Union Gains Back Work in Queens Redesign Grievance

MTA Bus Div. Chair Mike Capocci with PBL/MTA Bus/School Bus VP Danny D'Amato
MTA Bus Div. Chair Mike Capocci with PBL/MTA Bus/School Bus VP Danny D'Amato

MAY 21 -- An April decision by Arbitrator Martin Scheinman restored work to three MTA Bus depots which stood to lose routes under the plan.

After being informed by management in November of 2023 of major changes to bus routes in the Borough of Queens, MTA Bus Division Chair Mike Capocci filed a grievance challenging the Redesign on the grounds that moving bus routes outside of the MTA Bus bargaining unit was prohibited by the contract.

The original Queens Redesign called for four bus lines to be moved from LaGuardia Depot to Grand Avenue, one line to be moved from LaGuardia to Fresh Pond, one line to be moved from College Point to Casey Stengel, and one line to be moved from Baisley Park to Jamaica Depot. While most of the moves were within TWU Local 100, some brought work from the TWU to ATU.

In an April 2024 hearing before the Arbitrator, Scheinman weighed the evidence and told both parties – TWU Local 100 and New York City Transit – to convene and work out their differences. Another hearing held on February 11th of this year resulted in the same instruction from the arbitrator, who didn’t want to impose his own bus route design on Queens. At the same time, he determined that “the traditional work performed by the Union must be respected,” meaning that the Union was in the right in objecting to the transferring of work outside its bargaining unit.

The Union and management continued discussions, with Local 100 maintaining our position that the routes are our work, and while doing that we secured new and existing lines. The parties went back to the arbitrator, who resolved the remaining outstanding route issues by ruling that the Q72 be restored to LaGuardia Depot, with the Q39 going to Fresh Pond.

Additional Gains

Capocci and D'Amato also successfully argued in arbitration that a general pick must be conducted because changes were being implemented mid-year. In addition, they won an agreement that training for all the operators on the new work coming in would be at premium pay. In the end, the Queens Redesign was a major win for TWU Local 100.