From the NY Post:A slew of secret bus-service cuts -- a product of the ongoing war between the MTA and its biggest union -- are leaving riders stranded at stops across the city, The Post has learned.
Since April 2010, MTA management has refused to fill dozens of slots each day for bus operators who have called in sick or were on vacation time -- which means the bus stays in the depot instead of heading out on its run.
As a result, some straphangers could wait for up to 30 minutes longer than advertised.
And when the bus finally arrives, riders are crammed in like sardines.
"There's an all-out war on the union. They're going head to head. So I think management is doing everything they can to break them while trying to save money as well," said one source familiar with the practice.
MTA brass said in a statement that they'd saved $3 million since April 2010 by not paying out the overtime.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Even as service cuts and layoffs loom, salaries at the agency that operates New York City's subways and buses have increased for the second year in a row.
The Empire Center for New York State Policy released data on Wednesday. It shows that average pay at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority increased more than 2 percent in 2009. More than 10 percent of employees made at least $100,000. The average pay for an employee was just under $70,000.
MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said the increase was due to raises already promised to unions. All managers had their pay frozen last year.
Due to an $800 million budget shortfall, service cuts and layoffs are planned for the end of June.
9 comments:
screw the unions and screw the MTA workers - another agency that overhires minorities by hundreds of percentages. they don't deserve a raise.
Who will pay for it all with everyone out of work?
I mean its obvious that many MTA workers are getting overpaid but I believe their financial woes have far more to do with endemic corruption, mismanagement, theft and lack of vision. I find it hard to redirect my ire towards the workers when even if we busted up their union we would still have the same problems with the MTA.
Teachers will go two years without a raise, but the MTA workers will get a raise.
What's wrong with this picture?
nothing wrong with the picture,it's the end of their contract,which they got through binding arbitratio.This raise was due months ago,but the mta refused to pay,until a judge forced their hand.
Imagine if these folks had to get their raises based on merit, just like folks in the private sector.
Civil Service!
The MTA's corrupt and been allowed to run amuck un-policed to long.
They got into your DMV registration fee's. $10-60 a year tax if you drive and live near a train or bus stop.
Buddie of mine had to take a job as a machinist down in Coney Island train yards.
He is one of the only white workers with a skill, rebuilds wheel trucks, motors, passed all his tests to work on the electronic Kawasaki (unlike most running the MTA).
3 years and the guys never gotten a raise, gets treated like crap by all the West Indian and black bosses who are never in the shop 1/2 the time yet make 150K with bogus overtime.
screw the unions and screw the MTA workers - another agency that overhires minorities by hundreds of percentages. they don't deserve a raise.
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Unfortunately, for most of these untrainable monkeys, its either City Union jobs (traffic cops, MTA, etc) or welfare.
They arent qualified for much else.
Express bus riders in our neighborhood are at the end of our rope. Many of us have not gotten into work on-time in weeks. Last week, no QM11 buses showed after 8:00am. The QM10 buses are no shows in the evening. This morning on the QM11, the driver did a job action, claiming the bus was having problems, and took our bus out of service. We all piled onto the next QM11, and the driver seemed almost amused! Is there anything that can be done? We can't take much more of this!
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