news MTA rejects proposed series of raises for LIRR workers, maintaining possibility of a summer strike

[Harry]

The Long Island Railroad rolled closer to a possible summer strike Wednesday when transit executives rejected a proposed series of raises for workers. MTA Labor Relations Director Anita Miller notified the National Mediation Board that the authority would not enact a contract settlement for the commuter railroad that was crafted by an independent panel. The move prompted an angry response from a top union leader representing LIRR workers, who have labored without a contract since 2010. “If a strike occurs, it’s the sole responsibility of the MTA for being unwilling to accept the results,” said Anthony Simon, general chairman of the United Transportation Union. “It’s not a matter of them being unable to pay. It’s a matter of them not wanting to pay.”

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[Tokkemon]

Yay unions!

[BreeddekalbL]

Shame on the MTA! The MTA CAN PAY! their argument of 3 0's is falling apart!

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yay unions!

lol@sarcasm... Either way this is a loss for LIRR commuters who already are getting raped... They're either going to fare higher fares and crap service or no service at all.  Lovely I tell ya...

 

Yes, the can pay, but that just means they'll get the money from somewhere or someone else, so ultimately it's the riding public that will pay more.

[Vistausss]

Shame on the MTA! The MTA CAN PAY! their argument of 3 0's is falling apart!

 

Exactly! The is just as rich as Apple so they can throw money at whatever they want. They made tons of revenue the last couple of years, they never had any money problems.

[Turbo19]

If a resolution could be made with a standing contract then possibility of a strike can be avoided, but if all else an agreement should have been made years ago, being that it's now four years without a labor contract.

[PinePower]

If a strike occurs this will be a huge disaster for Long Island. There's no way NICE would be able to handle all the additional LIRR riders. For riders further out east, they're gonna have to stay at home. Does the MTA have a plan that would include using some buses from the city to help? I was too young to remember what happened when the last LIRR strike happened. The MTA should not be playing this game of chicken, a strike will cost them more than paying the wage increase!

[trainfan22]

If a strike occurs this will be a huge disaster for Long Island. There's no way NICE would be able to handle all the additional LIRR riders. For riders further out east, they're gonna have to stay at home. Does the MTA have a plan that would include using some buses from the city to help? I was too young to remember what happened when the last LIRR strike happened. The MTA should not be playing this game of chicken, a strike will cost them more than paying the wage increase!

If the LIRR went on strike, they probably would set up a carpool on the LIE, others would work from home, shuttles with buses from the city etc.

 

When Metro North's Hudson line was OOS they used buses from the city as shuttles, why wouldn't they for LIRR?

 

And many in LI don't like to the ride the bus, its REALLY noticeable out in LI where public transportation that's not the LIRR is looked down upon. I'd worry more about the highways like the Southern State and LIE being overloaded than NICE bus system. But officials can always combat that just making a carpool mandatory to use these roads, not sure if it would work though.

[Vistausss]

If the LIRR went on strike, they probably would set up a carpool on the LIE, others would work from home, shuttles with buses from the city etc.

 

When Metro North's Hudson line was OOS they used buses from the city as shuttles, why wouldn't they for LIRR?

 

And many in LI don't like to the ride the bus, its REALLY noticeable out in LI where public transportation that's not the LIRR is looked down upon. I'd worry more about the highways like the Southern State and LIE being overloaded than NICE bus system. But officials can always combat that just making a carpool mandatory to use these roads, not sure if it would work though.

 

Not sure if you know this but the n6 (from NICE) is actually crushloaded all day, even after 12 PM. Just because people look down upon it doesn t mean they dont make use of it. Same for the n20/n22. So imagine a strike and some more people running for the already crushloaded n6/n20/n22... well, good luck.

[bobtehpanda]

Shame on the MTA! The MTA CAN PAY! their argument of 3 0's is falling apart!

 

I'm not sure if this is serious or not...

 

Not sure if you know this but the n6 (from NICE) is actually crushloaded all day, even after 12 PM. Just because people look down upon it doesn t mean they dont make use of it. Same for the n20/n22. So imagine a strike and some more people running for the already crushloaded n6/n20/n22... well, good luck.

 

The NICE clientele, however, is composed of a different demographic than the LIRR clientele. The LIRR has very snobby people, even though in my opinion they're just as bad as the people on the subway but just happen to be richer, and I highly doubt that they would stoop to that level.

