AsidesStaten Island

For Staten Island, a few more years for the R44s

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 3, 2010

For New York City Transit, a typical subway car has a lifespan of approximately 40 years. After those four decades are up, the agency prefers to replace old technology with newer cars that won’t require as much maintenance and feature cutting-edge transportation technologies. If that lifespan guideline were to be applied to the R44s currently in service along the Staten Island Railway, the MTA’s latest iteration of its 2010-2014 capital plan will call for rolling stock replacements, but it does not. Staten Island will be, according to Maura Yates, left with its R44s for at least another five years.

Although the R44s on the A line are going to be replaced, the news, however, is not all doom and gloom for those Staten Islanders looking for the MTA to focus on improving transit options on the island. Recently, the 63 R44 cars that make up the SIR fleet underwent an $11 million retrofit that should keep them running smoothly for a few more years, and the MTA is still planning to spend over $20 million to build the Arthur Kill Station.

Staten Island representatives to the MTA Board are satisfied with the investment and know the MTA will closely monitor the SIR’s aging rolling stock. “The irony is that our tracks, unlike our roads, are in better shape than the rest of the city,” Allen Cappelli said, “so our cars don’t take the kind of pounding that they do in other places. It was the recommendation that they did not need to put money in the budget to replace them. However, if a problem develops and we need to replace the cars, I’ve been assured we’ll buy the cars, but I’m not expecting that will have to happen.”

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AsidesParatransit

How the cuts impact disabled riders

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 3, 2010

When the MTA scales back service next month, its disabled riders will see many of their Access-A-Ride and paratransit options whittled down. The authority currently feels its Access-A-Ride options are too inclusive and too broad and that cost savings can be found by better personalizing paratransit trips and excluding some who have previously been included. To that end, the authority will implement $40 million worth of savings by replacing door-to-door service with feeder routes to accessible fixed-route transit stops, determining eligibility on a trip-by-trip rather than season-by-season basis and streamlining management and scheduling.

While the main focus of the coverage around the service cuts has delved into the labor battles and impact on everyday riders, City Limits recently highlighted how the cuts will impact the disabled riders. Many will find their trips longer and more circuitous; others will rely more on taxi vouchers than transit options. Still, as the MTA cuts services, they’re forging ahead with ADA compliancy efforts as more stations are slated to become accessible throughout five years covered by the next capital campaign. It is a challenging balancing act as the MTA stretches their dollars to keep pace with demand.

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MTA Economics

Amidst reorganizations and layoffs, an increasing payroll

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 3, 2010

For those in the upper reaches of the MTA, the key theme of the year is “making every dollar counts.” On the surface, this is seemingly an obvious state of affairs. After all, we don’t want situations in which dollars don’t count or are being flushed away.

But a close examination of the MTA’s recent approaches reveals exactly how the authority is making every dollar, even as market forces conspire against them. For example, the newly re-proposed capital campaign has cut down on $2 billion of proposed expenditures by eliminating those projects that won’t eventually save operating costs and streamlining others. If the authority had original plans to replace old infrastructure simply because of age and not because a modern building would lead to operating cost savings, those plans were scraped.

On Friday, as part of this rearranging of MTA priorities, New York City Transit announced a long-rumored < a href="http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=54">restructuring of the subway division. For all intents and purposes, former Transit president Howard Roberts’ line manager program has been eliminated, and the various functions that were to be centralized under the line managers are being redistributed across various working groups that will focus solely on a specific area or two.

Overall, the five Group General Managers are being scaled down to three, and those three will oversee what Transit is calling the IRT, BMT and IND divisions, maintaining a naming structure that owes its origins to the history of the New York City subways. The line GMs have been cut down from 17 to 12, and those remaining in place will be responsible for customer service and routine station maintenance. Heavy maintenance and car equipment responsibilities will rest with those who are better qualified for those jobs.

“The big change here is centralizing heavy maintenance and giving those responsibilities to the folks who are best equipped to deal with them. But aside from that, the Department of Subways is identifying a leadership team with the capability, know-how and experience to position us to build upon our successes,” Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast said. “This team will stay focused on our customers’ needs and look for every opportunity to improve upon the safe and positive travel experience we already provide.”

