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OUR UNION
Local 100 Rally Unites Community Over MTA Threats
Mar 05 2010
More than 3,000 Local 100 members rallied outside of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Public Hearing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan on Thursday evening. A large contingent of high school and college students joined the Local, vociferously protesting the MTA's planned elimination of student MetroCards.
The MTA has threatened to hike fares, cut service, layoff hundreds of workers and eliminate free student MetroCards. On March 1, more than 1,000 workers received a letter in the mail from the MTA explaining there would be a "Reduction in work force," but that it was not a lay-off notice.
That letter says that MTA Chairman Jay Walder doesn't care what caused the Authority's financial crisis, but that he wants transit workers, students, the elderly and the New York public to pay for it, Local 100 John Samuelsen explained at the rally.
"What kind of upside down society is this when the federal government bails out Wall Street bankers to the tune of $700 billion dollars. But students, transit workers, and New York’s working families get kicked to the curb?" said Samuelsen.
Many allies in the union movement and in the government supported Local 100 and the student activists. To name a few supporters: New York State AFL-CIO President Dennis Hughes, PBA President Pat Lynch, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, the UFT's Michael Mandel, DC 37’s Oliver Gray, Teamsters Local 237's Gregory Floyd, and Public Advocate Bill DiBlasio.
President John Samuelsen called upon members to speak in a single voice: "Hell no, Mr. Walder. We will fight your attempts to steal our jobs; we will fight your attacks on our students; you will not destroy our transit system."
UFT leader Mandel questioned the contradictions in the MTA’s budget priorities, seeking congestion pricing tolls on the one hand, while cutting service on the other. Pat Lynch spoke of his father’s longtime membership in TWU Local 100 and demanded that the fat cats on Wall Street surrender their raises and perks before working families face firings and pay cuts.
Local 100 is working a multi-pronged strategy to win additional funding streams for the MTA in Washington, Albany, and in New York's City Hall.
"Tonight we are speaking as one," said Local 100 President John Samuelsen. "We have to continue to shout in one, loud, unified voice."
The MTA has threatened to hike fares, cut service, layoff hundreds of workers and eliminate free student MetroCards. On March 1, more than 1,000 workers received a letter in the mail from the MTA explaining there would be a "Reduction in work force," but that it was not a lay-off notice.
That letter says that MTA Chairman Jay Walder doesn't care what caused the Authority's financial crisis, but that he wants transit workers, students, the elderly and the New York public to pay for it, Local 100 John Samuelsen explained at the rally.
"What kind of upside down society is this when the federal government bails out Wall Street bankers to the tune of $700 billion dollars. But students, transit workers, and New York’s working families get kicked to the curb?" said Samuelsen.
Many allies in the union movement and in the government supported Local 100 and the student activists. To name a few supporters: New York State AFL-CIO President Dennis Hughes, PBA President Pat Lynch, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, the UFT's Michael Mandel, DC 37’s Oliver Gray, Teamsters Local 237's Gregory Floyd, and Public Advocate Bill DiBlasio.
President John Samuelsen called upon members to speak in a single voice: "Hell no, Mr. Walder. We will fight your attempts to steal our jobs; we will fight your attacks on our students; you will not destroy our transit system."
UFT leader Mandel questioned the contradictions in the MTA’s budget priorities, seeking congestion pricing tolls on the one hand, while cutting service on the other. Pat Lynch spoke of his father’s longtime membership in TWU Local 100 and demanded that the fat cats on Wall Street surrender their raises and perks before working families face firings and pay cuts.
Local 100 is working a multi-pronged strategy to win additional funding streams for the MTA in Washington, Albany, and in New York's City Hall.
"Tonight we are speaking as one," said Local 100 President John Samuelsen. "We have to continue to shout in one, loud, unified voice."
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TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA AFL-CIO 1700 BROADWAY - SECOND FLOOR NEW YORK, NY, 10019 212-259-4900 OFFICE 212-265-4537 FAX |
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