 

There would probably end up being a lot of telecommuting, since many of these Long Islanders work in higher income brackets where they'd get less flak about it.

lol@sarcasm... Either way this is a loss for LIRR commuters who already are getting raped... They're either going to fare higher fares and crap service or no service at all.  Lovely I tell ya...

 

Yes, the can pay, but that just means they'll get the money from somewhere or someone else, so ultimately it's the riding public that will pay more.

 

Interesting note: the arbitration panel said that the MTA was lying about their budget, and could simply issue more bonds and steal money from the capital program to pay for wages.

 

I don't see what the justification for raises in when half the economists in the country think that there's a danger of a deflationary crisis.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I'm not sure if this is serious or not...

 

 

The NICE clientele, however, is composed of a different demographic than the LIRR clientele. The LIRR has very snobby people, even though in my opinion they're just as bad as the people on the subway but just happen to be richer, and I highly doubt that they would stoop to that level.

 

There would probably end up being a lot of telecommuting, since many of these Long Islanders work in higher income brackets where they'd get less flak about it.

 

 

Interesting note: the arbitration panel said that the MTA was lying about their budget, and could simply issue more bonds and steal money from the capital program to pay for wages.

 

I don't see what the justification for raises in when half the economists in the country think that there's a danger of a deflationary crisis.

Here's my real beef... It's always the same story... "We work hard and everything is going up, so we need a raise".  Well excuse me, but what about the rest of us? I work over 50 hours a week and I don't automatically get a raise or a bonus every year.  It's based on how the company is doing financially.  That's the way it works with most Americans for that matter and many Americans haven't seen a raise in years.  I'm lucky enough to get a decent bonus.  Some companies started cutting out bonuses during the recession or cutting back on certain caveats.  I just find it rather arrogant to create this notion that somehow it's the that will pay for those raises as if they're a cash cow.  The LIRR fares are so inflated for what you get and the service IMO is atrocious (constant delays and issues) so I don't see how they can justify asking for yet another raise.  They haven't had a contract in years... Big deal... Even without the raise, many of them earn just fine.  If they want to complain about raises, they should look to their fellow colleagues who stole thousands from the , bloating their salaries and earning six figures when they weren't even working.  Absolutely disgusting.

 

It's a slap in the face to the riders if anything.  They want raises? Get their on-time performance up and then come back to us.  Hell some companies won't even hire people who live on Long Island because of the pathetic on-time record of the LIRR and I don't blame them.

[PinePower]

I'm not sure if this is serious or not...

 

 

The NICE clientele, however, is composed of a different demographic than the LIRR clientele. The LIRR has very snobby people, even though in my opinion they're just as bad as the people on the subway but just happen to be richer, and I highly doubt that they would stoop to that level.

 

There would probably end up being a lot of telecommuting, since many of these Long Islanders work in higher income brackets where they'd get less flak about it.

 

 

Interesting note: the arbitration panel said that the MTA was lying about their budget, and could simply issue more bonds and steal money from the capital program to pay for wages.

 

I don't see what the justification for raises in when half the economists in the country think that there's a danger of a deflationary crisis.

 

 

Yes its very true, the LIRR has alot of snobby people, and NICE, more of the "dregs of society" crowd. And I know most will choose to drive or carpool over NICE, but there will still be some additional people on NICE & I'm not sure how they'd handle that. The MTA will have to grab every available bus from the city and run them from the LIRR stations to the subway. The parkways and the LIE will have to be made carpool only, HOV for buses only...

[RtrainBlues]

I would advise Long Islanders to take vacation that month and NOT to buy a monthly pass.  The MTA screwed owners of Unlimited subway passes during last year's weather disaster and did not provide refunds when they did not provide service.  So they will likely screw owners of Unlimited LIRR passes the same way if there were to be a strike.

[Mtatransit]

I would advise Long Islanders to take vacation that month and NOT to buy a monthly pass.  The MTA screwed owners of Unlimited subway passes during last year's weather disaster and did not provide refunds when they did not provide service.  So they will likely screw owners of Unlimited LIRR passes the same way if there were to be a strike.

First thing weather is not the fault second its much easier to accept a monthly pass after the due date with the LIRR than the subway

[trainfan22]

Not sure if you know this but the n6 (from NICE) is actually crushloaded all day, even after 12 PM. Just because people look down upon it doesn t mean they dont make use of it. Same for the n20/n22. So imagine a strike and some more people running for the already crushloaded n6/n20/n22... well, good luck.

