news MTA Plan For LIRR Strike

[NY1635]

What do the LIRR Unions want from the MTA?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That's a horrible idea!

 

As I keep on saying NIMBYs have too much say in public transportation. They are selfish they only care about their own needs. (e.g parking spaces, losing a tiny bit of their property for a third track, a tiny bit more noise) They have to realize this will benefit hundreds of thousands of commuters daily.

I don't think you're aware of what usually goes on when the undertakes projects where homeowners are involved.  Given the 's track record and the chaos that they cause, it's certainly understandable as they don't have a history of being "a good neighbor". They cause damage to private property and often times try to avoid financial obligations in repaying the homeowners to fix the damage.  A perfect example is on the line.  Homeowners sacrificed and endured losing "a tiny bit of property and a tiny bit more noise" and in return their windows were smashed out in some cases, damage to their backyard, etc., and the tried to avoid paying for the damage.  

[Truckie]

What do the LIRR Unions want from the MTA?

The unions want what the PEB recommended. While the MTA says they are giving them what the unions are asking for, it's not true. The MTA wants to sacrifice the unborn which would create resentment between the current and future employees.

 

To make matters worse it has been reported that former LIRR President Helena Williams is still on the payroll after getting fired.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The unions want what the PEB recommended. While the MTA says they are giving them what the unions are asking for, it's not true. The MTA wants to sacrifice the unborn which would create resentment between the current and future employees.

 

To make matters worse it has been reported that former LIRR President Helena Williams is still on the payroll after getting fired.

I don't see what personnel/management has to do with the unions.  As far as the future goes, the has no choice but to play these tactics, otherwise their costs will skyrocket.  I am not anti-union, but the unions need to understand that the escalating costs will be eaten by someone and that someone will be the riding public. If the goal is expand transportation and expand the opportunities for more jobs for employees, then concessions should be made by the unions, otherwise, this whole thing just comes back to bite them in the @ss.

[Truckie]

I don't see what personnel/management has to do with the unions.

http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-fired-lirr-president-helena-williams-remains-payroll-strike-article-1.1848112

 

She is being kept on the payroll with her over $200K salary until November so she can cash in on a full 30 year pension, yet the MTA is crying poverty on the contract.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-fired-lirr-president-helena-williams-remains-payroll-strike-article-1.1848112

 

She is being kept on the payroll with her over $200K salary until November so she can cash in on a full 30 year pension, yet the MTA is crying poverty on the contract.

Well she is only one person in comparison to THOUSANDS of workers.  I don't think that you can compare the two.  Aside from that, who knows what the agreement terms were between her and the .  It would be interesting to see how many workers earn $100,000 + a year in comparison to the former president of the LIRR.  You and I know that the figure in question is not a small one, even if some of it is with overtime.  The fact of the matter is that over time, the benefits that workers want are simply not sustainable economically for the agency and could hurt the economy and NYC overall, leading to job cuts for these employees.  It's very similar to raising the wages of workers earning the minimum wage and having that jump to $15.00 an hour.  When the monetary benefits, pension benefits and other benefits are enumerated, they equal a very expensive package for the to handle, and every effort must be made to minimize expenditures.  The one question that I ask is does the union really believe that the will be the ones paying for these packages?  If they do, I have a bridge to sell them.   I'm of the belief that workers (the majority of them work hard), but at the same time, they are fairly compensated for their work, and at some point the question has to be raised in terms how much is too much?  What is considered a "fair" salary for an employee?  The benefits packages and salary structures afforded to many workers are some that others outside in the private industry would kill for, and in my mind, in this economy, concessions are being made across the board.  I don't see why workers shouldn't make concessions, which would be to their benefit in terms of more jobs and a healthier economy overall, which could mean more raises and benefits down the road.  The argument that fights are being wagered in order to protect the benefits of future employees seems rather contradictory, given the fact the current demands may very well be to the detriment of all workers in the near future. 

 

I think this article says quite a bit:

 

 

 

"Workers in two of the coalition’s main unions make on average annual salary of $65,000 to $70,000. Workers on average make an additional $10,000 to $20,000 by toiling extra hours on overtime, the MTA said. That makes them the highest paid commuter railroad workers in the country, according to the MTA."

 

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lirr-mta-negotiators-meet-friday-fail-produce-deal-article-1.1846841

[lirr42]

http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-fired-lirr-president-helena-williams-remains-payroll-strike-article-1.1848112

 

She is being kept on the payroll with her over $200K salary until November so she can cash in on a full 30 year pension, yet the MTA is crying poverty on the contract.

