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THE CONTRACT: FIRST YOU SEE
4% AND THEN YOU DON’T
The
arbitrator’s contract decision gives us raises of 4%, 4% and 3% over
three years. Despite the hype, our 4’s are LESS than both
4’s in DC 37’s 2-year contract.
In
one sense, Toussaint’s rhetoric echoes billionaire Bloomberg and the
corporate press about 4% raises. No one wanted to explain what we
really got.
Luckily
for all of them, members can’t vote on the contract. This Bulletin has
always said, “Hell no to arbitration! We have the right to vote on
contracts!”
GIVE US OUR MONEY!
The
MTA criminals, controlled by Gov. Paterson, are appealing the raises in
court. It may take a year says the union.
Instead
of mobilizing for a good contract we went to arbitration. Once again
arbitration became a trap. Now we’re stuck waiting on so-called
impartial courts (Remember the Taylor Law fines? Hello.).
We
must mobilize our anger. We need an emergency local-wide mass meeting
to discuss and vote on a strategy. We’re going broke! Give us our money
NOW!
THE RAISES
Here’s
what’s actually in the contract:
2009:
A 2% raise retro to April 16, not January 16,
2009,
the first day of the contract. No 4% raise for the first three months
means a Station Agent at the current rate of 40 hours at $24.715 an
hour would have earned about $514 more if a 4% raise was in effect on
Jan. 16.
The
second half of our so-called 4% raise this year is another 2% raise on
Oct. 16. The loss of the remaining 2% of the 4% between April and Oct.
would have earned an SA about $514 more. The delayed raises cost
Station Agents a total of about $1028 in ’09. [The Oct. raise is not
based on the April raise; that is, not “compounded.” Another rip-off.]
With
no raise at all until mid-April, and not reaching 4% until the last 2 ˝ months of
the year, our AVERAGE raise over the course of the entire first year is
about 1.83%. Last year, the cost of living rose 3.9% in the NYC region
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics). Our last raise was 3.5% on Dec. 15, 2007.
Is
this “The Great Train Robbery” that the Daily News, the Post, the MTA
and Bloomberg rant about? Yet, they have no problem with huge MTA
payments made to Wall St. crooks on tax-free MTA
bonds!
2010:
A 2% increase on April 16 and a 2% increase on Oct. 16, 2010 (compounded). If there was
a 4% raise on Jan 16., instead of April 16, SA’s would have earned about $535 more. Between
April 16 and Oct 16, SA’s would have earned
about $535 more with a 4% raise on Jan. 16. Total income in 2010 would be
$1070 more if the 4% was in January. The AVERAGE raise in ‘10 is about
1.83%.
2011:
A 3% raise on January 16.
With
the “compounding” of raises, the increases by contract’s end will be
11.28%. However, by not having our two “4% raises” on Jan. 16 the total
lost by S.A.’s in 2009 and 2010 is about
$2098.
MORE ON THE CONTRACT
Increases
to our healthcare contribution are frozen at 1.5% and no longer include
overtime pay. Earlier promises by Toussaint to fight to reduce the 1.5%
to 1% never happened.
[NOTE:
The 1.5% must be eliminated, especially since we don’t know where it
goes! In ’06, Mike Jerome, Toussaint’s ex-healthcare head, said our
1.5% contribution gave the MTA $31 million for a benefit worth only $13
million. The MTA must tell us where our money went!]
Station
CTAs, as the new Station Maintainer Helper,
will perform tasks once performed by $25 an hour Maintenance of Way
workers. The scheme, generally
known as “broad banding,” will have CTAs
perform the work of another title – a key MTA goal.
One
Person Train Operation (OPTO) downsizing is over – for now. Good, but
in 2008 Toussaint showed a willingness to expand OPTO and sell us all
out.
The
“Regional Bus” (RB) downsizing scheme would combine MaBSTOA,
TA Surface and MTA Bus (the old Private Bus Lines). It is opposed by
the rank and file. Fortunately, RB isn’t in this contract. But the
groundwork for RB is proceeding with route changes and seniority
mergers of different workforces. What’s more, MTA Bus will get their
raise 3 months AFTER we will. MTA Bus workers finally get
pay parity (equality) with city bus workers late in the life of the
contract in April 2011, a big rip-off. Their pensions remain inferior
to city bus, workers say.
Rumor
has it that we’re losing our dental benefits. Not true. We’re keeping
dental, but some unknown (secret) union demand was rejected by
arbitration.
The
arbitrator was happy to include a post-holiday January 15, 2012 expiration date, no doubt
with Toussaint’s OK. Our strategic Dec. 15 pre-holiday expiration date,
achieved only after many years, was part of the sellout deal to end the
strike.
The
contract went to arbitration without a real fight. Only with the threat of 1,200 layoffs
did we have a modest rally in April, many months after the threat was made.
The contract is less than what we could’ve gotten if the union
mobilized our membership. This Bulletin demanded that the TWU
leadership call extra local-wide mass membership meetings to organize a
massive fight, like the 12,000 strong rallies of the past. The TWU
could’ve led a movement that said hell no to making working people pay
for Wall St.’s crisis.
