MTA & TWU Will Go To Arbitration
One of the least talked about issues lately was the expiring contract of 30,000+ bus & subway workers at New York City Transit. The MTA & TWU Local 100 which represents the workers had been engaging in contract renewal talks until earlier today. Within the last 90 minutes, both agencies announced that they were unable to reach a new deal.
Riders do not have to worry as we will not see a repeat of the 2005 transit strike which brought the city to its knees. TWU Local 100 President Roger Toussaint promised as much back in November. However both sides will go to arbitration. The MTA released a statement via e-mail within the last 90 minutes which stated:
Over the past several months, the MTA and TWU Local 100 have discussed a possible agreement on a contract effective January 16, 2009. However, due to complications associated with today’s current economic climate, we have reached an impasse and have jointly decided to arbitrate contract terms.
Sewell Chan of the New York Times has more on this breaking news including a statement from TWU Local 100 in this report:
Is another transit strike in store? Not likely. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s labor agreement with its largest union, Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union of America, is set to expire on Jan. 15.
Both sides announced on Tuesday that they had not been able to reach an agreement at the negotiating table, and would therefore go to arbitration — a signal that a full-fledged labor battle would probably not happen. The union represents more than 30,000 subway and bus workers at New York City Transit, the authority’s largest division.
Jesse Derris, a union spokesman, said in a statement:
After months of discussions with the M.T.A., a settlement could not be reached. As the contract moves to arbitration, we wait to see whether transit workers will be treated fairly or in a manner disparate to the other workers who serve this city.
I am pretty sure this will be an intense process between two sides who rarely see eye to eye on things. While a strike will most likely not come from any of this due to the ramifications it would hold for the union, it is a given that this process will just add more fuel to a never ending fire.
Stay tuned for the latest information.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Our Doomsday Might Come March 25th
The word or catch phrase that echoed throughout the minds of tri-state area mass riders over the last few months was “doomsday budget“. Another way it was phrased was “doomsday scenario” or “draconian“. Regardless of the word or phrase used, the story remained the same. If our elected officials did not help adequately fund the MTA, we the riders will once again be forced to shoulder the burden with massive fare hikes. However this time around we would also be hit with massive service cuts.
The Richard Ravitch led “Ravitch Commission” was put together to come up with solutions that would help the MTA balance its budget & create dependable sources of revenue in the future. While I feel the commission delivered a dud in terms of coming up with fair & logical solutions, it does not change the fact that our elected officials, mainly the state legislature must get something done before it is too late. Yesterday evening, NY1 transit reporter Bobby Cuza filed a report which focuses on how the state legislature will most likely be the key to what happens:
So just how high will the subway fare go? The state legislature will likely supply the answer in the next three months.
“The drop-dead date is March 25, which is when the MTA board of directors meets and will vote whether to hit the riders with a 23 percent fare hike and massive service cuts or whether the state legislature and Governor Paterson will come to the rescue of the riding public,” said Gene Russianoff, Straphangers Campaign.
The Paterson administration said it’s already drafting legislation to implement the recommendations of the Ravitch Commission, including a new payroll tax and new tolls on the East River bridges, to allow for a much smaller fare hike. The MTA will be sending a delegation to Albany next week to lobby legislators who go back to work this Wednesday.
Without help from Albany, the MTA said it will consider raising the fare to $3 for a single ride ticket or cash fare on the bus. Those buying multiple rides would pay $2.25, with the pay-per-ride bonus eliminated, while a weekly pass would go up to $31, a 14-day pass to $57 and a monthly to $99.
The agency could also raise the base fare for everyone to $2.50 and keep the 15 percent bonus for those spending $7 or more at a time, with the weekly again going up to $31, the 14-day card to $59, and the monthly to $103.
Last week, MTA Executive Director Lee Sander said the proposed hikes are not just a scare tactic.
“If we don’t get the money from Albany, we would have to do this. Having said that, do I hope that this will have a stimulative effect on our legislators and further encourage them to pass the recommendations of the ravitch commission? Yes,” said Sander.
While the MTA may also get money from a federal stimulus bill, it’s likely those dollars will go toward construction projects and won’t prevent a fare hike. As for the mayor, he said he has faith in Albany.
Click here for the complete report.
As I stated, I felt the Ravitch Commission ended up being a complete dud with the lack of logical solutions being provided. However it is clear that it will come down to either implementing some of the commission’s proposals or be faced with “doomsday”. The story will definitely have many twists & turns over the next 2+ months. In the end, lets hope the good guys get spared our “doomsday”.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR 2009 Agenda
Just below, I discussed a sample of the highs & lows experienced by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in 2008. I also linked to a very good review of the year by Newsday’s Alfonso A. Castillo. Sticking with the LIRR, Alfonso A. Castillo brings us a brief report on the agency’s 2009 agenda:
The LIRR’s 2009 agenda
Keep ridership up.
LIRR trains last year were packed as never before. But with gas prices lower now than in years, and with some former commuters unemployed and fare hikes looming, it could be tough to keep the momentum.
Stave off the MTA’s “doomsday budget.” The plan, already adopted, calls for average LIRR fare increases of 26 percent; reduced service, with some trains eliminated; and closure of 20 ticket stations. LIRR officials plan to lobby state lawmakers to bail out the agency.