 

...to help her predecessor adjust to running the nation's busiest commuter railroad.  I would be more unhappy/uneasy if they just tossed Nowakowski the keys and said "best of luck!"

[bobtehpanda]

I think this article says quite a bit:

 

 

<quote>

 

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lirr-mta-negotiators-meet-friday-fail-produce-deal-article-1.1846841

I'm going to be devil's advocate here, and say that part of the reason railroad workers here get paid more is because New York in general is much more expensive. There aren't really any peer commuter rail systems in the country in similarly expensive areas, and on top of that the legacy railroads have weird, non-standard rulebooks, so it's not as if we're paying more for nothing in return.

 

It'd be very interesting to compare the pay scale of MTA commuter railroad workers vs. say, the workers at NJT's rail division, however.

[Truckie]

Well she is only one person in comparison to THOUSANDS of workers.  

 

Yes she is.  However I wouldn't believe for a minute that she is the only one.  Not to mention that it's ok that management gets their raises.  While at face value they don't get raises, instead they get a new title which in turn comes with higher earnings for doing the same work.

 

 

"Workers in two of the coalition’s main unions make on average annual salary of $65,000 to $70,000. Workers on average make an additional $10,000 to $20,000 by toiling extra hours on overtime, the MTA said. That makes them the highest paid commuter railroad workers in the country, according to the MTA.

 

 

Toiling extra hours on overtime.  Would that be the mandated type?  Oh yeah, much of it is!  I guess they forget that the MTA is a 24/7 operation. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yes she is.  However I wouldn't believe for a minute that she is the only one.  Not to mention that it's ok that management gets their raises.  While at face value they don't get raises, instead they get a new title which in turn comes with higher earnings for doing the same work.

 

 

 

Toiling extra hours on overtime.  Would that be the mandated type?  Oh yeah, much of it is!  I guess they forget that the MTA is a 24/7 operation. 

Do you really believe that workers should be earning as if they are the president of the LIRR?  Your motto and attitude seems to suggest that workers should get everything that they can while the getting is good, regardless of whose expense it occurs at, and I for one think it's a dangerous mindset.  From what I've seen so far the LIRR riders are quite pissed at the LIRR workers' attitude.  I still believe that this whole thing may come back to haunt LIRR workers.  You have to look at the whole situation and say are these wages and compensation packages going to be good for LIRR workers as a whole and could it lead to job losses later on?  In my mind the answer is yes, so while LIRR workers may argue that they're fighting to prevent a schism amongst the old timers and the newer workers, I don't know if they really are.

[Truckie]

Do you really believe that workers should be earning as if they are the president of the LIRR?  Your motto and attitude seems to suggest that workers should get everything that they can while the getting is good, regardless of whose expense it occurs at, and I for one think it's a dangerous mindset.  From what I've seen so far the LIRR riders are quite pissed at the LIRR workers' attitude.  I still believe that this whole thing may come back to haunt LIRR workers.  You have to look at the whole situation and say are these wages and compensation packages going to be good for LIRR workers as a whole and could it lead to job losses later on?  In my mind the answer is yes, so while LIRR workers may argue that they're fighting to prevent a schism amongst the old timers and the newer workers, I don't know if they really are.

 

Ok so maybe workers shouldn't earn as much as the president but let me ask you this:

 

What would be the difference is one worker made $100,000 in overtime, or 10 made $10,000 each?  The net is the same.  I've seen management in various trades that go back to being a hourly employee because they can make more money doing so.  It's not just the MTA.

 

I'm sure the LIRR riders are pissed at the workers, just like many of the MNRR riders are pissed at us.  I can't speak for their attitude but they are only asking for what a third party recommended they get at the same time determining the MTA can afford it. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Ok so maybe workers shouldn't earn as much as the president but let me ask you this:

 

What would be the difference is one worker made $100,000 in overtime, or 10 made $10,000 each?  The net is the same.  I've seen management in various trades that go back to being a hourly employee because they can make more money doing so.  It's not just the MTA.

 

I'm sure the LIRR riders are pissed at the workers, just like many of the MNRR riders are pissed at us.  I can't speak for their attitude but they are only asking for what a third party recommended they get at the same time determining the MTA can afford it. 

