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New x17 Stop In Brooklyn Plan Gets Bumpy With MTA, Unions Riding Shotgun


Cait Sith

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The way this is being handled makes me think they are trying to get the locals to turn on one another during these contract talks. I don't think it had anything to do with stretching dollars....it's more like "lets see if we can sneak this one by them".

 

 

I honestly don't think this was the intention, because want we really wanted was the restoration of the X28 but funding simply wasn't there for both. The funding came through some deals made to allow the (MTA) to access monies that it would usually have to give up so there simply wasn't enough cash to restore everything. Believe me I've been involved with the X27 and X28 for over a year and the goal was to restore both.

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The way this is being handled makes me think they are trying to get the locals to turn on one another during these contract talks. I don't think it had anything to do with stretching dollars....it's more like "lets see if we can sneak this one by them".

 

Bingo.

 

While the idea of the new stop is nice and could definitely be used. And the bickering from the union may seem silly, I see where they're coming from.

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Being a driver at Ulmer Park, I'd like to correct quite a few errors here. One, for those of you who keep saying Ulmer Park is NOT complaining....you're 100% wrong. One of our union reps just went down to a hearing on Tuesday to fight this from happening. Two, what you guys are not understanding about the situation is this...the MTA took service away from us back in 2010 and now they're willing to give it back....but to Staten Island. We want no parts of that. It's like if someone took your toy...but then gave it to the kid across the street later on. Not fair at all. Three, SI doesn't want it anymore than we do. They're a part of this fight as well.

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Being a driver at Ulmer Park, I'd like to correct quite a few errors here. One, for those of you who keep saying Ulmer Park is NOT complaining....you're 100% wrong. One of our union reps just went down to a hearing on Tuesday to fight this from happening. Two, what you guys are not understanding about the situation is this...the MTA took service away from us back in 2010 and now they're willing to give it back....but to Staten Island. We want no parts of that. It's like if someone took your toy...but then gave it to the kid across the street later on. Not fair at all. Three, SI doesn't want it anymore than we do. They're a part of this fight as well.

 

 

No, it's more like one kid playing with a doll, but then one day it breaks. Then since the parents can't afford to fix the doll and the child doesn't want to play with a broken doll, they take one of the button eyes that fell off and give it to another kid.

 

And just wondering, has any unions from Manhattan ever opposed the Q32? I mean, for riders on East 60th Street heading to Midtown it gives them a one seat ride and makes their trip so much easier, so therefore every single B/O in Manhattan must be opposed to it, according to your logic. Just like how the X17 making one stop in Brooklyn would make the trip to Manhattan so much easier for Brooklyn residents, but since a Staten Island bus is doing it every single B/O in Brooklyn must be against it.

 

I just have to say, this is why the public doesn't like unions. The MTA can't afford to bring back X28 service, so they made a compromise with an X17 stop. Now just because this Staten Island is getting the job, you guys are saying no and want to screw the public out of an easier commute opportunity. This is just like the "if I can't do it, nobody should be able to do it" argument.

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Being a driver at Ulmer Park, I'd like to correct quite a few errors here. One, for those of you who keep saying Ulmer Park is NOT complaining....you're 100% wrong. One of our union reps just went down to a hearing on Tuesday to fight this from happening. Two, what you guys are not understanding about the situation is this...the MTA took service away from us back in 2010 and now they're willing to give it back....but to Staten Island. We want no parts of that. It's like if someone took your toy...but then gave it to the kid across the street later on. Not fair at all. Three, SI doesn't want it anymore than we do. They're a part of this fight as well.

 

 

Thanks for confirming my post. I was hoping that it wasn't BS :)

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Being a driver at Ulmer Park, I'd like to correct quite a few errors here. One, for those of you who keep saying Ulmer Park is NOT complaining....you're 100% wrong. One of our union reps just went down to a hearing on Tuesday to fight this from happening. Two, what you guys are not understanding about the situation is this...the MTA took service away from us back in 2010 and now they're willing to give it back....but to Staten Island. We want no parts of that. It's like if someone took your toy...but then gave it to the kid across the street later on. Not fair at all. Three, SI doesn't want it anymore than we do. They're a part of this fight as well.

