(The Associated Press circulated the following article on December 16.)
NEW YORK — The New York City transit union called for a strike Friday against two private bus lines after a night of intense bargaining failed to produce a deal – a development that does not immediately affect the subways that shuttle millions of people each day.
The move escalates pressure on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority by starting with two private bus lines that are in the process of being taken over by the transit agency. The strike could eventually extend to the subway system, but the possible timing of such a move was unclear.
The bus lines affected by the strike serve areas mainly in Queens that have limited public transit options. About 50,000 riders are served by the lines; the action covers about 750 workers.
Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, made the announcement after union leaders rejected the MTA’s latest contract offer.
“The MTA has through its actions and inaction provoked our members too many times. We have been left with no choice,” Toussaint said. “We tried to bargain with the MTA. We negotiated well past our contract deadline because we wanted to get a deal done and we still do.”
After a day marked by heated attacks, the Transport Workers Union and the MTA returned to the bargaining table at 11 p.m. for a sesssion that ended at about 4:30 a.m. Toussaint then went to the union’s executive board to present the details of what the MTA is offering.
The offer by the MTA included an increase in raises – 9 percent over three years. They had been offering 6 percent over 27 months.
Despite the labor strife, commuters expressed relief that they had a way to get around amid fears of a strike that threatened to leave millions of people stranded after a midnight contract deadline.
“I was really hoping that everything was running,” said Mary Marino, who arrived at Penn Station on Friday morning to connect with two subway trains for her job at a Manhattan nursing home. “I didn’t sleep too well last night. I kept turning on the TV to see if they had settled.”
“I thought there was a strong chance there would be a strike – which is why I got up at 5 a.m.,” said Felix Lao-Batiz, 45, who lives in Upper Manhattan and was heading to Jersey City, where he works at a brokerage firm.
Earlier Thursday, leaders from the union and MTA had said that little progress had been made.
“As of this moment we have no progress to report and that’s not good because we have precious little time left before the deadline approaches,” Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said at a news conference late Thursday.
A half-hour before the deadline, MTA chief negotiator Gary Dellaverson took a break from talks to come down and angrily tell reporters that the union was putting forth last-minute “spin and misstatements” that were only delaying a deal.
“To begin to recharacterize these negotiations as some broad-based attack on the labor movement or working people in this city is simply wrong, and it doesn’t help us reach an agreement,” Dellaverson said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg headed to an emergency command center and was poised to put into effect a sweeping emergency plan to reduce gridlock and keep certain streets open for emergency vehicles. The millions of New Yorkers who rely on the subway were urged to make arrangements to car pool, bicycle and walk to work, or change their schedules and work from home in the case of a strike.
“We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” Bloomberg said.
Main sticking points included wage increases, pension rules and health care benefits. The union balked at the MTA’s demand to raise the age of pension eligibility for new employees.
The workers want 8 percent annual raises over three years and contend they should get a share of the MTA’s $1 billion surplus. And after the transit bombings in Madrid and London, they also want more terrorism training.
Train operators, station agents and cleaners earn between $47,000 and $55,000 a year before overtime.
A walkout by city subway and bus workers would be illegal under state law. Workers could lose two days’ pay for every day on strike. The city is asking for additional damages against individual transit workers: $25,000 for the first day of the walkout, doubling each day thereafter.
Estimates are that a strike would cost the city hundreds of millions per day in overtime and lost business and productivity.
The city’s contingency plan would require cars entering the busiest areas of Manhattan to carry at least four people at certain times. Motorists could pick up extra riders at park-and-ride areas.
Some streets would be closed to all but emergency vehicles. Taxis would be allowed to pick up multiple fares, and commuter rail lines would increase service.
Bruce Gilmore was getting a cup of coffee at Penn Station, preparing to head to his home in Queens about 1:30 a.m. Gilmore said he can’t afford a prolonged strike.
“I make 10 bucks an hour,” he said, adding the strike would cost him $15 each way to take a cab and the Long Island Railroad. “It’s a fair chunk of change. If I have to do that for a lengthy strike, there goes Christmas.”
The last time New York had a transit strike was 1980, when subways and buses sat motionless for 11 days. Tens of thousands of people mounted bicycles, walked and embraced creative modes of transportation like boats, private helicopters and roller skates.
In 2002, the union and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tussled over a new contract, but reached a deal hours after the deadline passed.