Home Transit LaborTWU Samuelsen: TWU has ‘no intention of striking’

Samuelsen: TWU has ‘no intention of striking’

by Benjamin Kabak

“I’m not going to make any promises, but certainly the union doesn’t want to go on strike and has no intention of striking.” TWU President John Samuelsen

Talk about trial by fire. One day after starting as the MTA’s Executive Director, eventual CEO and Chairman Joseph Lhota is set to kick off negotiations with the TWU today, and already, he’s drawing praise from union leaders. Whether he can sustain that initial burst of good will may dictate whether or not the TWU strikes in mid-January as its contract runs out.

In an interview with Brian Lehrer this morning, TWU President John Samuelsen talked at length about the looming negotiations and his relationship with those in charge at the authority. Never one to miss an opportunity to bash the departed Jay Walder, Samuelsen spoke optimistically of the negotiations while stressing the hard line the TWU intends to toe.

“I’m more optimistic regarding having a labor/management relationship with Lhota. That was impossible under his predecessor,” he said. “I think Lhota has demonstrated already a willingness to open a dialogue with the union on a host of issues. I think it was the right thing to do for Lhota to reach out to the union and jointly sign a letter to the district attorneys in the five boroughs.”

As the talk turned to the negotiations, though, Samuelsen stressed how the TWU would not give into threats from management. “We’re not ready to do that,” Samuelsen said of a zero wage increase, “We don’t believe the other unions should have done that. We’re not in those circumstances, and we certainly won’t be bullied into accepting wage freezes by the threat of layoffs…We do not intend to accept zeroes or a wage freeze.”

Bullying seemed to be a common theme. Samuelsen noted how Walder had threatened the MTA with layoffs if they did not drop the three-percent wage hike, awarded to the TWU by an arbitration panel in 2009. Walder was forced to dismiss the workers when the wage hike went through, and Samuelsen claimed a dubious triumph. “Our folks are almost all back to work, and the riding public is still suffering for it,” he said of the service cuts. “We demonstrated last year that we’re not going engage in that type of bully negotiation and we’re not going to do it this time either.”

The key moment came toward the end of Lehrer’s interview when the WNYC host challenged the TWU president on a strike if the contract situation is not resolved by January. Samuelsen hedged. “I’m not going to make any promises, but certainly the union doesn’t want to go on strike and has no intention of striking. But for me to make a promise would be immature…I mean, premature,” he said with an amusing slip of the tongue.

Both the MTA and TWU are in a tough position during the negotiations. The TWU knows Lhota was brought in keep costs down and toe a hard line on wage increases. Lhota knows the TWU will not be forgiving in its ask. As negotiations begin today, two months in advance of a potential strike date, all eyes will be on these two leaders. Can we avoid another mid-winter subway worker walk-out? The ghosts of 2005 sure hope so.

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31 comments

Larry Littlefield November 15, 2011 - 12:52 pm

What this means is that city residents would be better off with a strike. Even with the disruption, the MTA is so broke that two days lost pay for each day’s lost service would be a benefit.

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Andrew Smith November 15, 2011 - 12:54 pm

1. If both sides have actually framed this in terms of wage “increases,” then the battle is already lost. The people of New York need, if not lower wages, then at least far fewer dollars spent per unit of labor output. Far fewer.

2. I think people tend to wildly overstate the role of personal feelings in negotiations. I haven’t seen any data, but I really doubt that one side in labor negotiations can ever do better by making the other side like it. To the contrary, I’d bet you generally buy the other side’s good will by giving them a better deal at the bargaining table. But that’s just speculation. Any labor econ geek know of research here?

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nycpat November 15, 2011 - 1:36 pm

“The people of New York need,…” ha, ha. So you think the MTA represents the people of NY?

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Larry Littlefield November 15, 2011 - 2:10 pm

Does the MTA have some other source of funds?

Even Quill was honest about the fact that more for his members meant less for others, when he supported a doubling of the transit fare. The case can be made that transit workers are less well off or more well off than they should be relative to riders, but that is the case to be made.

