"Temporary Booth Closures?" We'll See You In Court

 
TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello, Stations VP Robert Kelley, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Exec. Dir. of Center for the Independence of the Disabled Dr. Sharon McLennon-Wier stand with members of Local 100 and the lawyer who filed the lawsuit, Arthur Schwartz.
TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello, Stations VP Robert Kelley, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Exec. Dir. of 
Center for the Independence of the Disabled Dr. Sharon McLennon-Wier stand with members of Local 100 and the lawyer who filed the 
lawsuit, Arthur Schwartz.
 
March 16—Here they go again: management is trying to pull a fast one on Local 100 and the riding public by cutting services in subway stations. This time the MTA wants to pinch pennies using the policy of "temporary booth closures": leaving stations unattended for entire shifts when a regular agent is sick, on vacation or otherwise absent. 
 
On Monday morning, Local 100 held a press conference with the Office of Brooklyn Borough President and the Center for the Independence of the Disabled to sound the alarm. 
 
"I lay this at the feet of Janno Lieber and Demetrius Crichlow who run the MTA. They need to reverse this decision which doesn't make sense," said Local 100 President John Chiarello. "This is a unilateral change that the union is not going to go with."
On Friday Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Executive Director of Center for the Independence of the Disabled Dr. Sharon McLennon-Wier, and Stations VP Robert Kelley filed suit together on behalf of subway riders over the MTA's violations of state and city human rights law and long-established laws on transit service changes. At stake are safety and protections for subway riders.
 
"How many times have we heard the safety of number one priority from the leadership of the MTA? Well, it's a hell of a way of showing that," remarked Stations VP Robert Kelley. "Today it's part-time, tomorrow you won't see anybody down here."
 
Borough President Reynoso urged the MTA to reverse course.
 
"When people are in trouble, they don't go walking around looking for a phone, looking for a button to press. They're looking around looking for a TWU worker to assist them either with a life-threatening situation or to find direction or to be able to know what they're going to do next."
 
The change also comes at a sensitive time as the MTA installs elevators to accommodate wheelchair and mobility-aid users. 
 
"We're talking about universal access for everyone." said Dr. McLennon-Wier. "And the idea that you're going to save a buck to close a station where you might endanger someone else's life? Life is priceless. You can't put dollars and cents on that."