First woman to run NYC subways is leaving MTA

[+Young+]

(From https://abc7ny.com/health/first-woman-to-run-nyc-subways-is-leaving-mta/6284364/)

The first woman to run the city's subway system is leaving the job after overseeing four months of unprecedented challenges and changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Eyewitness News has learned.

Sally Librera, the NYC Transit senior vice president of subways, told her staff Tuesday morning that her last day overseeing the day-to-day operations of the sprawling system will be July 24.

"It has been my privilege and honor to work with an incredible team of professionals for the past 16 years at New York City Transit, and lead the hardworking, brave employees of the subway for the past two years," Librera said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of what we have done as a team to markedly improve performance for our riders and carry New Yorkers through the unbelievably challenging peak of the COVID pandemic this year. I will forever be inspired by the bravery and fortitude of the subways employees, each of whom are true masters of their crafts. I have made the difficult decision to transition toward new opportunities, but I am confident the talented subways team will continue to deliver for our customers."

Librera -- whose first career was a teacher in California -- joined the MTA in 2004 as a transportation planner and worked her way up over the next 16 years, eventually running the Staten Island Railway and then taking over the subways, the first woman to do so.

Officials say she was planning on leaving just before coronavirus hit the city, but stayed to face the unprecedented challenges, including:

-- managing the suspension of overnight service for the first time in the railroad's history,

-- overseeing the extensive cleaning and unheard of disinfecting of every subway station and train car

-- keeping the subways running with an unprecedented number of workers out and amid general workforce concerns (a single positive coronavirus test could force many workers on the same subway line to be quarantined)

More than 130 MTA employees, including 86 subway workers, died from coronavirus. And as the agency was beginning to battle back the effects of the pandemic, a train operator died in a March subway fire is believed to have been intentionally and remains unsolved.

Frank Jezycki, the chief operating officer for subways, will take over for Librera on an interim basis.

It is the second major departure for the subways. Andy Byford resigned as head of New York City Transit and started his new job as commissioner of Transport for London Monday.

New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg also released a statement, praising Librera for her accomplishments.

"When you have someone as passionate and incredibly talented as Sally Librera, you know at some point she is going to continue her journey and move on. MTA New York City Transit has been fortunate to have Sally leading Subways since May 2018 and holding various roles, including VP and Chief Officer of Staten Island Railway, for the past 16 years," Feinberg said. "Running subways is one of the hardest jobs in the country and over the past two years Sally has been instrumental in improving the system's performance. In the past four months, she has proven her strength and leadership getting the system through an unprecedented pandemic, and I know she will command her next endeavor with the same diligence she has at the MTA."

(By the way, if you type "Sarah Librera" into the search box of this website located at the top right hand side of the screen, you'll notice that in 2018, she made over $200,000/year.)

Edited June 30, 2020 by +Young+

[B35 via Church]

Can't say I've ever heard of her, but generally speaking, it's very clear that this agency can't maintain talent for shit.....

Well to her credit, at least she has an impressive resume.... More power to her.

[MHV9218]

She was really good. Competent, smart, and professional. No wonder she didn't last. I'm sure that hack Feinberg will do a bang-up job replacing.

[QM1to6Ave]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:47 PM, +Young+ said:

(From https://abc7ny.com/health/first-woman-to-run-nyc-subways-is-leaving-mta/6284364/)

The first woman to run the city's subway system is leaving the job after overseeing four months of unprecedented challenges and changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Eyewitness News has learned.

Sally Librera, the NYC Transit senior vice president of subways, told her staff Tuesday morning that her last day overseeing the day-to-day operations of the sprawling system will be July 24.

"It has been my privilege and honor to work with an incredible team of professionals for the past 16 years at New York City Transit, and lead the hardworking, brave employees of the subway for the past two years," Librera said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of what we have done as a team to markedly improve performance for our riders and carry New Yorkers through the unbelievably challenging peak of the COVID pandemic this year. I will forever be inspired by the bravery and fortitude of the subways employees, each of whom are true masters of their crafts. I have made the difficult decision to transition toward new opportunities, but I am confident the talented subways team will continue to deliver for our customers."

Librera -- whose first career was a teacher in California -- joined the MTA in 2004 as a transportation planner and worked her way up over the next 16 years, eventually running the Staten Island Railway and then taking over the subways, the first woman to do so.

Officials say she was planning on leaving just before coronavirus hit the city, but stayed to face the unprecedented challenges, including:

-- managing the suspension of overnight service for the first time in the railroad's history,

-- overseeing the extensive cleaning and unheard of disinfecting of every subway station and train car

-- keeping the subways running with an unprecedented number of workers out and amid general workforce concerns (a single positive coronavirus test could force many workers on the same subway line to be quarantined)

More than 130 MTA employees, including 86 subway workers, died from coronavirus. And as the agency was beginning to battle back the effects of the pandemic, a train operator died in a March subway fire is believed to have been intentionally and remains unsolved.

Frank Jezycki, the chief operating officer for subways, will take over for Librera on an interim basis.