I ridden the N6 a countless number of times, I'm well aware how crowded it can be, I even got flagged on it once. But NICE has a different demographic of ridership than the LIRR, you don't realize how the wealthier people in LI DESPISE riding the bus. Its not like those 5th/Madison Ave buses in Manhattan where all walks of life ride them, with NICE, its ridership its mostly people where the other options would be too expensive.

 

 

 

 

The NICE clientele, however, is composed of a different demographic than the LIRR clientele. The LIRR has very snobby people, even though in my opinion they're just as bad as the people on the subway but just happen to be richer, and I highly doubt that they would stoop to that level.

 

There would probably end up being a lot of telecommuting, since many of these Long Islanders work in higher income brackets where they'd get less flak about it.

 

Exactly. NICE and LIRR serve different groups of people in LI. If such a strike was to happen the NICE would be the last option for most of these folks. 

[Truckie]

When Metro North's Hudson line was OOS they used buses from the city as shuttles, why wouldn't they for LIRR?

 

 

That's not a fair comparison.  Yes, while MTA buses were used during the Hudson Line shut down, there were droves of people migrating to the Harlem Line as an alternative.  Additionally, during the shut down, there were trains running back and forth from Poughkeepsie to Yonkers as a shuttle of sorts. 

 

If Metro North as a whole were shut down (as the LIRR) would be, there wouldn't be enough available buses to run complete service back and forth from Poughkeepise to NY, Wassaic to NY, and New Haven to NY with all stops in between.  Personally, I'd be surprised if there were enough buses available to run a comparable hourly service with out contracting out to an outside vendor.

[Truckie]

I work over 50 hours a week and I don't automatically get a raise or a bonus every year.  It's based on how the company is doing financially.  

 

I'm lucky enough to get a decent bonus. 

 

If they want to complain about raises, they should look to their fellow colleagues who stole thousands from the , bloating their salaries and earning six figures when they weren't even working.  Absolutely disgusting.

 

Get their on-time performance up and then come back to us. 

 

If raises were based on the financial ability of the company then there shouldn't be an issue.  It was determined by a presidential emergency board that the MTA was able to do so.

 

I'm glad you are fortunate to get a decent bonus, that's still more than workers got in this situation.

 

Why fault the employees as a whole for the relatively few bad apples who stole.  Make those pay back the money!

 

Again, why fault the workers for the on time performance when the majority of issues come from management (or mismanagement)?

[Vistausss]

I'm not sure if this is serious or not...

 

 

The NICE clientele, however, is composed of a different demographic than the LIRR clientele. The LIRR has very snobby people, even though in my opinion they're just as bad as the people on the subway but just happen to be richer, and I highly doubt that they would stoop to that level.

 

There would probably end up being a lot of telecommuting, since many of these Long Islanders work in higher income brackets where they'd get less flak about it.

 

I didn t say everyone is gonna use NICE. I said *some* more people. I thought I made that *some* very clear...

Yes its very true, the LIRR has alot of snobby people, and NICE, more of the "dregs of society" crowd. And I know most will choose to drive or carpool over NICE, but there will still be some additional people on NICE & I'm not sure how they'd handle that. The MTA will have to grab every available bus from the city and run them from the LIRR stations to the subway. The parkways and the LIE will have to be made carpool only, HOV for buses only...

 

Thank you. You actually did read my post, unlike bob

[Via Garibaldi 8]

If raises were based on the financial ability of the company then there shouldn't be an issue.  It was determined by a presidential emergency board that the MTA was able to do so.

 

I'm glad you are fortunate to get a decent bonus, that's still more than workers got in this situation.

 

Why fault the employees as a whole for the relatively few bad apples who stole.  Make those pay back the money!

 

Again, why fault the workers for the on time performance when the majority of issues come from management (or mismanagement)?

My point is you and I know that these raises will result in fare increases one way or another, and there is no other way to put it, so the idea that the will paying for this is total crappola.  The passengers will be paying for it via fare increases, and ultimately with the way in which the LIRR currently runs, and with the service already being overpriced, it may just turn people off from using it completely and I wouldn't fault them, which could result in job losses for workers... The public is not a cash cow and people are being taxed and nicked and dimed for everything.  Where does it end?  I mean I get it... Everyone needs a raise, but not everyone can get one.  The question is what can the handle without pushing crazy increases on LIRR customers?  

