New York City
Transit union, community groups fight to keep token booths
open
By G.
Dunkel
New York
After a campaign by the transit union and community groups,
the first step in an attempt by the New York Transit Authority
to close its 709 token booths was temporarily blocked by a
court injunction Aug. 21.
The authority had intended to close 35 part-time booths
completely and reduce the hours on 18 more beginning Aug. 26.
TA officials have made it clear they feel the plastic
MetroCards, which more and more customers use, can be sold by
vending machines--humans are no longer needed.
Transit Workers Local 100, representing 3,500 token clerks,
plus organizations of the disabled and social action
groups--including Acorn, the New York City Environmental
Justice Alliance and the International Action Center--sued for
a temporary injunction and won it from Justice Diane A.
Leberdeff.
Without a token-booth clerk to open a service entrance,
people on crutches or using walkers, parents pushing a stroller
or walking with a young child, blind people with a guide dog,
and people with big packages have difficulty getting through
claw-like, ceiling-high turnstiles the TA uses for unattended
gates with MetroCard access. The TA locks up the regular
turnstiles in unattended booths because people can crawl under
them.
One of the token booths scheduled for closing is almost
directly under the New York Lighthouse for the Blind. Riders
with guide dogs constantly use this station. If the TA
officials get their way, these passengers will have to go to a
different station or not take their dogs.
The judge agreed with the coalition's contention that
closing token booths is not just an efficiency move but would
significantly restrict access to the system. Under New York
state law, such a move requires a public hearing.
That would open a floodgate of criticism of the TA's
disregard of its riders.
TWU Local 100 President Roger Toussaint told The Chief, a
weekly newspaper directed at New York civil service employees:
"When we took over this union eight months ago, we announced
the public would find the best friend it ever had in this
union. We are committed to remain on the front line, to take
this issue to Gov. Pataki, and make sure human presence remains
in the subway."
The TWU and its coalition partners have won a significant
victory but they still have not stopped the TA's drive to get
rid of these 3,500 workers.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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