President Tony Utano Responds to Gov. Cuomo’s Veto of Tier 6 Reform Legislation

“Late Friday evening, Gov. Cuomo vetoed legislation that would have removed the overtime cap on the final Tier 6 pension calculation for transit workers.

"This is a disappointment on numerous levels.

"However, the Governor’s veto message is hardly a rebuke of our efforts. It is quite the opposite. In his message, Gov. Cuomo recognizes the vital role of NYC Transit Workers in restoring the system back into a state of reliability. More importantly , he states that he is committed to developing a plan to address the overtime cap issue.

"Local 100 went down a similar road with our Veterans pension credit bill. That bill was initially vetoed and then signed into law the following year. So this veto is not the end of our fight on Tier 6, and we will plow forward into 2019 pursuing justice on this issue.

"Early in the New Year, we will be meeting with the Governor's office to discuss the "commitment" he referenced in his veto message.

"As we celebrate the holidays and reflect on 2018, it’s important to note that TWU Local 100 has advanced the issue of Tier 6 pension reform far beyond anyone else in the state. This is because of the tenacity and active involvement of our membership. Our efforts resulted in both the state Assembly and Senate passing our bill lifting the overtime cap earlier this year, and we end 2018 with a public commitment from the governor that he will work with us to address the issue.

"Fighting to reform pensions is always a long term operation and we have made incremental progress. In 2019 we will keep pushing forward toward the goal of lifting the overtime cap."