 

Sorry but this is a bit immature won't ppl benefit from getting a fast trip from bay ridge to richmond ave? Sorry but this is a bit insensitive to the public is it really worth it to raise hell over a few stops? You are getting X27. This is why I believe the MTA should create a division responsible for all express routes and depots and call it manhattan direct division. Increase pay for B/Os that have the guts to handle extra runs from different depots or even boroughs. Wouldn't that create equal work opportunity?Ohh what is stopping you know who from sending routes to SI as ny bound? Later elsewhere on that issue.
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Being a driver at Ulmer Park, I'd like to correct quite a few errors here. One, for those of you who keep saying Ulmer Park is NOT complaining....you're 100% wrong. One of our union reps just went down to a hearing on Tuesday to fight this from happening. Two, what you guys are not understanding about the situation is this...the MTA took service away from us back in 2010 and now they're willing to give it back....but to Staten Island. We want no parts of that. It's like if someone took your toy...but then gave it to the kid across the street later on. Not fair at all. Three, SI doesn't want it anymore than we do. They're a part of this fight as well.

 

I just want to make sure I understand this correctly... Before there was no X27 or X28 weekend service AND NO X17 Sunday service with limited service on Saturdays going back to the 2010 cuts. Of course even before then there was no Sunday X17 service. Now the (MTA) is allowed to keep monies that it normally has to give away and uses it to try to restore and add service and restores the X27 completely on weekends. Then they add Saturday service on the X17 AND give it Sunday service as well, but don't bring back X28 weekend service due to a lack of funds, so my question is if Ulmer Park wants the X28 back completely on weekends, where does the money come from? As it stands currently, both unions would have MORE runs, which means more work for both unions. I get your point, but unless the unions can figure where monies would come from to run the X28 on weekends, I don't see what other choice can be made.

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This is why ppl hate unions they don't want to reason at all at the expense of the public. One measly stop and there is this BS. Did the x28 have more than 5 ppl on any weekend trip or was it dismal.

 

 

They had more than 5 people. I lived right near Broadway & Grand Street and would see x28s with a pretty decent load.

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They had more than 5 people. I lived right near Broadway & Grand Street and would see x28s with a pretty decent load.

 

 

Saturdays was descent on the x28. It was sunday that had awful ridership. That why i stated before these service imporvements/restorartions i felt the X28 should been a Monday-Saturday only route. While it would be best to have the x28 run 7 days a week( IMO still dont think X28 Sunday service is even needed even now)i think this X17 stopping (1) stop at 86th St/7th Ave in Dyker Heights/Bay Ridge is a good compromise for now. And guys you right about why unions (they needed but they do b itch and moan too much at times)have low approval ratings with the American public.

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If the service isn't there (available work...runs) we can't get paid to provide it....make sense now?

 

 

X28 weekend service just isn't coming back because the money isn't available.

 

Now the MTA found a much more cost effective way at providing service for people heading to Manhattan, but the work is sent to Staten Island. You guys are all being little bitches and whining "IF WE CAN'T GET THAT WORK THEN NOBODY CAN." You guys are being so selfish and you don't give a damn about the residents who need service to Manhattan.

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X28 weekend service just isn't coming back because the money isn't available.

 

Now the MTA found a much more cost effective way at providing service for people heading to Manhattan, but the work is sent to Staten Island. You guys are all being little bitches and whining "IF WE CAN'T GET THAT WORK THEN NOBODY CAN." You guys are being so selfish and you don't give a damn about the residents who need service to Manhattan.

 

You sir are awesome no words to describe the win in this post.
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And just wondering, has any unions from Manhattan ever opposed the Q32? I mean, for riders on East 60th Street heading to Midtown it gives them a one seat ride and makes their trip so much easier, so therefore every single B/O in Manhattan must be opposed to it, according to your logic.

 

The Q32 was actually split between Quill and Stengal for awhile. The difference between the Q32 and the new stop with the x17 is that the Q32 historically went into Manhatten. There is no history of the x17 stopping in Brooklyn. Manhattan to 86th st has always been a Brooklyn division run.

 

Now just because this Staten Island is getting the job, you guys are saying no and want to screw the public out of an easier commute opportunity. This is just like the "if I can't do it, nobody should be able to do it" argument.

 

 

They are not saying "NO"....they want the MTA to follow the contract that the TA and the TWU sat down and agreed to. The contract has provision for protection of work. The TA agreed to that, all the TWU wants is for the TA to follow the contract. All this could have been avoided if the MTA sat down with the TWU and ATU and negotiated a side letter agreement. But why do that when you can turn the public against the unions at a critical time.

