this story, I immediately thought it was probably true. Incidents like these are not happening on a daily basis but do occur quite a bit. Honestly just about every rider would not know the difference of who is driving the train. However that does not excuse the blatant disrespect of the rules & potential jeopardy that passengers were put in. This is the type of offense that would warrant a complete termination without hesitation.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diverisons 07-31
I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest information for the weekend & upcoming week (beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Brighton Line Express Service Temporarily Suspended
Earlier this week, MTA NYC Transit announced that Brighton Line express service would be temporarily suspended due to Phase II of the Brighton Line Station Rehabilitation project. Here are the complete details courtesy of MTA NYC Transit:
MTA NYC Transit announced that during Phase II of the Brighton Line Station Rehabilitation project, it will be necessary to suspend express service on the Brighton Line north of the Kings Highway BQ station. Currently, the Q makes local stops south of the Prospect Park station, and the B makes express stops between Prospect Park and Brighton Beach. The project includes the rehabilitation of the Newkirk Avenue, Avenue H, Avenue J, Avenue M and Kings Highway stations.
During this project, two of the four tracks will be out of service at any given time, requiring BQ service to operate on one track in each direction. It is expected that BQ peak frequency will remain the same at the current 20 trains per hour. In addition, there will be periodic weekend shutdowns of all train service between Prospect Park and Brighton Beach stations. During these times, shuttle bus service will be provided. This phase of the project is set to be implemented in late September 2009 and will continue until the completion projected for the third quarter of 2011.
From September 2009 to the third quarter of 2010, southbound BQ service will operate on the local track from Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou Road and on the express track from Newkirk Avenue to Kings Highway. Avenue H and Avenue M stations will be bypassed in the southbound direction and temporary platforms will be constructed at the Avenue J and Kings Highway stations to provide access to southbound BQ service. During this time, northbound BQ service will make local stops from Kings Highway to Parkside Avenue.
From the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2011, the operation will be reversed and northbound BQ service will operate on the express track from Kings Highway to Newkirk Avenue and on the local track from Cortelyou Road to Parkside Avenue. Service will be bypassed in the northbound direction at Avenue H and Avenue M. Southbound BQ service will make local stops from Parkside Avenue to Kings Highway.
MTA NYC Transit regrets any inconvenience these changes will cause but emphasizes that these changes are necessary to accommodate the two-year rehabilitation of the five stations in this project.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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