Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman must BOTH stand up – Latest News
Five privileged LIRR unions are aiming to carry the metro area hostage: If the MTA refuses to pay the ransom — a steep wage hike — they’ll strike, presumably as quickly as May 16.
That’ll shut down the rail line, and a lot of New York with it.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, and her Republican rival for governor, Bruce Blakeman, each need to clarify they’ll stand up to those thugs and stop them from extorting New Yorkers.
“We’re talking about a complete and total shutdown,” the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s Kevin Sexton threatened this month. “The clock is ticking.”
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’s Jeff Klein warned to not underestimate the unions’ resolve: “Our memberships are prepared to do what’s necessary,” even when it means a long, crippling strike.
Who do these people suppose they’re? Who do suppose they’re threatening?
More From Post Editorial Board
Get a load of the conceitedness: LIRR salaries already prime these of most railroads within the nation, averaging $136,000 among the many 5 holdouts in 2024, per MTA figures.
True, they’ve reportedly agreed to what about 80% of the company’s different unions have accepted: raises of 3%, 3% and 3.5% for the previous three years.
Yet in contrast to the opposite unions, these 5 holdouts are demanding the contract cowl a fourth 12 months as properly, with an outrageous, bank-busting bump of 5%.
And if the MTA caves on that, the opposite unions would scream, “Me, too” — igniting chaos.
Get opinions and commentary from our columnists
Subscribe to our each day Post Opinion publication!
Thanks for signing up!
To keep away from a strike, the company generously provided pay hikes of 4.5% within the fourth 12 months, however the unions must agree to repair some perverse work guidelines to provide financial savings.
Under one rule, for instance, an engineer who operates a diesel prepare and an electric prepare on the identical day must be paid for 2 days. Huh?
And he’d be owed a third day’s pay if he drove passengers however later took a prepare to a yard. Just nuts! Those guidelines need to be fixed, no matter what.
Yet to this point, the unions are refusing that deal. They don’t give a rattling concerning the riders or taxpayers who’d get caught with service cuts or fare hikes or see tax {dollars} diverted to cowl the MTA’s elevated prices.
And they made sure to push the difficulty into an election 12 months in order that they’ll have better leverage.
To her credit, Hochul to this point hasn’t backed the unions’ extortion schemes. But she’s not identified for her spine.
Plus, Blakeman stunningly seems to be giving Hochul cowl — by nudging her to give up to the unions.
The Nassau Country exec urged the gov to “advance” the non-binding suggestions of two Presidential Emergency Boards, which basically sided with them.
Does he actually suppose backing labor teams over the remaining of New York is his path to victory?
Recall that he additionally backed a ridiculous, expensive pro-Transport Workers Union invoice requiring two operators on each subway prepare, and hinted about backing pension sweeteners, too.
If Hochul winds up letting the LIRR unions fleece New Yorkers, Blakeman may deserve some of the blame alongside along with her.
