Just this past Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (M.T.A.) came to an agreement that will give New York City subway and bus workers a 2 percent pay raise. They reached an agreement not too long after the end of the last contract.
Many would believe that the finalization of the contract is to be the last act the M.T.A. chairman, Thomas Prendergast, performs. Prendergast steps down soon and announced this decision when the Second Avenue subway first opened.
One of the main focuses of the contract was worker safety. This became a main issue after a worker was hit by a subway train while trying to set up lights for a construction zone. Despite this key point, however, the details of the agreement have yet to be fully disclosed. The members and executive board of the Transport Workers Union have to approve the agreement as well.
The estimation is that the contract provides workers with a raise of up to 2.5 percent within the first 13 months of the 28-month agreement. The following 13 months would see the same percent raise. The last two months of the contract workers get $500.
The increase in wages will only begin once all parties involved ratify the contract. Large bus operators who receive an hourly wage will also get an increase.
John Samuelsen is the President of the Transport Workers Union representing over 38,000 workers in the city. He said in a statement, “We waged a multifaceted campaign that raised the awareness about the value transit workers have to this city, the dangerous nature of their work and the sacrifices they make to move eight million riders a day.”
