Second Ave. Sagas

TWU Prez: ‘We’re going to dig in and fight’

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

With turmoil atop the MTA and labor negotiations looming, the TWU is already firing salvos at its counterparts across the table. In an interview with the Daily News today, Local 100 President John Samuelson said his union would use any means necessary to achieve their ends.

“TWU Local 100 has a history of fighting for our livelihoods, and we’re going to dig in and fight by every means possible,” he said. “There’s been no discussion by the executive board of a strike. The leadership of the union has no intention of striking. But when New York City transit workers get knocked to the floor, and someone puts a foot on their throats, who knows what their reaction is going to be?”

The rest of Pete Donahue’s piece rehashes the typical union gripes. They’re not happy with layoffs, health care and benefit plans ans their salaries. There’s no mention though of the MTA’s economic reality. Rather these are the words of a union that wants one thing – money – and everyone else, especially the riders who will pay no matter what, be damned. It sure sounds like a fun situation for the next MTA head, eh?

Comments

30 responses to “TWU Prez: ‘We’re going to dig in and fight’”

  1. Donald

    Public statements are meaningless. Come on Ben, you know that. What do you expect the TWU to say to the press? “Were going to cave in and and take the first thing the MTA offers us?”

    Reply
  2. Bolwerk

    We know this isn’t going to get much better unless Cuomo and the legislature fully stand beside the MTA and riders.

    Unfortunately, that’s not likely.

    Reply
    1. nycpat

      Really? If anything I would think Cuomo is dying to pull a PATCO a la Reagan.

      Reply
      1. Bolwerk

        It’s debatable whether he even has the political power to do it. The legislature might.

        Reply
        1. Kid Twist

          Local 100 is a huge contributor to the campaigns of state legislators. Do you really think these guys want to confront the union?

          Reply
          1. Bolwerk

            The legislature has the political power to reform the MTA; I didn’t say it had the political will, and in fact acknowledged that three levels up from your response.

            That will never change if transit advocates don’t acknowledge it.

            Reply
    2. Donald

      Cuomo can start by singing the “lockbox” legislation that is gathering dust on his desk.

      Reply
      1. Donald

        *signing*

        Reply
    3. Chris

      I think that in the event of worker action the interests of the MTA and riders will diverge quickly and dramatically. The overwhelming interest of riders is being able to commute to work without enormous disruption. The MTA on the other hand would love a lengthy strike, which would not only help break the union but also allow them to avoid a few weeks of cash-burning operations. I suspect that when these interests conflict Cuomo and other pols are likely to stand behind riders and press for a quick resolution to the strike.

      Reply
  3. Todd

    Dear TWU,

    On behalf of the public, please allow this reply:

    Go #### yourselves.

    Reply
    1. nycpat

      This is why Donohue wrote this. Slow news day. The haters will up the page view count.

      Reply
  4. Chet

    I don’t think anyone wants to deny MTA workers a decent salary and benefits and for the most part, they get that now.

    What people absolutely want to stop are contracts that allow those same workers to pretty much rip off the system. No one who has, let’s say a $75,000 a year salary, should end up with so much overtime that their pension is twice that. The myriad of job descriptions that exist and the contract stipulation about what amounts to massive bonus payments if someone does something outside their particular job description for a minute or two is another thing that has to go.

    In addition, the union needs to understand that there are positions in their ranks that are probably just not needed anymore due to various technological changes. Newspaper unions bled publishers dry, even before the internet, demanding they keep two dozen workers on a press when maybe two were needed.

    Finally, the TWU also needs to remember that other public union members have been without a raise for quite some time. As an example, teachers- (and I am one of them) haven’t seen a raise in over three years. Our contract expired on October 21, 2009 and the last raise was in May, 2008.

    You don’t see any teachers screaming about going on strike. And by the way, we don’t have anything close to “time and a half or double time” if we work extra hours, etc.

    Reply
    1. nycpat

      The things you describe are not in the TWU local 100 contract. Those things apply to cops, RR employees and supervisors/managers in other outfits-NOT NYCTA.
      There are no massive bonus payments in NYCT.
      The best possible pension would be 70% of the average of the highest 3 years of the last 5; that would be after 35 years service. How many people retire each year with 35 years service? 10? Not all people with that kind of seniority work OT.

      Reply
      1. Donald

        NYCTA employees always get the short end of the stick. For instance, a NYCTA train operator makes about $65,000 a year.

        But at LIRR, an engineer makes $75,000

        And at Metro North, an engineer makes $80,000.

        At NYCTA, a condcutor makes $28 an hour. At Metro North, a conductor makes $37 an hour.

        So TWU 100 has every right to want a raise when other MTA employees with the SAME job title are making substantially more.