And don’t bring up those folks riding around in Compnay Town Cars. They need to pay far more in federal taxes, and should be earning less to savers (including public employee pension funds) can get a fair return, but they have little to do with the transit system.

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nycpat November 15, 2011 - 2:15 pm

I think the MTA’s primary responsibility is to the bond holders and real estate industry, not “the people of NY”.

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Larry Littlefield November 15, 2011 - 2:37 pm

Every government agency in New York has primary obligations to retired public employees and bondholder. The real estate industry has a secondary claim, and the people have none unless they have connections.

After all, when money gets tight, what gets funded more? Debt service, pensions and retiree health care. Everything else gets cut. Which is why there are fewer transit workers (and cops and teachers) on the job, plus a wage freeze.

sharon November 15, 2011 - 10:20 pm

The average mta worker is paid far more than they were paid in the days of Quill. How much is the cost of living in NY attributed to all the taxes and fees to support the mta and other labor unions. In the end the raise earned is a zero sum game for state and local union labor.

The Unions have to make up their minds. Do they want generous wages for thier mostly unskilled or limited skilled workers or do they want to protect criminal work rules that pad the payroll and kill the rider experience(and only benefit a select few at the unions not the average guy in most cases) . They have been able to get away with both due to the payoff structure in Albany.

Take a look at Mr. Seabrooks faking receipes and other nonsense. If you go up and down the aisle in albany you will see similar dirty tricks. which union employs a family memeber or freind of a senator in a do nothing position. What campaign money gets spent on personal stuff etc

The jig is up. I hope CUOMO stands tall and exposes the problems. I think Cuomo wanted Walder out becasue he was prepared to do it.

As for the union stance that OPTO is dangerous due to the age of the subway, that mistruth is out also . Paris Number 1 line, 100 plus years old runs zero person train operations using the same technology as on the L line. All nyct lines should be OPTO ASAP and use cameras in each station to help central control monitor door operatation. If the NYPD enforced the no door holding law, you would see 95% of door holding end overnight. Line such as the 42nd street shuttle should be ZPTO. Install platform doors and lets call it a day

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Donald November 15, 2011 - 11:20 pm

I find it a bit offensive to call TWU members “unskilled.” There are many many TWU members who hold skilled jobs in positions that the riding public generally does not see (ie: car inspector, road car inspector, signal maintainer, bus maintainer, etc.). Many people who hold these positions are certified mechancis, electricians, and engineers.

sharon November 15, 2011 - 9:59 pm

The sad part is that most TWU 100 workers think they are underpaid. Many live beyond thier means depending on overtime. In reality most TWU 100 workers are GROSSLY OVERPAID if you count wages and benefits. The cost of a cleaner is over $60k a year if you count all costs. The health of the agency they work for should also be taken into consideration

Without zero wage increase AND major work rule changes such as OPTO, job role broadbanding and bus consolidation the mta is doomed no matter how high they raise the tolls and taxes.
Bus time and contact less fare payment needs to be employed to improve bus travel, increase ridership and reduce costs.

Station agents must be more productive.
Cleaner roles must be far broader to allow for cost savings

and supervision at all levels needs to improve to reward those twu 100 members who work hard and crack a wip on those who are allowed to slacks off and to prevent pension padding .

NYC teachers have been without a contract for 2 plus years with zero wage increases, massive increase in workloads while transit has gotten huge wage increases and the status quo on outdated criminal work rules that pad the payrole at the riders expense

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bentley November 15, 2011 - 2:23 pm

hopefully lhota can get extractions from the union. if this state wants to play in democratic/left wing politics we have to live with the consequences. these disgraceful unions refuse to do their fair share. shame on them. only sorry jay walder wasnt here to stuff it down their throats.

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sharon November 15, 2011 - 10:05 pm

If you go union by union in NYS and NYC there are sickoning job padding and abuse of the public trust going on. It boarderline criminal and would be if the unions did not have their friends in Albany pass laws that make some of it legal.

