January 20, 2006
Breaking News Uh Oh? Transit Workers Reject Contract
Today's transit contract vote dealine was at noon. And from the AP:
The workers, by a seven-vote margin out of more than 22,000 votes cast, opted to reject Transport Workers Union local president Roger Toussaint's call for ratification and follow the lead of a dissident group urging rejection. The voting ended at noon Friday.Seven votes! That's almost too close to call! Does this mean there will be another walkout? The Transport Workers Union's management said that workers who oppose the contract would be fined...but the management is facing fines themselves. While we await news, Gothamist will look for our sneakers.
The new contract would have included 3%, 4%, and 3.5% raises over three years that the MTA had offered first go-around last December; the new thing is that workers will be paying 1.5% of their salaries towards health care. And here are Gothamist's Transit Strike 2005 archives.
Updated stories from the NY Times and NY1. The Times had this breakdown of the votes:
Of 22,461 votes cast by the deadline at noon today, 11,227 workers voted to ratify the contract and 11,234 voted to reject it, a margin of just 7 votes - or 0.0003 percent. The rejection was a stunning defeat for Roger Toussaint, the president of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, which represents 33,700 subway and bus workers at the authority.Gothamist wonders how the TWU is supposed to "go back to the drawing board" - does the MTA get to say, "Hey, we made a deal with the TWU management - it's up to you guys to figure it out." Or will the TWU membership agree to the contract if, say, President Roger Toussaint resigns? We'll stay on top of this over the weekend!
Here's the TWU Local 100 website.
Photograph of commuters outside Penn Station during the strike from kerfuffle and zeitgeist on Flickr via Gothamist Contribute - add your photos, comments, and links there!
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Brooklyn "hipsters", better stock up on some more "hip" footwear. lol
This was a big f-u to Roger. Bear in mind many of the union leaders calling for rejection were the same ones who voted against ending the strike. I remember one saying that they had brought the city and the MTA to "their knees" and that by accepting the arbitration Roger had let the MTA up just when they had them down (or words to that effect).
Much as I would normally love to see The Man brough to "his knees," these guys have forgotten that to be an effective union, you have to know when the fight and when to deal. The fight is done. They got the best contract they're going to get. There's nothing further to be gained, and much to lose.
Few things pain one more than seeing a cause you support (in this case, unions) displaying the worst of its excesses.
Tim, I totally agree with you.
And I can't help but wonder about the 7 vote margin - on the news this morning, I think NY1 interviewed at least five workers who said they were rejecting the contract!
1.5% towards healthcare. That's pretty good I'm paying over 5%
Part of me wants to leave my office and hop on a subway right now before things get crazy.
I can't believe this. Bus drivers are making $65,000/year, retiring at 55, great benefits, no college education needed.
If they are going to strike again, they should be fired immediately. I'm sure there are thousands of people who would love to take a job like that.
They should be paying for pension/health benefits just like everybody else. If you don't like it, go and find a job from private sector. Pataki, we look at you!
MTA should not improve its offer (on the contrary, the unsustainable pension issue must be resolved now).
The MTA should just send it out for arbitration, whether or not the TWU likes it. The TWU has no leg to stand on.
deng, i cant agree more. you took the words out of my mouth.
Deng,
The average lifespan of a transit worker (shows what kind of conditions they work in) is around 58 years old which means the retirement at 55 is more then applicable. Let them retire at 50 like they originally wanted. And the 65k salary is on the high end of their salaries and is only attained after years of service. I'm happy the workers rejected this and hope it can spread to other unions to take a stand.
I'm not a big fan of voter tampering theories, but a 7 vote margin out of 22,000 is like a .0003% margin. By any reasonable standards that's a tie, but probably unimpeachable because unions generally have a long record of incorruptibility and integrity. The salient question is "What about the chads?"
Why do people get so angry when non-college-educated workers, like bus drivers, make good money? Why must we read Shakespeare and go to frat parties to earn the right to make a decent salary?
What does the TWU do now? I assume a strike would be suicidal, and they're not likely to get a better deal by negotiating with the MTA.
"The average lifespan of a transit worker (shows what kind of conditions they work in) is around 58 years old which means the retirement at 55 is more then applicable."