I'd be curious to understand how they came to the conclusion that can continue to afford rising wages, rising pensions and skyrocketing healthcare costs.  I mean let's be honest here.  It is no secret that healthcare costs are increasing at a rate that can't be kept up with, nor can the control those costs.  Even though the economy is doing a bit better, New Yorkers are still struggling to make ends meet.  You also look at how the has raised fares across the board over the most recent years and those were some serious increases which certainly did impact ridership negatively.  Now the (MTA)'s fiscal outlook depends on an array of things obviously and not just ridership, but overhead costs certainly play a role in their economical outlook.  I should add that I have been an advocate for less waste across the board, including with management.  I think management is bloated and salaries need to scaled back and/or positions consolidated accordingly, and service cuts should be the last thing on the list, as they no only deter ridership, but negatively impact our economy as a whole.  I also don't believe that workforce should be cut back, but at the same time, if overhead costs can't be maintained or kept under control, then tough decisions have to made because the fact of the matter is it's the riding public that will be eating these increases, not the themselves via more frequent and higher increases on fares and bridges and tolls, along with those "lovely" surcharges on cell phone bills and taxi rides.

[RtrainBlues]

Many riders already can't afford the off-peak fares, particularly discretionary riders (reverse-commute and weekend).  It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have 2 conductors on a train that has only 20 people on the whole 6-car train. 

 

They should consider hiring part-time conductors who only work in the peak-direction during rush-hour.  All other times, it's not worth the salary/benefits to check tickets, and it would be far cheaper to just let riders ride for free during the non-rush hours.  I bet 90%-95% of their revenue comes from monthly ticket holders who ride during rush hour.

[bobtehpanda]

Do you really believe that workers should be earning as if they are the president of the LIRR?  Your motto and attitude seems to suggest that workers should get everything that they can while the getting is good, regardless of whose expense it occurs at, and I for one think it's a dangerous mindset.  From what I've seen so far the LIRR riders are quite pissed at the LIRR workers' attitude.  I still believe that this whole thing may come back to haunt LIRR workers.  You have to look at the whole situation and say are these wages and compensation packages going to be good for LIRR workers as a whole and could it lead to job losses later on?  In my mind the answer is yes, so while LIRR workers may argue that they're fighting to prevent a schism amongst the old timers and the newer workers, I don't know if they really are.

 

The salaries are not all that ridiculous, and those aren't the most expensive part of running the LIRR; the ridiculous parts of the LIRR's labor costs come from outdated work rules, labor contracts that are much less flexible than Metro-North's, and the giant ticking time bomb that is the system's health care and pension costs. Skimping back on salaries wouldn't do anything to fix the growth trajectory of labor costs, since most of the cost growth is not coming from salaries in the first place.

 

I would be okay with wage growth (17% over seven or six years is not insane) if it came with equal changes in cost reduction through pension reform, healthcare reform, or work rule changes, but even the LIRR's current offer is more generous than that, because it certainly doesn't look net-zero.

 

I'm also pretty positive that Helena Williams' salary is about three times higher than the base pay of a railroad worker, and the new guy was probably hired on more generous terms since we poached him from another agency, but who knows. The MTA's wage freeze has not exactly been great for attracting new, motivated talent in management (not that any such hires wouldn't be ground into dust by the gigantic MTA bureaucracy, but still.)

[LIRR 154]

Many riders already can't afford the off-peak fares, particularly discretionary riders (reverse-commute and weekend).  It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have 2 conductors on a train that has only 20 people on the whole 6-car train. 

 

They should consider hiring part-time conductors who only work in the peak-direction during rush-hour.  All other times, it's not worth the salary/benefits to check tickets, and it would be far cheaper to just let riders ride for free during the non-rush hours.  I bet 90%-95% of their revenue comes from monthly ticket holders who ride during rush hour.

Many riders already can't afford the off-peak fares, particularly discretionary riders (reverse-commute and weekend).  It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have 2 conductors on a train that has only 20 people on the whole 6-car train. 

 

They should consider hiring part-time conductors who only work in the peak-direction during rush-hour.  All other times, it's not worth the salary/benefits to check tickets, and it would be far cheaper to just let riders ride for free during the non-rush hours.  I bet 90%-95% of their revenue comes from monthly ticket holders who ride during rush hour.

I think you should do some research on what exactly a conductor job involves and what they have to do to become qualified before coming up with baseless ideas like this.