It is unclear how much money this restructuring will save the MTA, but at least seven management-level positions are being eliminated via this restructuring. The big question mark, though, remains around the dollars. In an article that should surprise no one, The Post discovered that the MTA’s payroll obligations increased by $70 million in 2009. While The Post highlights some management-level employees who enjoyed significant salary increases, the paper also discusses how the TWU raises imposed significantly higher salary costs on the MTA as well. Across the board, the MTA cannot stop paying higher salaries.

We know that the MTA is cutting administrative pay and positions this year, and last week, the authority announced another round of station agent layoffs. On both sides of the aisle though, the MTA cannot keep salaries under control, and Andrew Albert, a non-voting member of the MTA board, pointed his finger at both sides. “I just don’t know how there is an end to this never-ending [wage] escalation,” he said.

There probably isn’t an end to that problem, and thus, the pink slips will keep on coming. The MTA can reorganize its divisions until fewer people are left. It can eliminate workers until station staffing levels are stretched too thin. But until we see anyone willing to fight for a wage freeze, albeit a temporary one, the expenditures may just outpace the cost-cutting measures.

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Fulton StreetService Advisories

The Fulton St. month ahead and weekend changes

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

With a new month upon us, the MTA has released its look ahead at Fulton St. Here we go:

May 1-3
A/C trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A/C, 2/, and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau.
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.

May 8-10
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C trains operate between 168th Street and 2nd Avenue F station (from West 4th Street C trains are rerouted along the F line to Broadway-Lafayette and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F stations).
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.

May 15-17
No 4/5 trains at Fulton Street; customers should take the special J shuttle.
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
No C service; customers should take the A instead. (Note: the 207th Street-bound A trains operate on the F line from Jay Street to West 4th Street.)

May 22-24
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C operates between 168th Street and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F station.

May 29-31
AC trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the AC, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.

The rest of the service advisories are as follows. Grab ’em in map form at Subway Weekender.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 2 trains between Manhattan and Brooklyn:

  • 2 trains are will operate between Wakefield-241st Street and South Ferry. (2 trains will be rerouted at Chambers Street to the 1 line.)
  • Customers traveling to and from Brooklyn may switch to the 4 at Bowling Green. (Free out-of-system transfers are available between the 2 at South Ferry and the 4 at Bowling Green.)
  • Weekend 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. Manhattan-bound 5 trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
  • During the overnight hours, 2 shuttle trains operate between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. Atlantic Avenue-bound 2 shuttle trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
  • Customers may transfer between the 4 and 2 shuttle trains at Atlantic Avenue.

These changes are due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets, and a cable pull south of Nevins Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 2 trains run local between 96th Street and Chambers Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 3 trains between 14th Street and New Lots Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. For service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, customers should use 4 service which is extended to New Lots Avenue. During the overnight hours, 3 service is extended to 14th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 4 train service is extended to/from New Lots Avenue to replace the 3 in Brooklyn due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Note: Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza and Bergen Street.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Manhattan-bound 5 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza, and Bergen Street. Note: There is no 5 service in Manhattan and Brooklyn overnight.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, the last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 3rd Avenue-138th Street due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains skip Elder and St. Lawrence Avenues and will stop at the Manhattan-bound Parkchester station platform due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no A trains between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway due to station rehab work at Beach 60th and Beach 36th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service. Note: There is no Rockaway Park Shuttle S service between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Brooklyn-bound A trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound C trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.


From 5 a.m. Saturday, May 1 and 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, Coney Island-bound D trains run on the N line from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due track panel installation at 20th Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, May 1, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 174th-175th Sts. and 170th Street due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.


From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Jamaica Center-bound E trains run local from 21st Street-Queensbridge to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.


From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Manhattan-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Queens Plaza due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, E trains are rerouted in Manhattan and Queens:

  • No E service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center
  • Manhattan-bound E trains skip Lexington Avenue-53rd Street, then after West 4th Street, reroute to the F and operate to 2nd Avenue.
  • Queens-bound E service begins at 2nd Avenue and operates on the F line to 21st Street-Queensbridge, then resumes on the E line to Jamaica Center.
  • Free shuttle buses connect the 21st Street-Queensbridge, 23rd Street-Ely Avenue/Court Square and Queens Plaza stations. Shuttle buses are subject to disruption on Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for the Five Borough Bike Tour.

These changes are due to the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization.


From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, F trains run local between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and 21st Street-Queensbridge due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.


