MTA is planning tiny pay hikes as budget gap looms

[Trainspotter]

The cash-strapped MTA plans to help balance its books by skimping on raises for its workers next year, financial plans show.

 

Agency bean counters predict the MTA can save $40 million by limiting 2009 raises for the Transit Workers Union to less than 1.5%.

 

"Their position is ridiculous, and it won't happen," TWU Local 100 President Roger Toussaint told the Daily News.

 

The MTA and the TWU have been in contract talks as the January expiration date for the current contract nears.

 

That pact was reached after the union staged a three-day walkout in December 2005.

 

Another strike "is not in the cards," Toussaint said.

 

But, he insisted, neither is a 1.5% raise.

 

Bus and subway workers have been taking note of the string of multi-year contracts City Hall has reached with unions for police officers, firefighters, correction officers, sanitation workers and clerical staff. Each received annual raises of about 4%.

 

The MTA included a planned 1.5% raise in its preliminary 2009 budget that officials are now updating to include double-digit fare hikes and service cuts, citing a ballooning deficit.

 

MTA CEO Elliot Sander earlier this week said that the budget gap widened to $1.2 billion and "draconian" budget cuts and fare hikes were likely without a state bailout plan.

 

"I would say that they are using the economic situation of the last several months to blackmail us," said Toussaint, who represents about 35,000 bus and subway workers.

 

In closed-door contract talks, MTA negotiators haven't suggested a 1.5% pay hike, Toussaint said.

 

"I wouldn't be at the table with those numbers," he said.

 

Toussaint's comments are the harshest he's leveled against the current MTA administration.

 

Asked about the change in tone, Toussaint said: "This is the first time they are putting into the public space, and into the airwaves, this type of garbage."

 

BY PETE DONOHUE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

November 13th 2008

[Forest Glen]

I'm sick of both the MTA and the TWU

[Jah]

This is disgusting!!! Every other union can get 4% a year during this financial crisis except this one?

 

The MTA can save much more by firing alot of the usless high paid managers but they won't instead they keep hiring more. They have managers that manage nothing and others that manage more managers.

 

It's simple more ridership with less hourly employees equals productivity which in turn needs to be rewarded. Especially coming off of the 2 worst contracts in the history on NYC transit back to back.

[Cyberider]

A lot of American workers are taking pay cuts or losing their jobs. It may not be fair but there simply isn't the money during these economic times for raises.

[Jah]

A lot of American workers are taking pay cuts or losing their jobs. It may not be fair but there simply isn't the money during these economic times for raises.

 

 

During these same economic times all of the other major unions received 4% a year.

 

Last contract times were great the MTA had a 1.2 billion dollar surplus and the union still got less raises than the other unions with MAJOR givebacks.

[Y2Julio]

Consider yourself lucky that the MTA hasn't started cutting back more jobs. The Dept of Education has to cut down staff down by 8% due to the budget cuts that the mayor is doing.

[RokuSix]

Now would not be a good time to upset the TWU.

[Radioguy]

Not to stir the pot, but they are not in a position to threaten anything right now either what with Toussaint's affidavit. Then there's the current coverage of the "slacking" track workers. I know I don't want to be Roger right now...

[Jah]

Consider yourself lucky that the MTA hasn't started cutting back more jobs. The Dept of Education has to cut down staff down by 8% due to the budget cuts that the major is doing.

 

None of the cuts from the board of ed. are going to be class room personnell. I think the MTA should cut management and duplicate office staff also.

[Y2Julio]

Yeah, it's non-school staff but some non-school staff do offer vital support for schools. Like my office. We handle all the bad kids that get suspended. If school's couldn't suspend kids, the schools would be zoos.

[metsfan]

I don't want to sound contrary to what people might think (ok yes i do:rolleyes:), but the best thing you can do going into an economic downturn is invest in the future by some smart spending policy. Too many cutbacks and too much skipping stuff and not enough money going out reduces the power of the economy to recover by itself.

 

If an apple costs a dollar today, and 2 dollars tomorrow, why would you cut wages, all it's going to do is send a chain reaction through the entire economy network till everything is too expensive and people have no purchasing power.

 

Sometimes going into debt to limit economic downturn is a good and responsible thing.