55 Huh? Def'ly because of thier fat asses sitting on a bus all due. Must be all that fried chicken.
"The average lifespan of a transit worker (shows what kind of conditions they work in) is around 58 years old which means the retirement at 55 is more then applicable."
55 Huh? Def'ly because of thier fat asses sitting on a bus all due. Must be all that fried chicken.
ignoring matt's indecipherable and illiterate post...
how 'bout they all agree that the contract will run out in the month of May, rather than december. capiche?
Will Roger resign? He has lost the support of the union -- even people who voted "yes" will be pissed at him now for not getting this contract through.
"55 Huh? Def'ly because of thier fat asses sitting on a bus all due. Must be all that fried chicken."
That's incredibly inappropriate. Not only is the average lifespan of a transit union worker 58, you have to consider the working conditions: spending any number of random hours (sometimes up to 14+ hours, having irregular shifts that rotate, depending on seniority) that in total darkness and filth. I've even heard some transit workers say that on the first day of their training, they're informed of the reality that they will most likely unintentionally kill someone (platform jumpers - on average, there's one a day) - imagine dealing with the odds (not to mention the guilt) of that!
If transit workers worked in the same conditions as many of us enjoy, then sure, what they're asking for is ridiculous... it's just not their reality, and it's unfair for them to agree to a contract that treats them with anything less than complete respect.
Where does the "lifespan of 58 years" for a transit union worker come from? That's just so much lower than the general population that it is difficult to believe. It may well be true but I'd like to see some evidence.
If I was Roger, I'd break open that box and hunt down those 7 votes...
The transit workers have basically screwed themselves over. Not only can Pataki and Bloomberg take advantage of this situation, but now the T-to-the-triple-U workers will lose the sympathy of us New Yorkers. Puhleez.
considering how long and hard the twu fought to have the contract end in december instead of may, moving it now would be an absurd admission of defeat on their part.
Joe, most TWU workers are black. Black people have noticably shorter life spans. It's a fact.
Also, working down in the subway tunnels doesn't take a whole lot of education, but it IS quite tedious, filthy, and loud. SOMEONE has to do it, and since the job is so undesirable, there are perks that go beyond the average in the private sector. Otherwise, nobody would work there.
Why is it that some people think that non-college educated workers don't DESERVE a basic living? I'm sorry, working 15 years simply to get promoted up to 60K in this city is not what I'd call "highly paid." Do some of you even live here? You can make 60K retouching photoshop images after working only 3 years.
I'm sure police officers, firefighters and many other jobs even in public sector are more demanding. I just don't buy this crap that driving a bus (with great benefits, 100% job security, huge salary) is more demanding that being a cop or something..
Retirement age should be 60 just like in other sectors. Taxpayers should not be paying their luxury benefits.
I'd like to see confirmation of that lifespan statistic, as well. As of right now, with no citations from credible or even incredible sources, it's nothing more than a meme that gets repeated over and over. Get Snopes on the case!
Besides, if the working conditions are so monumentally horrible down there and demonstrably detrimental to worker health, why haven't surviving families of dead workers sued the MTA into oblivion yet? Or at the very least, why isn't OSHA handing out notices of violations left and right?
With luck, this will mean the end of the union. If half of the workers decide to walk off and the other half crosses the picket lines, there'll be no solidarity whatsoever and the union loses its power completely. Maybe we can be rid of the scourge of transit strike threats forever.
African-Americans have a much higher infant mortality rate -- this affects the average lifespan stat pretty dramatically.
who cares what the stats are, its a free economy, the worksers are all free to leave for more lavish and higher paying jobs like the rest of us... lol. good luck. they should be fired at this point.
Wow. There's an awful lot of bitterness seething inside people. Maybe it's the nature of people who feel obliged to comment that there would be that intensity, but I don't believe Gothamist's readers are generally this bitter and petty.
What's surprising to me is the lack of support of and amount of animus directed to the union here and in many other arenas where young, supposedly hip, and supposedly progressive people blog or congregrate.
