Utano Attacks NY Post Op-Ed’s Call for Wage Freeze

Local 100 President Tony Utano lashed out at an Op-Ed piece which appeared in the New York Post on Nov. 19, 2018.  The piece, by long-time TWU critic Nicole Gelinas, calls for the elimination of LIRR and Metro North Conductors as well as a wage freeze for transit workers in the Local 100 contract amendable on May 16, 2018.  Utano’s full letter to the editor blasting these “solutions” to a projected MTA budget deficit, is below:
 
To the Editor:
The Nicole Gelinas op-ed on what ails the MTA (Nov. 19th) is a piece of wonky codswallop that takes the easy (and predictable) way out – cut jobs, and expect transit workers to accept a pay freeze in their new contract in May 2019.  Forget the fact that transit workers are on the job 24-7 toiling in dirty, dangerous conditions to provide this City’s most vital public service, while the City they serve takes bigger and bigger chunks out of their paychecks in the form of rising rents and everything else.
Here’s the real problem facing the MTA; debt service of $3 billion a year (and growing) on billions in fare-based bonds that had to be floated to cover years of system underfunding by whiny politicians.  How about the banks and Wall Street taking a “freeze” on the ever growing MTA debt service?  There’s an idea I can assure you not one finger-pointing politician or think-tanker would dare to suggest.
Tony Utano
President, TWU Local 100