 

The government is doing such a thing right now. They are increasing funding to things, and taking control of preferred stock in torubled companies, so when the economy does rebound (and it will!), we will see a return on investment, and for once the government will make money that isn't tax or fee related!! Why people are so opposed to this is beyond me. No corporate ceo is getting any of the money. The money is in preferred (non-trading) core asset stock, not some kind of handout check.

 

Anyways back to transit specific stuff. I see (NJT) and (SEPTA) ordering new rolling stock, locos, updating stations, all kinds of stuff. Why shouldn't (NYCT)?

 

- A

[Y2Julio]

I don't want to sound contrary to what people might think (ok yes i do:rolleyes:), but the best thing you can do going into an economic downturn is invest in the future by some smart spending policy. Too many cutbacks and too much skipping stuff and not enough money going out reduces the power of the economy to recover by itself.

 

If an apple costs a dollar today, and 2 dollars tomorrow, why would you cut wages, all it's going to do is send a chain reaction through the entire economy network till everything is too expensive and people have no purchasing power.

 

Sometimes going into debt to limit economic downturn is a good and responsible thing.

 

The government is doing such a thing right now. They are increasing funding to things, and taking control of preferred stock in torubled companies, so when the economy does rebound (and it will!), we will see a return on investment, and for once the government will make money that isn't tax or fee related!! Why people are so opposed to this is beyond me. No corporate ceo is getting any of the money. The money is in preferred (non-trading) core asset stock, not some kind of handout check.

 

Anyways back to transit specific stuff. I see (NJT) and (SEPTA) ordering new rolling stock, locos, updating stations, all kinds of stuff. Why shouldn't (NYCT)?

 

- A

You honestly think that the bailout package is going to work? I got a bridge to sell to you

[metsfan]

You honestly think that the bailout package is going to work? I got a bridge to sell to you

 

Hey i'm no financial expert, i'm just trying to tell it as it is. If NYC wants to be a player, it gots to pay to be in the game. If not, risk losing clout and companies to other cities & watch things decline because of the decline because of the decline beca... if you see what i'm saying.

 

If i had a job that i could live off of & they said "hey we want a tax to develop more mass transit and hopefully restore rail to newtown". I'd be all over it, because it's a good idea. Taxing me directly to fund the school even though i do not have a job, not such a good idea. Like i said, smart spending policy comes BEFORE you start to ask the public for help. Put a tax on gasoline. Now only would you get funds from the gas tax, but some people might say oh well me & my friends would rather just ride the mass transit system instead. BINGO!!! People need to stop being cowards and making the way things were keep going, because it isn't possible. We need drastic change now. If new cars gives people jobs and makes the subway safer and more reliable and in turn people will ride it more DO IT.

 

The idea is to have people move from one behavior as seamlessly as possible to a new behavior. Sometimes an outlandishly high tax, or ban on this or that will do it. Politicians are too cowardly to do these things because they want to get re-elected & want to pander to every voting person they can.

 

Tiny pay hikes? At least they are not canceled outright.

 

The love you take is equal to the love you make. Someone's gotta start the first domino to progress and economic recovery, but we can't do it if everyone wants more for less & work less.

 

- A

[SubwayGuy]

This is disgusting!!! Every other union can get 4% a year during this financial crisis except this one?

 

The MTA can save much more by firing alot of the usless high paid managers but they won't instead they keep hiring more. They have managers that manage nothing and others that manage more managers.

 

It's simple more ridership with less hourly employees equals productivity which in turn needs to be rewarded. Especially coming off of the 2 worst contracts in the history on NYC transit back to back.

 

IAWTP 100%...

 

Managers don't move passengers, they are the layer of "fat" that needs to be trimmed, otherwise you are looking at service cuts, fare hikes, and less line workers = less safety and less supervision on the property

 

Managers also make the most so cutting 2 managers (support jobs) would be about the same as cutting 3 frontline jobs

 

And the frontline workers that are left, should be fairly compensated for what they do. Even as "much" as 60K a year does not go far in this city...if you are single, there goes a third of that, say you live in Manhattan well now you're already down to 40K and gotta pay rent, there goes another 24K (2K a month), now you're talking about 16K left to pay utilities, food, clothing, car (if you got one), cable internet phone all while still trying to have a life and also put money away for the future and it's not easy. And a lot of TWU workers don't even make 60K, that's T/O's that work the blood money jobs and TSS's and higher up (ATD's, TD's, etc.) so they have every right to ask that they get whats fair to keep up with rising expenses in the city