The salaries are not all that ridiculous, and those aren't the most expensive part of running the LIRR; the ridiculous parts of the LIRR's labor costs come from outdated work rules, labor contracts that are much less flexible than Metro-North's, and the giant ticking time bomb that is the system's health care and pension costs. Skimping back on salaries wouldn't do anything to fix the growth trajectory of labor costs, since most of the cost growth is not coming from salaries in the first place.

 

I would be okay with wage growth (17% over seven or six years is not insane) if it came with equal changes in cost reduction through pension reform, healthcare reform, or work rule changes, but even the LIRR's current offer is more generous than that, because it certainly doesn't look net-zero.

 

I'm also pretty positive that Helena Williams' salary is about three times higher than the base pay of a railroad worker, and the new guy was probably hired on more generous terms since we poached him from another agency, but who knows. The MTA's wage freeze has not exactly been great for attracting new, motivated talent in management (not that any such hires wouldn't be ground into dust by the gigantic MTA bureaucracy, but still.)

I'm confused you say salaries are not ridiculous ,but they need to make work rule changes . You do know salaries are included with the work rules combine.

And let's be real here . 28% of the total workforce making over 100k isn't a lot of people.

[bobtehpanda]

I think you should do some research on what exactly a conductor job involves and what they have to do to become qualified before coming up with baseless ideas like this.

I'm confused you say salaries are not ridiculous ,but they need to make work rule changes . You do know salaries are included with the work rules combine.

And let's be real here . 28% of the total workforce making over 100k isn't a lot of people.

 

I'm saying the idea of the base salary and the payscale itself is not that out there, but the work rules that create lots of overtime or weird shift scheduling combined with the pensions and the healthcare is expensive. Even if you count overtime, pensions and healthcare are just going to eat more and more of the budget until it swallows everything else. This isn't really that uncommon in the public sector; the NYPD these days pays more in pensions than it does on the healthcare costs and salaries of its workforce combined.

[LIRR 154]

I'm saying the idea of the base salary and the payscale itself is not that out there, but the work rules that create lots of overtime or weird shift scheduling combined with the pensions and the healthcare is expensive. Even if you count overtime, pensions and healthcare are just going to eat more and more of the budget until it swallows everything else. This isn't really that uncommon in the public sector; the NYPD these days pays more in pensions than it does on the healthcare costs and salaries of its workforce combined.

The only thing is OT and work rules penalties are govern by management not the employees. Management has the last word on OT and majority of the time it's mandatory OT. If a crew or a body has to be covered then it's cheaper to pay a person OT then to hire more workers with pay sales and benefits. As far as pension goes we pay into our pension , the only ones who the MTA is footing the whole bill in pension cost and healthcare is management. And the ratio of management to worker is 3:1. That's where your high cost of pension goes , not us.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Many riders already can't afford the off-peak fares, particularly discretionary riders (reverse-commute and weekend).  It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have 2 conductors on a train that has only 20 people on the whole 6-car train. 

 

They should consider hiring part-time conductors who only work in the peak-direction during rush-hour.  All other times, it's not worth the salary/benefits to check tickets, and it would be far cheaper to just let riders ride for free during the non-rush hours.  I bet 90%-95% of their revenue comes from monthly ticket holders who ride during rush hour.

Let's not be ridiculous now... Riding for free is not feasible for a premium service, but I do agree that additional fare increases will deter some people from riding.  When I ride during peak periods, I pay $10.75 one way with the Hudson Rail Link. Meanwhile the express bus for the day is just $12.00 round trip.  I mean $10.75 when you have an express bus pass already... I pay that two-three days a week when I want to sleep in but sometimes I say sh*t that's my snack money for one or two days right there... I can get almost four double espressos or two macchiatos from my Euro spot with that or even a bottle of wine with a few more bucks added to it so I look at it as a treat that doesn't necessarily give me maximum satisfaction, esp. when you're standing for almost $11.00...   

 

The salaries are not all that ridiculous, and those aren't the most expensive part of running the LIRR; the ridiculous parts of the LIRR's labor costs come from outdated work rules, labor contracts that are much less flexible than Metro-North's, and the giant ticking time bomb that is the system's health care and pension costs. Skimping back on salaries wouldn't do anything to fix the growth trajectory of labor costs, since most of the cost growth is not coming from salaries in the first place.

 

I would be okay with wage growth (17% over seven or six years is not insane) if it came with equal changes in cost reduction through pension reform, healthcare reform, or work rule changes, but even the LIRR's current offer is more generous than that, because it certainly doesn't look net-zero.

