With so much misinformation being generated by the Republican Feudal Noise Machine, some of which has, unfortunately, resonated with Kossacks, I think it's important to clarify the situation with the following facts concerning the (Update: newest!) contract proposed by the MTA:
- The proposed pay raise of 3% year is completely offset by a baseline 2% rise in the CPI and a 1% contribution to healthcare premiums for new workers.
- In addition, new workers must work 5 more years and attain 7 more years of age to retire.
Workers are out-and-out losing with this contract. There is no extra pay whatsoever in their pockets above inflation, particularly when local prices are factored in, and new workers lose big, on retirement, compared with the old contract.
In terms of the timing of this all:
3) The MTA agreed to have the contract expire now.
The MTA is the public's representative, not the TWU. It's up to the MTA, not the TWU, to represent you in this area and to negotiate this issue- the timing- on your behalf.
and, in terms of trust:
4) The MTA has been proven to have lied about its finances in its negotiations with the TWU. LIED. Were the MTA a private entity, it would be subject to prosecution under the RICO Act.
I'm disgusted by the indifference many Kossacks are expressing towards the MTA workers. It's eerily reminescent of the "Kossacks for Bloomberg" wave that washed over this place. The MTA workers have extremely dangerous jobs, for which they are paid low salaries. I support them, wholeheartedly.