The union reps didn’t ask for the money to be taken out of the booth first.
Management proposed it to them during the pandemic and the union leadership jumped on it thinking it was a great idea. The union also tried to leverage it as them fighting for our safety, which was a lie.
Management have been trying to find ways to get money taken out of the booth for years now— this time they caught the union sleeping and swiftly seized on the opportunity.
The reality is technology will eventually take over for money in the system in some form or fashion, we can’t avoid that.
The disturbing part is the union leadership allowed management to expedite the process without a plan in place to protect station agents. Will money ever come back to the booths? Doubt it. But if it does it won’t come back in the capacity it once was.
Not to mention the changing of schedules and the elimination of lunch relief was also a major hit. Most of the Station Agents title is comprised of women— Women who have a family to take care of including school age children. A 7-3 schedule isn’t going to work for most of them. A 3-11 schedule isn’t going to work either. This schedule change alone is going to be very detrimental to the employees of this department and the work life balance will be greatly affected.
TWU Local 100 nor the MTA never factored in this “new normal” we are all experiencing as a society. To be quite frank, I don’t believe they even care. Parents are now at home with their children remote learning and nothing can fare better for parents who work for the MTA right now than a flexible schedule. That’s the least they can do for the people who spared their lives to keep this system moving during a time both the MTA and Local 100 was watching us die, while playing the blame game with Trump. Not to mention the MTA had their own pandemic plan in place the entire time.
During the height of this pandemic, the people whom recommended these changes (MTA) and the people who accepted these changes (Local 100) were working from the safety of their homes, while we were out on the front lines getting sick and dying.
This is a smack in the face not only to the Stations department, but also to the membership as a whole. It’s supposed to be an injury to one is an injury to all, but the elected union leadership is functioning as a separate entity from the members it took an oath to represent.
We all deserve change, the question is what are we willing to do about it?
Progressive Action is looking to unite with members of the Stations department to create a fightback.
Let’s strategize. Let’s develop a plan. Let’s follow through with unapologetic force.
The New Local 100!
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