 

I'm also pretty positive that Helena Williams' salary is about three times higher than the base pay of a railroad worker, and the new guy was probably hired on more generous terms since we poached him from another agency, but who knows. The MTA's wage freeze has not exactly been great for attracting new, motivated talent in management (not that any such hires wouldn't be ground into dust by the gigantic MTA bureaucracy, but still.)

 

I'm saying the idea of the base salary and the payscale itself is not that out there, but the work rules that create lots of overtime or weird shift scheduling combined with the pensions and the healthcare is expensive. Even if you count overtime, pensions and healthcare are just going to eat more and more of the budget until it swallows everything else. This isn't really that uncommon in the public sector; the NYPD these days pays more in pensions than it does on the healthcare costs and salaries of its workforce combined.

 

The salaries aren't terrible, but as you said the pensions and healthcare costs keep going up and up and up... I don't see how the union can expect the norm to continue and think the can continue to keep eating all of those costs with them conceding nothing in return. That's just not economically possible, and any person with a clue about Math can see that.

 

I think you should do some research on what exactly a conductor job involves and what they have to do to become qualified before coming up with baseless ideas like this.

I'm confused you say salaries are not ridiculous ,but they need to make work rule changes . You do know salaries are included with the work rules combine.

And let's be real here . 28% of the total workforce making over 100k isn't a lot of people.

lol... I wonder how much money does the LIRR pay its workers that get paid on the clock while not doing anything like those two guys that were busted on the clock both making over 100k... Speaking of which, whatever happened with those guys? Did the union stand up for them?

[LIRR 154]

Let's not be ridiculous now... Riding for free is not feasible for a premium service, but I do agree that additional fare increases will deter some people from riding.  When I ride during peak periods, I pay $10.75 one way with the Hudson Rail Link. Meanwhile the express bus for the day is just $12.00 round trip.  I mean $10.75 when you have an express bus pass already... I pay that two-three days a week when I want to sleep in but sometimes I say sh*t that's my snack money for one or two days right there... I can get almost four double espressos or two macchiatos from my Euro spot with that or even a bottle of wine with a few more bucks added to it so I look at it as a treat that doesn't necessarily give me maximum satisfaction, esp. when you're standing for almost $11.00...   

 

Which guys? Which department?

 

 

 

 

 

The salaries aren't terrible, but as you said the pensions and healthcare costs keep going up and up and up... I don't see how the union can expect the norm to continue and think the can continue to keep eating all of those costs with them conceding nothing in return. That's just not economically possible, and any person with a clue about Math can see that.

 

 

lol... I wonder how much money does the LIRR pay its workers that get paid on the clock while not doing anything like those two guys that were busted on the clock both making over 100k... Speaking of which, whatever happened with those guys? Did the union stand up for them?

Which guys do you speak of!

[Truckie]

It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have 2 conductors on a train that has only 20 people on the whole 6-car train. 

 

They should consider hiring part-time conductors who only work in the peak-direction during rush-hour. 

 

In most cases the assistant conductors do more than just take tickets.  They key out at stations where the conductor can not see the whole side of the train, assist with wheelchairs, trouble shoot problems with the train that may arise.

 

Let's say they did hire part time conductors that only work in the peak direction, how do they get back to their original crew base?  I can't use any examples for LIRR as I'm not familiar with the stations, but lets say on Metro North an assistant conductor starts in Croton Harmon and works a morning peak train into GCT.  If he did not work any other train, how does he get back to Croton where his car is?  Doesn't it make more sense to work a train back regardless of how many people are on it?  At least he can help keep the train going in the event problems arise?  If you have an six car train, it's still an six car train regardless of how many people are on it.  That's six cars that could develop problems where brakes may stick and trucks have to be cut out.  If a roll by has to be done, goes twice as fast with two on the ground than one.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of times I have worked with out a trainman and every time I do I dread something to go wrong. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Which guys do you speak of!

Too many scammers to remember which ones exactly, but this one comes to mind:

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/APa2ea6379ce094519bb69d535260bea1e.html

 

That's only one example with just two former LIRR workers... That's over 300k stolen from the (aka taxpayers)... Hopefully they can reclaim that money.

[LIRR 154]

Too many scammers to remember which ones exactly, but this one comes to mind:

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/APa2ea6379ce094519bb69d535260bea1e.html

 

That's only one example with just two former LIRR workers... That's over 300k stolen from the (aka taxpayers)... Hopefully they can reclaim that money.