There's snark at every move Mayor Bloomberg makes, there's strong opposition to Bush and the Iraq war, people mewling sentimentally over every old brick consigned to the heap.
But scratch the surface and create circumstances that mildly personally inconvenience these people, and the hipsters become their suburbanite parents from Huntington.
bitterness? hipsters? Are you kidding... it's a simple reality, this is a free market economy with certain controls. The contract was more than fair. The union already struck against the law and this whole affair is now hanging over the city once again. As sad as it may be, unionized labor is seeing its last gasp. People in the private sector couldn't hope to get these kind of benefits. If the MTA jobs were non-unionized there would be not only a ton more efficiency (i.e. the majority of the workforce doing their job instead of a few), reduced costs, etc, but the jobs in the MTA that are indeed tough, trackwork etc, would be compensated accordingly due to demand. This comes out of all our pockets - taxes, fairs, tolls. NYC is expensive enough. I hope officials take the stand now and clean house.
It's official. The 11,234 transit workers who voted "no" on this contract are spoiled brats who should be handed their walking papers. Expect much and you end up with nothing, that's the reality.
I don't understand the comments like, "Why is it that blue collar guys aren't allowed to make more $$?" That logic makes no sense. No one disputes their right to pursue as high a paying job as they can, or as good a contract as they can. That's their right, but people are mad at the transit workers for violating a law that they agreed to voluntarily when they took the job, for preventing other willing workers from working, and for inappropriately using their leverage over regular New Yorkers as a bargaining chip with the MTA.
Oh, another thing--the Iraq War is completely irrelevant to this issue, so leave it alone. What, are you so simplistic that you just put on a "I'm a leftist" mask and reflexively support or oppose all issues based on some warped ideology?
fm,
I have a highly skilled job. I have a college education. I make 64K a year. Tell me where I can make 60K retouching photos. I'm there in a second if it's true. I'm also highly skeptical. And, yes, I live here.
Assuming that it's true that the average lifespan of a transit worker is 58... is that attributable to the job or being black? If it's mostly because of the job, I can understand the argument for a lower retirement age.
If it's mostly because of their race, sorry, but tough luck. Innate longevity is not the employer's problem. Do you think retirement ages should be set based on average lifespans of different races? Supposedly the Japanese have the longest lifespan at 81 years. Perhaps their retirement should be delayed to age 73. What do you think?
Apparently the discontent among the TWU members has reared its ugly head against its leadership. Wrong Way Roger is no Mike Quill. (And Quill is probably spinning in his grave.)
The fact is I pay these salaries and pensions with our NYC sales tax and other taxes, so I have a vested interest in how my measly wage is spent. These are not hard jobs!!! tedious yes? uninspiring perhaps? But I don't see Transit Worker right after Alaskan King Crab Fisherman on "World's Most Dangerous Jobs".. 1.5% is a joke. What is that like 400-800 a year!! Most Married couples pay that a month. Pensions at 55!
Wake up and see that corporate America, which runs much more efficiently than government and is accountable to shareholders, has already figured out that pensions are crippling them (see, Verizon, IBM, et al. new workers unable to get pensions and switched to 401Ks).
And pay my student loans then we'll talk about how much you think you should make? Its a free market and companies, whether valid or not, pay for the diploma. So if you didn't sit your ass around a keg for 4 years and then 2-3 more...you're probably an eighth of your way to retiring with a pension while I will working until 65+...so I'll need the extra $$$. and don't get me started on the $20 cab rides that loom.....
whoa whoa whoa no one said a strike is going to happen.
But scratch the surface and create circumstances that mildly personally inconvenience these people, and the hipsters become their suburbanite parents from Huntington.
Huntington? you're waaaay off.
We just keep up with current events, such as W Virginia coal mining accidents (you want to talk life expectancy?). We're able to differentiate when the influence of a Union is needed, and when it's superfluous.
I think anyone, regardless of background, who lost money during the strike is going to feel the same way if they can't make their rent again.
rosweed, contact these guys.
Tell them you're a senior-level photo retoucher. Ask them the salary.
Then insert your foot into your mouth.
Then think about how much easier your job is than a transit worker who has to work in dark, loud tunnels. Then think about who's job is more important to society.