It is the second major departure for the subways. Andy Byford resigned as head of New York City Transit and started his new job as commissioner of Transport for London Monday.

New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg also released a statement, praising Librera for her accomplishments.

"When you have someone as passionate and incredibly talented as Sally Librera, you know at some point she is going to continue her journey and move on. MTA New York City Transit has been fortunate to have Sally leading Subways since May 2018 and holding various roles, including VP and Chief Officer of Staten Island Railway, for the past 16 years," Feinberg said. "Running subways is one of the hardest jobs in the country and over the past two years Sally has been instrumental in improving the system's performance. In the past four months, she has proven her strength and leadership getting the system through an unprecedented pandemic, and I know she will command her next endeavor with the same diligence she has at the MTA."

(By the way, if you type "Sarah Librera" into the search box of this website located at the top right hand side of the screen, you'll notice that in 2018, she made over $200,000/year.)

Ahh yes, my favorite site where you can play the "how in the world did this MTA employee triple their base salary with overtime? Does this person never sleep or have a family or even go to the bathroom? Or is there lots of fraud going on?" game.  Librera's salary doesn't hold a candle to some of the random machinists and other tradesman employed by the MTA who apparently run on cocaine and never leave work.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:47 PM, +Young+ said:

(By the way, if you type "Sarah Librera" into the search box of this website located at the top right hand side of the screen, you'll notice that in 2018, she made over $200,000/year.)

 

The position is posted on the MTA website (scroll to the very bottom and click on "Careers") with a salary range of $205,490 - $256,863. 

[MHV9218]

No shame in her making a good wage for a hard job. Whenever I see one of these right-wing papers pretending to get annoyed about a good-paying union job, I always want them to try to keep a straight face about private sector salaries. The problem isn't that MTA employees (company and transit) get paid too much, it's that we've made it acceptable for everybody else to get paid too little, all while CEO salaries are 20x what they ever were before, inflation-corrected. But I'm getting off topic.

[R68OnBroadway]

1 minute ago, MHV9218 said:

No shame in her making a good wage for a hard job. Whenever I see one of these right-wing papers pretending to get annoyed about a good-paying union job, I always want them to try to keep a straight face about private sector salaries. The problem isn't that MTA employees (company and transit) get paid too much, it's that we've made it acceptable for everybody else to get paid too little, all while CEO salaries are 20x what they ever were before, inflation-corrected. But I'm getting off topic.

When it comes to MTA work reform, it’s not really the issue of pay being too high but it’s really just labor requirements being too high- you don’t need 10 people working a 4 man job.

[MHV9218]

Just now, R68OnBroadway said:

When it comes to MTA work reform, it’s not really the issue of pay being too high but it’s really just labor requirements being too high- you don’t need 10 people working a 4 man job.

Yeah, I will say the Sandhogs in particular have negotiated some ludicrous provisions into their contracts. At a certain point I wish some of the union guys involved in Capital contracts, where cost overruns are rampant, would think about the negative effect an MTA budget crisis means for their guys working in Operations. When things go south, it's bus and subway runs that cut, and the jobs with them (station clerks, etc.). 

[R10 2952]

On 7/5/2020 at 8:26 PM, QM1to6Ave said:

Ahh yes, my favorite site where you can play the "how in the world did this MTA employee triple their base salary with overtime? Does this person never sleep or have a family or even go to the bathroom? Or is there lots of fraud going on?" game.  Librera's salary doesn't hold a candle to some of the random machinists and other tradesman employed by the MTA who apparently run on cocaine and never leave work.

 

19 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

No shame in her making a good wage for a hard job. Whenever I see one of these right-wing papers pretending to get annoyed about a good-paying union job, I always want them to try to keep a straight face about private sector salaries. The problem isn't that MTA employees (company and transit) get paid too much, it's that we've made it acceptable for everybody else to get paid too little, all while CEO salaries are 20x what they ever were before, inflation-corrected. But I'm getting off topic.

 

19 hours ago, R68OnBroadway said:

When it comes to MTA work reform, it’s not really the issue of pay being too high but it’s really just labor requirements being too high- you don’t need 10 people working a 4 man job.

 

19 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Yeah, I will say the Sandhogs in particular have negotiated some ludicrous provisions into their contracts. At a certain point I wish some of the union guys involved in Capital contracts, where cost overruns are rampant, would think about the negative effect an MTA budget crisis means for their guys working in Operations. When things go south, it's bus and subway runs that cut, and the jobs with them (station clerks, etc.). 

I'm no fan of the monetary shenanigans that go on in the private sector, but that doesn't mean the public and non-profit sectors should be exempt from criticism.  If the public sector wants more respect and less anger directed at it, then they need to set the right example themselves.

I've worked in the public sector and the amount of waste, inefficiency and non-transparency is mind numbing.  There's a website I came across a few years ago similar to what QM1 mentioned, it showed the highest pensions being paid out/collected from the New York State Retirement System- #1 or 2 on the list was a retired executive from the New York Public Library, collecting over $200k annually in pension money... like HTF do you earn that kind of money working for the library? Something ain't right. 

[Yankees4life]

That was quick