You said two employees on overtime doing nothing. Don't give me this cop out of two many scammers and give me info on the fraud case I already am aware of. And no that's 300k stolen from their own fellow employees. RR disability is not like the disability other people get from other industries. We the employees put that money in RR retirement.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

You said two employees on overtime doing nothing. Don't give me this cop out of two many scammers and give me info on the fraud case I already am aware of. And no that's 300k stolen from their own fellow employees. RR disability is not like the disability other people get from other industries. We the employees put that money in RR retirement.

Yes, and I posted that because I originally heard about the other case on the news, not on the internet, hence why I probably can't find it.  In any event, there are too many of these stories floating around to keep track, and that's the real problem.  What I find even more appalling is how these unions protect these types of workers.  Just this morning I heard on the news about how rookie engineers on the MNRR were caught cheating on a safety test.  They somehow managed to steal the test from the bag of the person administering the exam, and then one of them took photos of it with their cell phone, and texted the others with that info., and eventually the test was put online where it was discovered sometime after they all took the exam.  Now explain to me how in the world the union fought to keep some of these guys...??  The rookies were all fired, but the others who held positions within the MNRR previously were simply demoted/reassigned.  Are you kidding me?  Considering all of the safety issues and recent accidents surrounding the MNRR and the , and the distrust for both the MNRR and the LIRR with these sorts of scandals going on, you honestly can't blame me if I can't keep up. Smh

 

The story above I managed to find online:

 

 

 

One or more of the first-year conductors got access to a written test, photographed it with a smartphone, and shared it with others, sources said. Metro-North wants to determine if this is an isolated incident or part of a bigger problem.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/metro-north-axes-conductors-cheated-exams-article-1.1851660

 

I don't understand why they all weren't fired. Even the news reporter was shocked... I would like to hear the excuse for keeping the other three on.  In short my thinking is that yes the majority of you guys work hard, but I also think that you're well compensated overall, so the notion that somehow the is shortchanging the LIRR workers just seems preposterous.  At the end of the day, even if they have it now, that doesn't mean they'll have it in the upcoming years, and they would be fools to cave in and give in to the union's demands simply because the union thinks that they "deserve" more.  It comes down to what is economically feasible for the and also what will be economically feasible to ensure that patronage remains healthy to ensure further growth, not only of the LIRR, but of the region's economy as a whole, and I strongly believe that the must hold firm and keep this in mind moving forward, and I believe that this is the public's sentiment as well.  In short, sure you guys should get a raise, but the union shouldn't be breaking balls and trying to be greedy in the process.

[LIRR 154]

The union is not breaking balls. They will sign today the PEB decision . Its the MTA stomping their feet and acting like a 5 year old because bith boards find their story a bunch of bs in crying broke . Both boards gave a recommendation that the MTA can afford without raising fares . Their financial state is so good JR cut the toll on the Vezz bridge in half with the MTA stating we don't need that 40 million. Tell me who is bsing who. They want us to sell out the unborn to higher medical and longer progression rate to start a divide between new and current workers. Thats what they do divide and conquer.

[bobtehpanda]

The union is not breaking balls. They will sign today the PEB decision . Its the MTA stomping their feet and acting like a 5 year old because bith boards find their story a bunch of bs in crying broke . Both boards gave a recommendation that the MTA can afford without raising fares . Their financial state is so good JR cut the toll on the Vezz bridge in half with the MTA stating we don't need that 40 million. Tell me who is bsing who. They want us to sell out the unborn to higher medical and longer progression rate to start a divide between new and current workers. Thats what they do divide and conquer.

 

If you read the PEBs' recommendations, they clearly state that they can do so without raising fares by simply issuing more debt and stealing money from the Capital Program. Both of these are terrible ideas, mostly because debt service is already a huge portion of the MTA budget (and will continue to rise if the State and City barely fund the next Capital Program as usual), and because the Capital Program is both necessary, and probably can't be stolen from legally (since a good portion of it is federal funding, and USDOT has been very clear about what its money can be spent on)

 

A good portion of the MTA Board thought that cutting the SI resident VZ toll was a terrible idea (because it was). The only reason Prendergast probably agreed to it was because Cuomo would probably have fired him if he didn't (our Governor is no stranger to weird financial shenanigans in the name of "good government").