Monday, August 10, 2009

Pay hike for MTA workers

From the Daily News:

Transit workers appear poised to win a generous contract with healthy 4% annual raises and lower health care contributions that could blow a huge hole in the MTA's finances, sources tell the Daily News.

Despite recent fare hikes and the punishing recession, transit union officials argued that they deserve a 12% hike over three years, partly because city employees have received similar increases.

A three-man arbitration panel is expected to announce the terms of the new contract for bus and subway workers as early as Monday or Tuesday. The expected annual raises of about 4%, 4% and 3.5% would increase Metropolitan Transportation Authority costs by more than $400 million.


Photo from the NY Times

25 comments:

ew-3 said...

"The expected annual raises of about 4%, 4% and 3.5% would increase Metropolitan Transportation Authority costs by more than $400 million."

In the real world you'd need to calculate in the extra retirement costs. Odds are this will cost several billion when done.

Anonymous said...

It is interesting to note that there is a spot running on WCBS radio news where transit workers are bad rapping Bloomturd and the city citing the MTA's poor treatment of employees and service limitations. I wonder if the ads are still running. Can anyone say hypocrisy?

Anonymous said...

Don't blame the union for trying to get as much as possible, blame the retards agreeing to pay it.

Would you go to a car dealership and agree to take less if they are willing to give you more???

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Good for them...

kingb said...

i'm speechless

unf*uckingbelievable

this is where our money goes

Anonymous said...

Interesting how a ASSH*LE crook from the west indies can helm NYC's subway system.

Can anybody explain how TF this happened ?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Don't blame the union for trying to get as much as possible, blame the retards agreeing to pay it.

Would you go to a car dealership and agree to take less if they are willing to give you more???

Monday, August 10, 2009


The MTA didn't agree to anything--it's the arbitrator's decision.

Anonymous said...

undeserved

Anonymous said...

The bottom line is that Bloomturd will use this for his own political gain.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
The bottom line is that Bloomturd will use this for his own political gain.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

----------------------------------------

Very true, and gee what a shock.

faster340 said...

How is that so many people in this country are losing jobs and so many others have to tighten their belts to make ends meet because the economy is crap but entities like MTA union and Bloomturd's City government crew get healthy raises and percs? How the hell does this happen? I understand people should get raises but this much? And the MTA has been saying no fare hikes. Now this is going to be a big reason for them to push for another fare hike. When it comes to government and unions the taxpayers and consumers (subway/bus riders in this case) always seem to take the hit in the wallet.

Anonymous said...

I drove a city bus from may 1980- dec 1983,the worst job i ever had.Traffic,a$$hole public,weather,bad equipment,lousy hours and days off,working on holidays,etc......they deserve it!

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that people on this site bash the union's because they are trying to get a raise for there members. this city is built by union's and is one of the last places in this country that is pro-union. if not for the union's a lot of you yahoo's standard of living would be a lot worse then it is now.

Anonymous said...

Caritas was unionized. Lot of good that did them. While the hospitals were discussing closure, the union reps were in D.C. at the inauguration.

Shows you their priorities.

Anonymous said...

enough is enough
time for a strike - this time the riders should stop paying into this crooked system

let it all rot
tale a bike, take a car, walk
stay home..whatever

or just jump the turnstyles en masse

f*ck unions

Anonymous said...

Don't you just love how the city has NO MONEY, yet the government raises our taxes on everything so that everyone can get a raise. In private industry, when profits are down they immediately freeze salaries and hirings. What is wrong with this city? I think the politicians want the middle class to move out of New York.

Anonymous said...

"this city is built by union's and is one of the last places in this country that is pro-union. if not for the union's a lot of you yahoo's standard of living would be a lot worse then it is now."

AMEN, it's the truth. Unions raise the standard for EVERYONE, and without them we'd all be paid as much as the illegals. We office workers are morons for not unionizing ourselves!

Anonymous said...

LONG LIVE UNIONS YOU JEALOUS P*RICK!

kingb said...

"Unions raise the standard for EVERYONE"

HA HA HA

what a joke

they only exist to enrich THEMSELVES, and in the case of municipal unions, at the expense of taxpayers, users of their deplorable "services" & future generations

greed greed greed - that's all it is

Unknown said...

I wouldn't have a problem with the unions asking for more money if they actually deserved it.

Needless to say, they don't. We're paying more for less as it is.

Anonymous said...

Scumbag unions...

Anonymous said...

Unions can ask for money, but the other side has to have the balls to say NO. Absolutely not. Just like my company and thousands of others have had to do during this recessions..

Why doesn't it happen here? Because "management" and "government" doesn't really care. Its not their money after all. They'll just pass the buck with higher fares, service reductions, tax increases. By the time crisis hits, they will be out of office enjoying their own bloated pensions.

Its a crock, its all fixed.

The only way out is to leave, hopefully to a place where more common sense is used (i.e NOT California)

Ridgewoodian said...

The MTA didn't "give" the TWU this raise - it was decided upon by a three person arbitration panel (consisting of a union rep, a rep from the MTA, and an independent chairman) that the two sides appealed to when contract talks reached an impass. A more complete story is here.

Crappy posted a story the other day about how New York City is, by some measures, the poorest city in the nation - that a dollar here has much less purchasing power than it does in other cities and other parts of the country. If that's really true then I see no reason why the TWU shouldn't try to get higher pay for its members. That's what a union does. Just like corporations exist to make money for their shareholders. Apparently a balanced panel agreed with the union. I don't see how that's destroying mom, apple pie, and the American way of life.

Anonymous said...

My problem with this is three fold.

1. Service sucks. Just flat out sucks. I'm constantly waiting for trains/buses/express buses - well past the time they're supposed to be there. And it can't be someone hold a door if I'm the first stop on the line. That's labor being lazy - especially the Q38 bus where they constantly take a break at 8am.

2. We're in a recession people. Why couldn't the arbitrator see that and see the MTA books and say - there ain't no money for the union so deal with what you've got.

3. The health care benefit is a big stickler. As stated earlier, you have to calculate in teh real costs for extra retirement benefits. Included in that will the the health care costs that these guys just don't like paying. It's YOUR health, pay for YOUR insurance. You're already taking my money, might as well contribute something to your own health like the rest of us do.

All in all, it's a bunch of crap. Unions, while lifting up the standard of living at some point in time, have outlived their usefulness. All the laws are on the books that were created during the union era. That's why we have OSHCA and whatnot. Now they're just draining the public dollars that are dwindling anyway. It's insane.