 

I just want to make sure I understand this correctly... Before there was no X27 or X28 weekend service AND NO X17 Sunday service with limited service on Saturdays going back to the 2010 cuts. Of course even before then there was no Sunday X17 service. Now the (MTA) is allowed to keep monies that it normally has to give away and uses it to try to restore and add service and restores the X27 completely on weekends. Then they add Saturday service on the X17 AND give it Sunday service as well, but don't bring back X28 weekend service due to a lack of funds, so my question is if Ulmer Park wants the X28 back completely on weekends, where does the money come from? As it stands currently, both unions would have MORE runs, which means more work for both unions. I get your point, but unless the unions can figure where monies would come from to run the X28 on weekends, I don't see what other choice can be made.

 

 

My question to you is why is the x17 weekend service so dependent on the bus stopping in Brooklyn. If the ridership is that high between Manhattan and Bay Ridge then the x28 should be brought back. That's the union's point.....the x17 weekend service should be able to stand on it's own. And if the ridership on the x28 is that weak on Sat/Sun's then maybe it shouldn't run period.

 

Now the MTA found a much more cost effective way at providing service for people heading to Manhattan, but the work is sent to Staten Island. You guys are all being little bitches and whining "IF WE CAN'T GET THAT WORK THEN NOBODY CAN." You guys are being so selfish and you don't give a damn about the residents who need service to Manhattan.

 

 

I think you are being the whiny bitch here over a service that doesn't affect you. Again, all the unions want is for the TA to follow the contracts that they agreed to. Your telling me that if you were in the same shoes the UP guys are in that you would just roll over and take the shaft....Please!

 

You sir are awesome no words to describe the win in this post.

 

 

And there are no words to describe the amount of bandwith you've wasted on this site.

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X28 doesn't have enough ridership to warrant its own route on weekends. All of us can agree on this fact, right? If you disagree with this then please explain why.

 

Now going on the basis of that fact, we can agree that there is no possibility of the X28 getting weekend service. The only two options are absolutely no service for residents, or give them an alternative by having the X17 make one stop in Brooklyn. Obviously since X17 buses are already running through the area, it would only be logical to have them make a stop in Brooklyn, thus generating more revenue for the MTA.

 

What you guys fail to see is that either Staten Island gets the work or nobody gets the work. There's no possibility for the X28 to come back on weekends, so all you guys are trying to do is whine about it and try to make sure that Staten Island doesn't get it because you're crying that you can't get the work. Now not only is that just simply pathetic, but you might as well just have your union give a big "F*** YOU!" to Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and all the other neighborhoods that would be very positively affected by the change that you guys are crying over.

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If there was even the slightest possibility of the work going out to you guys, then I could understand, but THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF THE X28 COMING BACK ON WEEKENDS, at least in the near future.

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X28 doesn't have enough ridership to warrant its own route on weekends. All of us can agree on this fact, right? If you disagree with this then please explain why.

 

I don't have the actual numbers on the x28s weekend ridership. I can say based on third party info is that the x28 ridership was healthy on Saturdays but nonexsistant on Sundays. So if that's the case then have Ulmer Park run the 28 on Saturdays and on Sundays the few people that are looking for Manhattan service can use the (R).

 

 

What you guys fail to see is that either Staten Island gets the work or nobody gets the work. There's no possibility for the X28 to come back on weekends, so all you guys are trying to do is whine about it and try to make sure that Staten Island doesn't get it because you're crying that you can't get the work. Now not only is that just simply pathetic, but you might as well just have your union give a big "F*** YOU!" to Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and all the other neighborhoods that would be very positively affected by the change that you guys are crying over.

 

So you want the drivers in Ulmer Park to ignore the language in their contract that the TWU and the MTA agreed on just to so the TA can add this service. So where does that stop....pay,benefits, work conditions? A contract is a contract....both sides have to abide by it. If they want Staten Island to run this service they could have simply met with officials from the TWU/ATU and worked out a side letter agreement for this service. Also Staten Island DOESN'T want this because they know A.) It will open a can of worms that will never get closed and B.) It would negatively affect a brother union and division....which is kinda shocking because the TWU and ATU has not always had the best of relationships.

 

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Well if that is the case let X17 get the stop on sundays only and have X28 run saturday.

 

That could be a agreement worked out but again like I keep saying over and over.....the TA needs to sit down with the TWU and ATU and get a side letter agreement for it. Had they done that in the beginning this wouldn't even be an issue!

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