From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, there are no J trains between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Jamaica-Van Wyck.


From 11 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, uptown Q trains run local from Times Square-42nd Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a track dig out at Times Square.


From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Q trains run in two sections due to rail repairs:

  • Between 57th Street-7th Avenue and Brighton Beach and
  • Between Brighton Beach and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no S trains between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to station rehabilitations at Beach 36th and Beach 60th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Howard Beach.

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AsidesSubway Security

Government: Al Qaeda behind NYC subway plot

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

It’s time for a little Friday afternoon catch-up. I’ve had this tab open all week, and no time to slot it in, but here we go: According to federal prosecutors, Al Qaeda was responsible for organizing the plot against the New York City subways that the FBI stopped in September. It’s not much of a surprise to hear that the subways are on the terrorist organization’s radar, but as I’ve said in the past, that the plot was stopped before it could be carried out is a testament to the nation’s increased attention to the severity of these plots. The cameras the MTA is working to fix are an important part of a security system, but law enforcement efforts that uncover plots before they can unfold are what is truly keeping us safe.

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International Subways

An etiquette campaign in Toronto, inspired by NYC

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

Jason Shelowitz, the man behind the guerrilla art subway etiquette posters, is inspiring some copy cats. After Jayshells’ posters earned some headlines last week, Toronto’s National Post produced some subway etiquette PSAs of their own.

Calling themselves the Toronto Transit Civility Commission, the writers say that people are mostly concerned with unnecessary noise, bad body odor and those who clip their nails on the subway. The same boorish behavior we see in New York appears to be endemic outside of the Big Apple.

My favorite one, though, is the anthropomorphic backpack. Too many people believe they can put their bags — and feet — on empty subway seats, and then they stare daggars at anyone audacious enough to ask them to move. Here in New York, the MTA claims courtesy is contagious, but I haven’t seen that disease spread yet.

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MTA Politics

A Town Hall and an audit won’t fix the MTA

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

Marty Golden, Republican, is, according to his website, “Brooklyn’s voice in Albany.” The four-term State Senator hails from District 22, an oddly-shaped area that includes transit-rich neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Ocean Parkway along side car-heavy neighborhoods such as Gerritsen Bay and the area surrounding Marine Park. Who his constituents are and what they need remain a mystery to Senator Golden.

To whit, a call for a Town Hall on the MTA. With many of his constituents set to lose transit service, Senator Golden’s office has announced a meeting on the service cuts. “The MTA continues to move forward to adopt the doomsday budget that will severely impact bus service in our community,” John Quaglione, the Senator’s press secretary and district manager, said earlier this week. “We are not going to let the MTA come into our neighborhood and greatly disrupt our transportation system. We can not afford it and the residents and commuters deserve better.”

Now, Brooklyn and, in particular, Golden’s district are in for some harsh cuts. Bay Ridge is losing numerous bus routes and seeing service along others reduced. The M train will no longer go to Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst after June 27, and midday and weekend service on every subway line that passes through Golden’s area will be scaled. He should be outraged. But a Town Hall? Really? That’s the best one of our State Senators can do?

Over the last few years, Golden, as a loyal member of the do-nothing opposition minority party in the Senate, has, well, done nothing. He did nothing to support the Ravitch plan and did nothing to support congestion pricing. Now, he wants to do more of nothing without offering a solution to the MTA’s financial woes. The Town Hall meeting might turn out some disgruntled voters, and it might win Golden some political points in a district he won unopposed in 2006. It won’t solve the problem.

Of course, Golden’s position is an untenable one for obvious reasons. First, he’s a member of the state GOP, and the Republicans in the New York State Senate have done nothing to assist the MTA. It is, they reason, the majority party’s problem, and even though thousands of Golden’s constituents need their subways and buses, he hasn’t helped with a solution. Second, he represents some very vocal and adamant drivers. Even though their numbers are but a slim fraction of those who ride the subway, these drivers near Marine Park have been the most outspoken congestion pricing opponents. Golden wouldn’t dare turn his back on those with political clout who needs their autos. That solution is staring him in the face, but he won’t embrace it.