KEEP BOOTHS OPEN! NO TO CTA
CUTS!
Despite
funding from Albany, the MTA criminals are going ahead with their plan
to close 102 booths in September.
More may close next year.
The
MTA’s preliminary budget for 2010-13 also
calls for slashing 88 Station Cleaner (CTA) jobs by attrition (not
filling jobs when employees leave).
The
cuts are part of the ongoing attack on unions and public services. The
MTA will vote on them in December.
When
the MetroCard (AFC) was introduced in the
‘90’s, the MTA spoke of slashing 800 Clerk’s jobs. Cutting jobs and
service remains their goal.
HANDS OFF JOE SEXTON OF MTA
BUS!
Bus
driver Joe Sexton is a long time union activist and the elected TWU
Queens Private Bus Lines (PBL) Division Chair. He’s being framed on
dismissal charges. Sexton is near retirement and needs the support of
Local 100 members!
The
night before a pick, Sexton posted a notice in his barn advising
members that TWU Pres. Tate and the MTA, which now runs PBL, agreed to
a 15 minute pick time, after the MTA said it would reduce it to just 5
minutes. (For years pick time was 20 to 30 minutes.) Says Sexton, “A
union official told me we got 15 minutes.”
Sexton
did his job as a union activist, even though he had been stripped of
his release time by Toussaint’s unelected appointee, PBL Vice. Pres. Enzo Sinonna.
However,
the next day the bosses implemented the 5 minutes anyway. Management
then slammed Sexton with dismissal charges for posting his sign.
Superintendent White said he was one of a group of “saboteurs
undermining business everyday,” says Sexton. He was accused of several
violations, including “conduct unbecoming,” and taken out of service on
Aug. 7. The next day a supervisor called it, “a job action.”
Says
Joe, “A little over 2000 former PBL workers have no protection from MTA
management. We’ve got a 19th century discipline system in
the 21st century. We’re in the Wild West!”
Sexton
has been framed again and again. He’s a target because he stands-up to
management and union sellouts. TWU activists have formed the “Joe
Sexton Defense Committee.” We demand that all charges against Sexton be
dropped and all harassment cease. Call 212-781-5157.
Sexton
also railed against the new MTA Bus contract, which has raises 3 months
after NYCT. Says Sexton, (OVER) (SEXTON) “Our worst fears
were realized with TWU Treasurer Ed Watt, an ex-bus driver. We wanted
our contract to mirror MaBSTOA, but Watt was
against it. We needed a discipline system with pay and pension parity.
We got robbed.”
“In
‘06, Watt had a vote of our contract committee, with VP Sinnona and his cronies. It was 7 to 5 for
a MaBSTOA style agreement. A 2nd vote,
after arm-twisting, was 7 against, including the VP, and 5 for.
“In
2005, the MTA took over without a union rep on the property,” said
Sexton. Joe challenged Tousaint’s recent
claim that there’s no RB at MTA Bus. “It’s a lie. The groundwork for
Regional Bus is here right now.” He added, “We had the least and gave
away the most.”
JOBS
The
MTA’s July preliminary budget includes, “the
assumption that labor will contribute through productivity and labor
savings.” The TWU leadership must come clean and reveal any secret downsizing
agreements with the MTA criminals!
However,
you would think that the MTA would reconsider closing booths after it
received $1.8 billion from Albany after NY State received
federal stimulus money. In
addition, riders were slammed with a 10% fare hike.
The
cuts are even more unnecessary given a new law, which allows federal
aid to be used to balance the budget.
In
‘05, there was a “job security” petition addressed to Toussaint
demanding a contract agreement guaranteeing that booths stay open and
that all Station Agent jobs be preserved. The petition was signed by
hundreds of members, but dismissed as “just a leaflet” by Toussaint. If
our strike was well organized and had clear goals, it could have forced
the MTA sign an agreement that would preserve booths and protect all
S.A. and CTA jobs!
Saving
booths is a Local-wide issue that should have meant mobilizing the
entire membership to save jobs – by any means necessary, including job
actions.
Members
are encouraged to speak-out at a September 2 public hearing on spending
on MTA projects. You must sign-up to speak in person. It will be held
at 4:30 pm at the MTA at 347 Madison Ave. at 44th street
(take any train to Grand Central). Also, Take Back Our Union (TBOU) is
leafleting riders. See www.Tbou.org
for schedule.
SUPPORT THE STELLA D’ORO
WORKERS!
The
workers at Stella D’Oro Biscuit Co. in the
Bronx were on strike for 11 months, standing their ground against union
busting. Stella’s owners, the vulture capitalists Brynwood
Partners, tried to slash wages, pensions, healthcare and holidays. Not
one worker crossed the strike picket line and scabbed!
In
July, a court decision ordered Stella D’Oro
to bargain fairly and let the strikers back to work. That same day, the
treacherous Brynwood bosses announced that it
would close in 90 days without big concessions from workers. In
essence, they are saying accept non-union conditions or we’re shutting
down!