[LIRR 154]

My point is you and I know that these raises will result in fare increases one way or another, and there is no other way to put it, so the idea that the will paying for this is total crappola.  The passengers will be paying for it via fare increases, and ultimately with the way in which the LIRR currently runs, and with the service already being overpriced, it may just turn people off from using it completely and I wouldn't fault them, which could result in job losses for workers... The public is not a cash cow and people are being taxed and nicked and dimed for everything.  Where does it end?  I mean I get it... Everyone needs a raise, but not everyone can get one.  The question is what can the handle without pushing crazy increases on LIRR customers?

 

You should ask the MTA excuse of raising the fares in the last four years because that wasn't because of our raises since we didn't get one. In the PEB report , that stated the MTA finanes are well above stable to give us a contract. So the excuse of them giving us raises will raise fares is the biggest crop of crap they can come up with. If they are so money strap as they claim , why do they continue to hire managers and micro managers underneath them with other management titles under them. The ratio of manager to worker is almost evening out. Each manager whole pension and benefits is paid by you wholly. While we contribute to our pension and co pay benefits. That shouldn't be. Don't believe me look at the MTA employment website and look who they are hiring.

[LIRR 154]

The MTA is a big slush fund with too many political hands in it. Money has been mismanaged there for a long time and starts in Albany. Also we aren't the only ones without a contract as other agencies like Transit and Metro North are next.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

You should ask the MTA excuse of raising the fares in the last four years because that wasn't because of our raises since we didn't get one. In the PEB report , that stated the MTA finanes are well above stable to give us a contract. So the excuse of them giving us raises will raise fares is the biggest crop of crap they can come up with. If they are so money strap as they claim , why do they continue to hire managers and micro managers underneath them with other management titles under them. The ratio of manager to worker is almost evening out. Each manager whole pension and benefits is paid by you wholly. While we contribute to our pension and co pay benefits. That shouldn't be. Don't believe me look at the MTA employment website and look who they are hiring.

Yes, mismanagement is a huge problem at the and always has been.  I worked for the for two years interning in Brooklyn during my teenage years. I was amazed at how little work some folks did.  The second summer I was there, the boss I had did absolutely nothing...  Went in his office, closed the door and probably just slept, so yeah I know they definitely hire too many folks that they don't even need on the management side.  The thing is that like you said, there are a lot of hardworking employees, but still far too many bad apples that need to be weeded out.  

 

 

I hate to say it, but they're too big for their own good and that in turn costs the riding public and also allows for a lot of corruption, costing the public even more money.  I also know of a few people personally that worked/works for the on the construction side... That's where there are tons of oversight issues... So many guys sneaking off of the job... Hence why so many projects are either half @ss done, over budget and or take much longer than they should.  Having worked for a GC personally for a few years mainly dealing with the property managers, you need to be on top of those guys constantly, constantly making sure they're on the site and doing their job, otherwise they will take advantage and they can be a serious liability (literally and figuratively speaking) for a number of reasons.

[LIRR 154]

Another waste .. Millions on top of millions of dollars are going to this double track and pocket track projects going to once again outside contractors. Commuters should ask why is all this money going to contractors when the LIRR has an excellent MofW Track dept that can do it in less time and way less money. Two more capital projects you can expect delays. Just food for thought. .

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Another waste .. Millions on top of millions of dollars are going to this double track and pocket track projects going to once again outside contractors. Commuters should ask why is all this money going to contractors when the LIRR has an excellent MofW Track dept that can do it in less time and way less money. Two more capital projects you can expect delays. Just food for thought. .

Well I wonder if there is some sort of clause involved with regards to some of the funding they receive.  I agree that using insiders would be cheaper but then they claim that in some cases, they have to hire outside contractors because they don't have enough in house manpower... 

[N6 Limited]

To everyone saying the MTA has the money that's like saying if your monthly bills went up you can afford it just because you're not completely broke after they're paid. You still may have credit cards/car loans/rent/ mortage(s) that you wan't to pay down but you need the cash to do so.

 

"Wow! I have $100 a month left over after all my bills are paid,so that means I can afford for my rent to go up $100!  "

 

Doesn't work that way folks