Golden is but one of many State Senators fishing in the dark. Earlier this week, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli agreed to a forensic audit of the MTA, and Assembly representatives were ecstatic. Fred Thiele, an Independent representative from Suffolk County who is an outspoken critic of the payroll tax, had this to say:

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Comptroller for his hard work and the dedication of him and his staff as they work to ensure that state taxpayer money is spent in accordance with the law. As a strong opponent of the MTA Payroll Tax and the ‘bailout’ legislation enacted by the Legislature last year (I voted against the proposal), I want to make sure these monies are spent and collected properly; especially given that MTA estimates for the Payroll Tax revenues have been grossly underestimated. The financial woes of the MTA have been well documented only recently and I pledge to continue to work with my Assembly colleagues and Comptroller DiNapoli on this issue.”

Here, Thiele is, simply put, ignoring reality. The MTA’s estimates haven’t been “grossly underestimated”; rather, the numbers supplied to the MTA by the state’s own accounting and taxation department have been grossly understated. If he were to stop and examine the situation, he would find fault resting not entirely with the MTA but in Albany too. That would, however, require an Assembly representative to take far too much responsibility for the way the state is run.

In the end, DiNapoli would conduct his audit, and we know what he’ll find. The MTA isn’t a very lean organization and could be better run. But he’ll also find honest accounting and a budget hole of $751 million this year. What then, I wonder, will the Marty Goldens and Fred Thieles of the state do? When the truth comes about an MTA teetering on the edge of fiscal ruin, who will the grandstanding politicians blame next? It certainly won’t be themselves.

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AsidesNew York City Transit

Dead man’s switch deployed on G train

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

Every subway train comes equipped with a dead man’s switch. As seen in The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, this is a handle the train operator must keep depressed while the train is in motion. If he lets go — if something happens or the driver becomes incapacitated — the train will stop. This week, along the G train, Domenick Occhiogrosso, 50, pulled his train out of Long Island City and suffered a fatal heart attack while the train was in motion. His death triggered the dead man’s switch, and the train came to a stop. The conductor discovered Occhogrosso unconscious in the booth, and he was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m. yesterday morning.

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7 Line ExtensionHudson Yards

A deal for Related but with terms attached

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

The MTA Board voted yesterday to approve yet another iteration of a contract with Related Companies for the rights to develop the Hudson Yards area. If all goes according to plan, this deal will eventually net $1 billion for the MTA, but as work continues apace along the 7 line extension, the money from Related is no sure thing. In fact, the contract contains terms and conditions that may eventually allow the real estate developer to back out entirely.

The details are complex. Related’s payments won’t kick in until the economy improves. You can wade through a lenghty PDF document if you want to explore the fine print, but The Observer’s Eliot Brown has it all in bullet-point form. While the contract will soon be signed, the deal won’t close until, says Brown:

  • Midtown office space availability rates hit 11 percent, according to brokerage CB Richard Ellis. While the current rate is at 14.8 percent as of March, 11 percent is relatively achievable, as according to CBRE numbers, midtown averaged well below 11 percent between 2005 and 2007.
  • Manhattan co-op and condo sales price achieve an average $1,200 a square foot for a sustained period (it’s slightly more nuanced than this). The fourth quarter of 2009 saw an average price of $1,051, according to Miller Samuel. The rate has cracked $1,200 a foot in three separate quarters in the last cycle, hitting a peak $1,322 a foot in the second quarter of 2008.
  • The architectural billings index must pass 50 for the commercial sector. It’s currently at a bit below 45, and was last over 50 in early 2008.

On the one hand, these conditions appear to be reasonable demands for a deal of this magnitude. After all, Related shouldn’t just fork over $1 billion if it doesn’t feel as though it can fill the office space. The developers appear to want tenant guarantees before closing as well, and that’s no sure thing considering the costs, location and amount of time it will take to construct the support platform over the rail yards and the buildings in the complex.

On the other hand, this deal jeopardizes the MTA’s position. Related could back out without payments or the company could opt to wait years before sending the MTA any money. Meanwhile, the work on the 7 line will continue, and it seems quite likely that the one stop at 34th St. and 11th Ave. will open years before the majority of the Hudson Yards development is even under construction. The stop at 41st and 10th Ave. then should become more of a priority because it will make this project more worthwhile in the short term.

It makes development sense to build out to areas underserved by transit that are ripe for growth. But it makes even more sense to spend dollars that aren’t unlimited on improving transit options in heavily-congested areas of the city. The wisdom of this project continues to remain tenuous at best.