        Reply
        1. Alon Levy

          Maybe it’s the commuter operators that are overpaid rather than the subway operators that are underpaid. My recollection is that they’re paid an average of about $120,000 after counting everything, but I can’t confirm because it’s based on the Empire Center’s site, which is easy to search to the same extent the Manhattan Institute fellows know what they’re talking about.

          Reply
          1. Bolwerk

            Underpaid? $65,000 actually sounds like a generous but fair salary for a secure job that anyone with a high school reading level and sufficient alertness, conscientiousness, and attention to detail can do. The 2007 NYC median income $48,631 according to a quick wiki-check where I put my undying faith in the unlikelihood that even those morons can get the number wrong.

            Reply
            1. nycpat

              And a willingness to work in the conditions and under the terms that exist; ie-it’s a toxic place to work. I guess in our second/third world future that will be the norm for all “uncreative” workers and transit workers will be paid the same as laundry workers and counter persons etc.

              Reply
              1. Bolwerk

                Not saying it’s a good idea, you can probably find someone willing to do the work for minimum wage. Or be a bus driver, for that matter.

                I can buy bus driving is toxic, but trains?

                Reply
              2. Nathanael

                Toxic? It’s a much, much better and healthier environment than fast-food preparation. Transit workers SHOULD be paid about the same as laundry workers (which, again, is a much more toxic environment, literally — they use a lot of poisons in laundry).

                Now, I think laundry workers should be paid MORE, not transit workers LESS, but this sort of special pleading is just unconvincing.

                Reply
          2. Nathanael

            There is ample evidence that the commuter rail employees are featherbedding, *especially* at LIRR. The contracts there seem guarantee either excessive numbers of employees or excessive overtime.

            (Metro-North is by all accounts less egregious. Note that you can’t actually compare a subway conductor directly to a Metro-North conductor, who collects tickets — the subway conductor doesn’t).

            NYCTA, in contrast, seems to have reasonable wages… but seems to have problems with workers not actually doing their jobs properly (mostly in the maintenance and repair, back-end divisions). Apparently the TWU doesn’t want to address that, which is why I don’t have much respect for them.

            Reply
    2. Jah

      Being a teacher is a part time job with a GREAT full time salary! My wife is a teacher and she works 6 hours a day and has RIDICULOUS time off and makes much more than me. Almost 100k a year.

      Reply
      1. Donald

        So your wife never does any work after hours, like lesson plans, grading homework and exams, attend meetings, etc.?

        Reply
      2. Chet

        Then I’m obviously doing something wrong since my day at school goes from about 730 to just past 300pm plus work at home…and I spent at least ten days this summer up at my school doing stuff for upcoming term…and not getting paid…and at home also dealing with the uocoming term.

        You are either lying about your teacher-wife or she isn’t a very good teacher.

        Reply
      3. Alon Levy

        What Chet said. Unless your wife has 100 years’ experience or works for a rich district in Westchester or Long Island, she’s not making $100,000 a year or anywhere near that. And if she can really stay around despite not doing any non-classroom work, you should be very suspicious that she’s screwing the principal or something.

        Reply
      4. Evan

        My mother is a special education teacher in a middle school and very dedicated and amazing one at that. She stays late at school many days during the week and brings work home with her. You must have a very skewed vision of what a teacher actually does. Your comments are bordering on rude.

        Reply
        1. David

          Yes, but he said he was married to a teacher, so it MUST be true!

          Reply
      5. chemster

        My wife is a teacher, formerly a lawyer. She works longer hours than when she was a lawyer. Sure, she only “has” to be at the school from 8-3:30pm, but she never leaves before 5pm, and then usually spends another 4 hours (or more) lesson planning and grading after she gets home. Oh, and she works all day Sunday, too.

        Me? I think that Jah is a troll.

        Reply
  5. Alex C

    I’d be more sympathetic to the TWU (as I usually am towards unions) if they did a better job of protecting their good employees and throwing out the bad apples who don’t care about their jobs and hide behind the union.

    Reply
  6. AlexB

    The union always seems pissed about money, but I imagine the real problem is working conditions. If the workers had bathrooms and some other comfort items like better lighting and air conditioning in the work environments, it might make things better.

    I’m not sympathetic to people who work a few hours but have to be paid for a whole day’s of work. I’m not sympathetic to those who abuse the pension system. I’m not sympathetic to people who demand great benefits and refuse to pay for even a portion of them.

    Reply
  7. Al D

    He didn’t say by every LEGAL means possible, so he lying about the strike. When’s this contract up? I can’t wait for them to do another Toussaint/Scrooge and ruin Christmas for everyone again! This is the nature of the beast.

    Reply

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