Published 10 Oct, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 10, 2015
CONTACT: Ori Korin, (202) 374-6103
Victory for TWU: MTA Capital Plan Gets Funded
Earlier today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor de Blasio and Metropolitan Transit Authority Chairman Prendergast announced an agreement on funding for the MTA Capital Program after weeks of vocal pressure from TWU. The union issued the following statement:
“This is an incredible victory for the thousands of transit workers whose jobs are directly impacted by the MTA Capital Plan, and for the millions of New York’s working families who use the bus and subway system every day.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to Governor Cuomo for pressing this issue so hard and bringing it to a conclusion so that the MTA would not be forced to scale back the capital plan. Over three thousand TWU members earn their livelihoods keeping our transit system in a state of good repair, and any failure to properly fund it would have hurt workers and riders alike, to say nothing of the long term negative impact on the region’s economy.
“NYC transit workers provide the most vital public service to New York’s working families day in and day out. In the end, there needs to be a more permanent solution to the MTA’s funding needs instead of these nasty battles every five years to modernize the system and ensure access to safe, reliable and affordable public transit for New Yorkers.
“Thankfully, for now, our members and the riding public can rest easy knowing this issue is behind us.”
TWU’s campaign included full-page newspaper ads featuring the mayor operating a graffiti covered subway train and jumping a turnstile, making the case that the city was not contributing its fair share. TWU’s Local 100 represents about 41,000 transit workers with more than 3,000 performing tasks related to the capital plan, including rehabilitating stations, replacing tracks and driving shuttle buses when stations and line segments are temporarily closed.