Click here for the complete report.
I felt Alfonso touched on only a portion of what the LIRR’s agenda should be in 2009. While the items listed make sense, I also feel they need to improve in many other areas. The agency must continue to address the gap issue which has plagued it the last couple of years. They did a great job last year in starting to address it. They must continue to ride that momentum into this year.
I also feel they must continue the modernization work on their tracks & related equipment which they did last year. The main project being the $60.4 millon dollar Queens Interlocking project which was a modernization program bringing state-of-the-art technology to an important LIRR switching point (between Queens Village and Bellerose) where the busy Main Line and Hempstead Branch merge.
Another area they could improve on is by setting up a way to punish riders who dirty trains. I am sick & tired of paying higher fares & feeling like I am in the subway when seeing coffee cups, stains, & other trash inside the cars. Also I should not have to see seats ripped open & not repaired. Now I know these conditions did not magically appear so punish the low class people responsible for them.
One of the most important things they could do is to continue to the fight to make the Third Rail Project a reality. This project is arguably the most important project in regards to the LIRR. While LIRR President Helena Williams feels East Side Access is, those of us who keep up with the LIRR know otherwise. The impact a third rail project would have not only on the 10 mile stretch for the Main Line between Floral Park & Hicksville but the entire island & region can’t be underestimated.
I could be here for hours adding different things that could be on the 2009 agenda for the LIRR. For as much progress that has been made under current president Helena Williams, there is still much more left to achieve.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR 2008 Year In Review
LIRR train entering Woodside. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
2008 has come & gone & for the Long Island Rail Road, which might be a good thing considering the highs & lows the agency experienced. Positive things did happen under LIRR President Helena Williams watch such as a complete communications overhaul & adding an extra train for Adelphi & Hofstra universities.
However the year featured some events that Helena & the rest of the LIRR would love to forget including the disability benefits scandal & recent train derailment right by the Jamaica station. Alfonso A. Castillo of Newsday takes a look at the highs for the LIRR in this report:
If a movie were made about the Long Island Rail Road’s tumultuous past year, the climactic scene could take place on the tracks of Jamaica Station in the days just before Thanksgiving.
A derailment – the second train accident in four days at Jamaica and the agency’s worst in 15 years – had just occurred. It came during the same week that the LIRR proposed sharp fare hikes and service cuts, and as the agency still was reeling from a disability-pension-abuse scandal.
“I think that was the biggest black eye that the railroad had – that month from hell,” LIRR Commuters Council chairman Gerry Bringmann said.
Still, through the efforts of hundreds of LIRR employees who toiled through three bitterly cold nights, service was restored on the morning of Thanksgiving eve, just in time for the busiest travel day of the year.
MTA board member Mitch Pally of Stony Brook called it “almost a miracle.”
In some ways, the 72-hour period summed up the LIRR’s year to a T – a year during which the agency encountered some of its biggest achievements and its biggest setbacks.
Improvements in 2008
Helena Williams, who became LIRR president in mid-2007 after stints running Long Island Bus and as a deputy Nassau County executive, began 2008 with a lofty to-do list.
Near the top was putting into action a multimillion-dollar plan to remedy dangerous gaps between station platforms and train cars. By last month, more than 250 of 4,500-plus metal “threshold plates” to close those gaps had been installed on train car doors. Williams said the project should be completed by January 2010.
Setbacks in 2008
Among the biggest headaches for the LIRR in 2008 was the revelation that almost all retiring career employees in recent years applied for and received federal disability benefits.
The situation came to light following published reports in September disclosing that a little-known federal agency – the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board – had been approving 98 percent of disability claims nationwide. A disproportionately high number of those claims have come from LIRR employees, federal statistics showed.
The revelation led to federal and state investigations, and the arrest of one LIRR employee for illegally advising colleagues, during work hours, on how to collect disability benefits.
Click here for the complete report.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Man Dragged To Death By NYCT Bus
This past Saturday, a 21 year old Brooklyn man was dragged to death by an out of service MTA New York City Transit bus. Dorian Block & Jotham Sederstorm of the New York Daily News have more in this report:
An out-of-service MTA bus dragged a Brooklyn man 100 feet to his death Saturday after hitting him as it cruised toward a nearby depot last night, authorities said.
The 21-year-old man was struck by the B67 after he emerged onto the street from between two parked cars on 36th St. in Kensington about 8:30 p.m., authorities said.
Witnesses said the unidentified man was hanging out with two friends when he was struck by the right passenger side of the bus and then dragged 100 feet.
“He was trapped behind the back tire,” said a neighbor, who identified himself as Rey, 32. “He was breathing. You could see smoke coming out of his mouth because it was so cold.”
“The man came in contact with the front right side of the bus,” said MTA spokeswoman Marisa Baldeo. “He came out between the cars and came in contact with the bus.”
Click here for the complete report.
I never enjoy hearing or reading stories about death. My heart goes out to the bus driver who must still be distraught over an accident that should have never occurred. It is a shame that the negligent actions of one person could potentially ruin a career but more importantly haunt this person for the rest of their life.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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