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Service CutsTWU

Inside the TWU’s thinking as Rome burns

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

TWU head John Samuelsen outside of the MTA HQ. Photo via the Daily News.

As the MTA has dealt with a budget deficit of $751 million this year, the authority has asked everyone to chip in. The agency is enacting nearly $100 million in service cuts to the city’s bus and subway network at the end of June; it plans to layoff numerous employees, some unionized and some not; it’s also searching high and low for new ways to cut administrative costs. With fare hikes seemingly off the table until 2011 and no more service cuts coming our way, the MTA’s ability to cover its deficit without a new source of revenue remains tenuous at best.

This week, the MTA unveiled plans to layoff even more workers come Independence Day. According to a report in The Times today, the authority will axe 550 employees who work on buses. Those pink slips will be handed out on June 27th when the city loses dozens of bus routes. Another 120 subway car inspectors will be fired as well.

Union officials, of course, spoke out against the cuts. John Samuelsen, head of TWU Local 100, said that his union will “not [] be blackmailed into allowing Jay Walder and MTA management to gut our contract.” Implicit in that statement is the belief that the MTA wouldn’t fire these workers if the TWU gave up the raises it has earned that will cost the MTA nearly $100 million this year.

Samuelsen instead would prefer to see the MTA shift stimulus funds to cover the operating deficit, and in an extensive interview with Streetsblog’s Ben Fried yesterday, he said as much. Walder and the MTA were given a billion dollars in federal stimulus money in 2009. Out of that billion dollars they could have used roughly $100 million to pay down the service cuts and to use for the operating budget,” he said. “So Walder, who had that money in the bank, and probably still has that money in the bank, refused to use that $100 million, and instead enacted $93 million in cuts across the board, Long Island Railroad, Metro North, and New York City Transit, and MTA bus.”

When asked by Streetsblog what he is doing in Albany with the power of the union to help the MTA, he spoke about forcing Walder to spend: “One thing we’ve done is we’re working on a bill in Albany that’s being carried by Joan Millman in the Assembly, and by Bill Perkins in the Senate, that will force the MTA to use 30 million of that available 100 million. It’s essentially the state legislature directing Jay Walder to use available funds that he has in order to stop the service cuts.”

Yet, Samuelsen is missing the forest for the trees. Will $30 million taken from the capital budget — the underfunded capital budget that supports numerous jobs throughout the state — make a difference in the MTA’s bottom line? That $30 million represents less than 5 percent of the agency’s overall deficit, the MTA would still be enacting service cuts and layoffs. Throwing a cup of water on a fire won’t stop the flames.

Meanwhile, Samuelsen is using his labor clout to push a bill that would “put a two year moratorium on any kind of service cut that the MTA proposes that could have a potential negative impact on rider safety in the subway.” Who will fund this measure, I wonder? The answer: Without more service, the MTA will have to enact higher fares.

While the TWU seems to be exploring legal options to restore the money the state stole from the MTA toward the end of 2009, the union is in no hurry to support revenue-generating proposals. When it comes to congestion pricing, Samuelsen said, “there’s a recognition by the union that we don’t want to hurt middle or working class people that have to drive their cars into Manhattan, or small business owners. But there’s also a recognition on our part that that’s an excellent funding mechanism for mass transit, and that it’s green, it’s good for the economy. And we’re down with that. So we’re still debating that amongst ourselves, what our exact position is going to be on that.”

The debate should be over. The only middle or working class people or small business owners who drive to Manhattan on a regular basis are those who can afford to pass the costs of congestion fee onto their customers. Plumbers, delivery men and other service-based drivers will simply up their costs while enjoying higher productivity due to decreased production. The overwhelming number of middle or working class New Yorkers simply do not drive into Manhattan on a daily basis, and most don’t own cars to begin with. The strawman should not defeat common sense.

In a way, it’s not surprising to see this reaction from Samuelsen. His number one priority is to defend his union members and their jobs. I’d be surprised if he weren’t trying to force through legislation that mandates the MTA to keep workers in stations, but at the same time, he has to recognize reality: The MTA is broke and staffs at levels that are far higher than necessary. We don’t need two-person teams running trains; we don’t need a person at every station entrance 24 hours a day. We don’t need antiquated work rules.

What we need is flexibility and a willingness to bend in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis. While I’ll be living with reduced service in two months, what will the union do with its political power? What will it give up?

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