Labor
must mobilize to demand that Stella D’Oro
stay in the Bronx and negotiate a contract without givebacks!
On
Saturday, Sept. 12, NYC’s unions will hold its annual Labor Day Parade.
The Central Labor Council has declared Stella D’Oro
workers the theme of this year’s parade. The Stella D’Oro
Support Committee encourages all union members to march with the Stella workers.
Join us at 45th St. and Madison Ave. at 10:00 A.M. For more
info go to www. stelladorostrike2008.org.
Let’s
make sure there are plenty of TWU members there!
BOOK INSULTS 2005 CONTRACT
OPPONENTS
A
book called “Low-Wage Capitalism,” by Fred Goldstein, gets some things
right about our strike but he also regurgitates Toussaint’s lies about
his opponents.
Below
I quote and examine, Goldstein’s
misrepresentations. (P.186, World View Forum, 55 W.17th St.,
NYC)
GOLDSTEIN: “An unprincipled
opposition in the local campaigned against the contract, which was
defeated by just seven votes.”
TRUTH: The main opposition to the
contract and strike sellout was “Transit Workers for a Just Contract,”
composed of members of the “New Directions Caucus,” which Toussaint
used to take over. [None of the current so-called “opposition”
candidates were active in the committee, except RTO’s
Downs & Harrington.] Without evidence, Goldstein falsely accuses
TWJC of an alliance with the strike breaking International against
Toussaint. Ironically, Toussaint was just promoted to VP in the TWU
International!
GOLDSTEIN: “Later on, the same
contract was submitted to the membership and overwhelmingly accepted.”
TRUTH: Toussaint conducted a fear
campaign about going to arbitration (irony!!). His supporters were
caught red-handed using their union jobs to promote an undemocratic
second vote. Most people read the contract and knew what they were
voting for. They weren’t idiots!
GOLDSTEIN: “The critics who had
originally sunk the contract aimed their fire at Roger Toussaint, the
president of Local 100. But, in reality, the overwhelming factor…..was
the refusal of the city’s AFL-CIO labor leadership to bring to bear the
power of the organized working class.”
TRUTH: Yes, the AFL-CIO leaders
betrayed us; Toussaint’s critics agree. For TWU members, however, the
point is Toussaint didn’t organize the strike, and, out of fear of the
membership, relied on politicians and labor leaders who betrayed us.
The strike was ended while the city was still shutdown. Despite a $1
billion MTA surplus, we got a contract with a 1st time 1.5%
healthcare contribution, mediocre raises and a new post-holiday
expiration date.
Goldstein
is not alone. Much of the so-called Left accepted the Toussaint line,
including Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s hypocritical
article on the contract debate didn’t even contain one quote by a
contract opponent. Gonzalez had
already interviewed me by phone, but he could’ve also quoted any of the
thousands who also voted no. (Note: The TWU helps fund Gonzalez’s WBAI
radio show)
Those
like Goldstein, who say they side with labor, do it with unthinking
loyalty to leaders. Many leaders led strikes, but many also sold them
out, bowing to Democratic or Republican politicians. Many leaders are
undemocratic. Goldstein needs to study history, not just Roger’s press
releases.
Now,
many of those who say they opposed Toussaint may have the member’s
votes to take over in December. What will Goldstein say then?
CAN MTA BOSSES BE OUR
FRIEND?
Roger
Toussaint and even some TWU members would have you believe that ex-MTA
CEO Eliot Sander was our friend. Sander is credited with negotiating
what became the basis of the arbitration award. Some say he was more
flexible than former MTA boss Kalikow. Maybe, but I say Sander
represented the same corporate outlook of all MTA Boards.
Don’t
forget that this “pro-labor” Democrat threatened us with 1,200 layoffs.
When he announced it at an MTA meeting it was my pleasure to shout out
at Sander, “They ought to lay you off!”
Sander
also demanded more health care concessions; scheduled job cuts and had
the MTA take a loan from the retiree health fund. He threatened working
people with a 23% fare hike.
Rather
than halt the MTA’s huge interest payments to
Wall St., Sander threatened both
riders and workers.
Sander
asked the MTA’s anti-TWU law firm, Proskauer Rose, back after these bums walked out of
negotiations.
Sander
is re-joining the AECOM Corporation, which has had huge building and
military support contracts in Iraq during the illegal U.S. occupation.
His
subdivision, DMJM, promoted E-Z pass technology, which is used in the
“tap and ride” smart card in midtown. It aims to further downsize our
jobs.
In New Orleans after Katrina, DMJM
advisors to city transit recommended laying off bus drivers for budget
reasons.
Sander
was appointed by a “liberal” Democratic Spitzer - Paterson administration. First
thing, Gov. Spitzer promoted the judge who hit us with fines. As
governor, Paterson threatened mass layoffs to balance the NY budget. He
also threatened us with an inferior pension.
Some
MTA bosses use sugar to get more concessions but their goal is still keeping
us down.
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