NYC Transit Workers Reject New Contract By DAVID B. CARUSO,

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060120/ap_ ... ansit_vote
NYC Transit Workers Reject New Contract By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago



The city's 33,000 union transit workers narrowly rejected their proposed contract Friday, one month to the day after starting a crippling three-day strike that stranded 7 million bus and subway riders.

The workers, by a seven-vote margin out of more than 22,000 votes cast, rejected union President Roger Toussaint's call for ratification and followed the lead of a dissident group urging rejection.

The voting ended at noon Friday, and Toussaint announced the unexpected result a few hours later.

Toussaint blamed "downright lies" by opponents of the proposed three-year contract and said the union's leadership was ready to "go back to the drawing board" with negotiators as soon as possible. He left without taking questions about the possibility of another strike.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the city's mass transit system, had no immediate comment.

The three-day strike that started Dec. 20, right in the middle of the holiday shopping season, shut down the nation's largest mass transit system for the first time since 1980 and left New Yorkers and tourists scrambling to find ways to get around the city.

State law forbids strikes by public employees, though, and the walkout put the union and its members at financial risk.

Transport Workers Union Local 100 was fined $3 million, and striking workers were fined two days pay for each day on strike, though a Brooklyn judge has yet to determine exactly how much of those fines the union and its employees will pay. Toussaint could also face jail time for the walkout. A hearing scheduled Friday was postponed.

The rejected contract would have provided workers with raises of 3 percent in the first year, then 4 percent and 3.5 percent in the following two years. But it would have required them for the first time to contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health care premiums.

The MTA agreed to pull a proposal that would have raised the retirement age for new hires from 55 or required new employees to contribute more to their pensions.

The deal was worked out in a late-night session with mediators after talks had broken down three hours after a midnight deadline

wtf is wrong with them? why is it such a travesty o have to pay for your medical insurance? i do, along with millions of other people. ****ing greedy pigs!!

My god these people are out of their minds completely! What can you say but wow... :roll:

Thats that damn Local union they have. I liked mayor Blumburgs threat, fine the bastards.

At one time, a "benefit" was so named because it was a "benefit" you received for working for a particular employer. It becomes less so when you pay for it yourself. We should not forget that..

Having said that, in 2005 nearly everyone pays a portion for their health insurance, and the Transit workers are being unrealistic in thinking they don't have to pay at all.

Toussaint is in a tough position now..he helped whip up some of this militancy, but he actually has some folks in his membership that are far more unreasonable still.. including a couple I heard on the radio and saw on TV that are clearly jockeying for future control of the union and whether they believe their rhetoric or not, I am not sure, but between the global economy and the welfare state, they aren't going to see what it is they are talking about. Not ever.

the new contract the mta proposed was turned down cause of these kinks
1. have conductors roam up and down trains. if i am not mistaken wouldn't this cause delays?
2. have token booth clerks monitor the platforms and do cleaning in the station. then why is the nypd monitoring the platform? why is the station cleaner there?

Random Quote
When U reject a contract all bets are off.