Socialist Action /July 2001
NY Transit Workers Rally Against Health
Cuts
By MARTY GOODMAN
NEW YORK-Thousands of angry New York City transit
workers marched on June 20 to begin "a long hot summer" against
management abuse. The target was threatened cuts in health care benefits
as well as transit's notorious discipline policy.
The demonstration was organized by the militant
new leadership of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which has
lead the union since January. The current leadership was swept into power
at the head of a rank-and-file movement called New Directions. Local 100
represents some 35,000 subway and bus employees who work for the Metropolitan
Transit Authority (MTA).
The protest began with a spirited rally at the
Brooklyn headquarters of the MTA subway subdivision known as New York City
Transit (NYCT), the site of employee discipline hearings. A 20-feet-tall
inflatable rubber rat, symbolizing the workers' hatred of the discipline
process, was erected by the TWU just outside the glass enclosed offices.
Each year one in four transit workers are subject to the sting of management
discipline, which often includes suspensions and dismissals.
Addressing the health benefits crisis, Local 100
President Roger Toussaint said to the crowd, "Ridership is up, service
is up, productivity is up, and they want to cut service and take away health
benefits for us and our families. There is no way in hell that is going
to happen!"
The union soon marched over the Brooklyn Bridge
to City Hall in lower Manhattan, chanting all the way, "We are the
union. The mighty, mighty union. The community union. The rider's union.
The fightback union. The kick-ass union!"
At City Hall Toussaint addressed the crowd, "NYCT
should not take anything for granted while our health benefits are being
threatened. We move seven million every day-and these bastards in the NYCT
and the MTA dare threaten our health benefits. Transit workers, surface
workers are being denied respect on the job. Brothers and sisters, these
things go together!"
Toussaint warned the transit authority, "The
union of Mike Quill is back in business!" The reference to the legendary
first president of Local 100, Mike Quill, drew especially loud applause.
Quill, who was close to the Communist Party in the early years, went on
to lead the highly successful 1966 transit strike.
Sellout contract paved way for crisis
The health benefits crisis is seen as part of a
sell-out contract negotiated in December 1999 by the despised former Local
100 leadership. The 1999 contract changed management's contribution formula
to the Health Benefits Trust (HBT) and pegged it to unrealistically low
projected health care cost increases. Letters between management and former
union officials back up charges made by the current leadership that there
was a conspiracy to under-fund the HBT.
Despite the contract changes, however, the union
says the authority is still liable contractually to maintain employee benefits.
If the shortage is not corrected, members will be forced to pay up to $1000
in out-of-pocket expenses over the next 18 months or else lose benefits.
The 1999 contract also contained work-rule concessions
known as "broadbanding," which severely undermine seniority rights.
Broadbanding is bitterly resented by the affected workers in the Car Equipment
division.
Management maintained that broadbanding was necessary
to save money needed to fund the HBT. Currently, NYCT is pressing for even
deeper work-rule concessions to fund the current shortfall, a demand the
union rejects.
While the crowd on June 20 was in a fighting mood
and of respectable size, the turnout was noticeably smaller than the previous
demonstration for the same issues on March 28. That rally drew upwards of
10,000 workers and was a milestone in the history of the long dormant union.
The impressive size of the March 28 event was credited
with compelling management to forestall health-care cuts almost certain
to have been implemented by the end of the month-a victory for the strategy
of mobilizing the membership to fight!
In negotiations since March, however, management
has not yet agreed to increase its contribution to the HBT. Without an increased
management contribution well before the end of the year, benefits are certain
to be curtailed.
What's next?
A democratic discussion by the ranks on what to
do next in the struggle is vital. Clearly, serious consideration must be
given to job actions or a strike if transit is to be compelled to pay its
fair share.
The TWU has added to its arsenal the completion
of an ambitious shop stewards training program in which over 450 new stewards
graduated. Veteran union activists say the size of the TWU program was a
record for a New York City union.
Transit workers, however, face great obstacles.
As employees of New York State they are covered by the Taylor law, which
prohibits strikes or job actions. The law was passed by both Democrats and
Republicans in the wake of the 1966 transit strike. Punishment includes
withholding two days pay for each day of violations. Even so, the onerous
fines can be overcome by well-organized, militant action-as other unions
have shown.
All four politicians running in the Democratic
Party mayoral primary election race, to be decided in September, have openly
backed use of the Taylor law against transit workers in their campaigns.
Incredibly, this has not prevented these same pro-boss phonies from actively
seeking the votes of TWU members at union events and rallies! The union's
relationship to and possible endorsement of one of these candidates will
be an important test for the union.
Socialists say that working people must decisively
break with the politicians of management, the banks, and landlords and create
a party responsible to the labor movement-a labor party.
The burning issues faced by Local 100 will be
discussed at the first local-wide meeting since the new leadership took
over, now scheduled for September. Local-wide meetings were non-existent
in the local for a generation until New Directions forced them on the old
leadership during the 1999 contract talks.
The local-wide meeting will be important for the
membership to assess the union's progress and problems. Moreover, to live
up to the promise made by New Directions of a democratic union controlled
by the rank and file, direct membership voting at local-wide meetings must
be high on the agenda.
Socialist Action /July 2001 |