TWU Railroad Workers at Metro-North Attacked – YET AGAIN – By New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and her MTA
The TWU fightback campaign started with this full-page newspaper ad in NY.
Feb. 21, 2024
Hundreds of hardworking union workers at the Metro-North Railroad are again being attacked by the Hochul-controlled MTA.
The NY authority wants to impose a litany of contract changes that will significantly reduce workers income, job security, and retirement security.
“It’s a brutal attack on blue-collar workers,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “It’s absolutely mind-boggling that the face of the NYS Democratic Party would try to inflict such economic and quality-of-life damage on union workers, especially in a critically important election year. Democrats want to keep President Joe Biden in the White House and hope to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. They need to win the hearts and minds of New York’s blue-collar workers – but instead, Hochul is stabbing them in the back.”
TWU Local 2001 and 2055 in January began contract negotiations with Metro-North on the terms of a collective bargaining agreement running from Nov. 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2026. The MTA’s demands include:
- Increasing worker paycheck deductions for healthcare by 150%.
- Taking away one vacation day, one personal day, and multiple paid sick days. (The first sick day whenever a worker calls out would not be paid)
- Eliminating paid meal periods.
- Outsourcing union work to private contractors.
The two Locals represent about 600 mechanics, cleaners, and cabinet makers in New York and Connecticut. They recently ratified a retroactive contract for 50 months starting in September 2019 and ending in October 2023. In those talks, the MTA refused for years to agree to an economic package equal to that in the MTA’s contract with subway and bus workers. The MTA also sought the right to eliminate wages and benefits in that contract at any time. The TWU defeated those demands, and will strenuously fight for fairness once again, Samuelsen said.
“The TWU has seen this movie before and we will fight back against ALL who harm us,” Samuelsen said.
The TWU ran a full-page Fightback ad in the NY Post attacking the governor and has begun a series of shopgates to keep workers informed and engaged.