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MTA’s Illegal Ways

To the Editor:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority obviously has no regard for its workers. Local 100 goes on strike and is told it should have gone to arbitration. It goes to arbitration this year and the authority doesn't like the decision so it withholds their raises and takes Local 100 to court.

In my case in Queens, we have a 20- year past practice of assigning subway shuttle work to supervisors strictly on overtime. We are told in 2008 that that will end and we now cover all subway shuttles on straight time. We grieve this and take the grievance to arbitration. The arbitrator issues an award that all of our shuttle work must be filled like in the past (overtime) and subway shuttles are an integral part of our collectivebargaining agreement, and if the authority wants to change that, it needs to negotiate it first. So what does the authority do? It tries to force us to repick our work ending the pick that is supposed to be in effect till Jan. 2, 2010.

This is an illegal and despicable way to try to circumvent the arbitrator's decision. There is no regard for their supervisor employees who have schedules until January that they depend on and made plans around. If the authority is not going to abide by the contract and not abide by an arbitrator’s decision, then what's left?
PHIL VALENTI
Queens Division Chairman
Transit Supervisors Organization
TWU Local 106