Utano to City Hall: Your MTA Board Members Must Step Up

JULY 26 – TWU Local 100 Vice President of Maintenance of Way Tony Utano, speaking for the union at today’s meeting of the MTA Board of Directors, said the City of New York should shoulder the responsibility for funding half of the projected cost to allow the MTA to overcome its recent reliability crisis. Calling the proposal by MTA CEO Joe Lhota that outlines a new multi-million dollar spending plan “solid,” Utano noted that the money will go in part towards inspecting subway signals and tracks more thoroughly, responding to equipment failures faster, and to implementing a much more aggressive schedule for replacing equipment. Speaking to city appointees on the MTA Board, he said: “no more political games, no more avoiding responsibilty. What’s fair is fair. If the Mayor doesn’t want to pay his fair share, city board members should just walk away and resign.”

Also testifying for the Union was Station Agent and EB Member Vanessa Jones, who said transit workers face frustration in dealing with the overcrowded system as well as verbal and physical abuse on the job, which she called “overwhelming.” We are targets, she said. She spoke of the importance of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s commitment to fund half of the project costs of system restoration and urged City representatives to do the same.