The UFT has 400 plus teachers who no principal wants due to poor attitude towards children, lack of teaching skill or a teaching skill that is no longer needed such as typing or reading teachers. These teachers don’t even show up prepared for interviews.

Sanitation has two man truck when side lift trucks can be used in many place’s. This will cut down on workplace injuries and save money . There is also limits on the length of routes. Many trucks finish way early and one take turns going to the gym or sleep etc. BIG money .They also have overtime provisions that state the city has to pay them half a day if they told overtime work may be needed.

The sad part is that the union members have the most to loose if the state goes down the tubes.

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Donald November 15, 2011 - 11:23 pm

Reading teachers are no longer needed? Well, I guess that explains why NYC test scores are so low.

And typing teachers are no longer needed? Really? Good luck finding a job today without knowing how to type.

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Alon Levy November 16, 2011 - 8:42 am

And when a friend of a friend of mine offered Bloomberg an automated system matching substitute teachers to principals who needed them, which would’ve saved the city $20 million a year in admin costs, the Bloomberg administration refused. It would compromise principals’ independence and undermine the goal of running schools like businesses, the administration said.

When the union is being intransigent, I can understand; the members want higher pay and less external control. But when the administration is finding bullshit excuses to avoid saving money in ways that were invented elsewhere, it’s pure stupidity.

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chemster November 16, 2011 - 10:11 am

“400 plus teachers who no principal wants” — you mean ATRs? You know that some of them no principal wants because they’ve been teachers for a long time, and so are “too expensive” for budget-strapped principals. Some of them are just rejected because “if you were good, someone else would’ve taken you by now”. Of course, some are bad, but I don’t think it’s true that’s true for *all* of them. (not a UFT member, but I have friends who are…)

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nycpat November 16, 2011 - 1:20 am

bentley: “stuff it down their throats”. Little anger issues there buddy? Is it because there are a lot of blacks in the TWU?

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JimD November 15, 2011 - 3:04 pm

I’d be in favor of giving the TWU a wage increase if it was packaged with meaningful work-rule reforms.

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sharon November 15, 2011 - 10:10 pm

The problem is they got the big wage increase last time which put the agency further in debt. The “bailout” package projections of tax revenues were way to rosy.

This time they have to give back and hate to say it get no wage increase. It was criminal the last time that the paid off arbitraitor did. The facts are that the average person has not seen a raise in 4-5 years while twu 100 got 11%. Cost of living has DECREASED. The cost of housing has decreased. What is the rational for a raise?

The lack of meaninful FAIR work rule changes has cost the mta and the public billion of dollars in the past 5-10 years. People dont visit thier families in Staten island becasue it cost to much to cross the vz bridge.

I feel for the workers, everyone wants more but they already got more then thier share. sorry. I have freiends that work over at transit and they agree but want more.

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normative November 16, 2011 - 12:33 pm

“This time they have to give back and hate to say it get no wage increase. It was criminal the last time that the paid off arbitraitor did.”

The arbitrator was not paid off. Just because you did not like the decision does not mean you have to lie about it. How about reading the documented decision and coming up wit a counter argument?

“The facts are that the average person has not seen a raise in 4-5 years while twu 100 got 11%. Cost of living has DECREASED. The cost of housing has decreased. What is the rational for a raise?”

I am assuming the TWU will argue that wages should rise relative to inflation. For instance, if you purchased something for 40,000 dollars last year, this year it would cost you $41,534.66 with inflation roughly at 3.8%. Check the Bureau Of Labor Statistics. I also would not consider all the things you wrote as facts.

“People dont visit thier families in Staten island becasue it cost to much to cross the vz bridge.”

Again that is bullshit. I go to SI because my partner’s family lives there. I make enough to be just above federal poverty levels, and I can get there the same way a lot of people do: it is called the S53.

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Chet November 15, 2011 - 3:37 pm

I was going to say pretty much the same thing.

I have no problem with wage increases, but some of the insane work rules that cost a fortune just need to go. The ridiculous job descriptions that cause three different people to do what one person should be doing; the automatic and incredible pay bonuses that can be awarded when someone spends two minutes doing something outside those job descriptions, and finally, some sort of limits how much overtime is pensionable.

