VICTORY: Judge Orders MTA to Restore Bus Service Levels!

JULY 18 -- New York State Justice Arthur Engoron today signed a temporary restraining order enjoining the MTA New York City Transit from allowing service cuts that were implemented on buses system-wide to continue. He ordered that the agency restore service levels to what they were before the cut began on July 12. Speaking outside the courthouse, TWU Local 100 President Richard Davis hailed the decision as a major victory for riders and workers. In court, TWU Local 100 attorney Arthur Schwartz offered to put the Vice Presidents of TASurface, MaBSTOA, and MTA Bus — all of whom were in the audience — to testify to the reality of the cuts.

The judge found that the harm to riders from the service cuts was significant and that the union would likely prevail in litigation. President Richard Davis said, “The MTA possesses more than sufficient resources to maintain current services — but chooses to withhold them, exacerbating hardships during a heat wave and displaying complete disregard for commuter safety. This is a big win for the riding public. Our members are the backbone of this city, unlike this dysfunctional authority that legislators hesitate to trust with money.”

TAS VP JP Patafio added, “We just stopped the biggest job action against the public by the transit authority and we were glad to do so. The passengers don’t deserve service cuts and workers don’t deserve to work under such duress. This was a great win for the public. We want to make sure that Transit lives up to its legal obligation, which is to serve the public and not jam them up.”