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sharon November 15, 2011 - 10:26 pm

All overtime could be pensionable if they were paying into they system the entire time and not the first few years. It would not even cost the taxpayers much if the overtime done was needed and not paded by work rules.

For instance when their is bustitution, a driver gets paid from the time he reports to his HOME DEPOT even if buses are available in the local depot.

The second problem with the pension is that Albany has sweetened the pot with taxpayers money after the fact.

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Pete November 16, 2011 - 8:33 am

TWU members pay into their pension for all their years working for the TA not just the first 10 years like the state workers and I think the city workers.

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nycpat November 16, 2011 - 12:50 am

Chet: There are no bonuses like you describe at NYCT. That’s RR stuff. Most TWU pensions are under $30,000. Don’t tar the TWU with what RRs, supervisors and cops do.

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sharon November 15, 2011 - 10:31 pm

lets hope for a fair contract. Many TWU 100 memebers are good people it is just the leadership is led by milatants people who do not have a clue with reality.

It is sad to say but the mta should hold out for most of the needed changes even if a long strike is ahead of us. the city will survive and the private sector will pick up the slack.

One fact can not be ignored, we can not continue under the current work rules and pay structure.

The mta needs to pay down 50% or more of it’s debt in the next 10 years. besides TWU 100 rules, the state has to revisit and change work rules on construction contracts that are ment to pad jobs that the unions got through when the public was not looling. 9 men in spaid operate the same boring machine that 25 operate in nyc. that is criminal

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SpendmoreWastemore November 15, 2011 - 11:59 pm

1. Train the National Guard to run emergency service in the subway.

2. New work rules:
You show up, you work.
You move faster than drying paint.

Let’m strike.

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Donald November 16, 2011 - 12:10 am

Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.

http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/malbone01.html

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nycpat November 16, 2011 - 12:44 am

I think that as Americans we can now ignore anything that spendmorewastetc. has to say ever again.

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Alon Levy November 16, 2011 - 8:48 am

In related news:

– Trees cause more pollution than cars

– Cutting taxes will reduce the deficit

– Universities should not subsidize intellectual curiosity

– People on welfare can afford to drive luxury cars

– Ouija boards are a perfectly legitimate way to run one’s itinerary

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nycpat November 16, 2011 - 10:35 am

Yeah, those are all rightwing memes, but none of them quite reach the vileness of thinking that soldiers should operate the subway.

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Grrrumpy Miner November 16, 2011 - 12:29 am

I will be honest and as a TWU 100 member for 15 years…I understand the realistic economic woes of the state and the MTA.Now that said what most do not realize that in cutting OT,eventho we received a 3.5% increase,I have lost about 2% at where I was last year,yet meanwhile prices go up on everything including taxes.Most of the public does not realize that most of us are honest hard working people who work in some deplorable conditions and work schedules 24/7/365(6) and the public looks at us as the scum of the earth.I actually think both sides keep this contract in a freeze for about 4 years at least and if/when the economy gets better sign a new pact with retro that can satisfy both parties.Hey,I am willing to sacrifice for the long term and help all parties.

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Be nervous: MTA and TWU start contract negotiations — The Funky Apple November 16, 2011 - 10:12 am

[…] to start flying. Will we see a repeat of 2005′s subway and bus strike? The TWU hopes that they won’t have to, but we’re getting our walking shoes ready just in case. The current contract expires on […]

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In final four-year budget plan, no service cuts :: Second Ave. Sagas November 17, 2011 - 12:36 am

[…] Yet, the long-term outlook is rife with potential problems. Even still, the MTA is relying on two fare and toll hikes that will be designed to increase revenue by 7.5 percent, but those are the safe figures. The MTA is counting on $323 million in what they’re calling “net zero wage savings for represented employees.” In other words, unionized workers will either by taking pay freezes for the foreseeable future or the MTA will have to resort to layoffs. I don’t think John Samuelsen will be too happy to hear that. […]

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