TWU Local 100 fights for jobs & riders’ safety

An arbitrator decided that the Metro politan Transit Authority (MTA) of New York could not impose “One Person Train Operation” (OPTO) beyond the very limited extent which is currently allowed. This was a big win for Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

While the MTA is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on cameras, cops and a high-tech anti-terrorist surveillance system, installed and configured by Lockheed Martin at a reported cost of $212 million, it wants to do away with conductors on its trains.

The subways in New York City were designed for two-person operation: one person operates the train, the other person, called a conductor, opens and closes the doors, makes announcements and helps evacuate the train during emergencies. A full train can contain over 3,000 people.

In 1994, NYC Transit, the subsidiary of the MTA that operates the subways, came to an agreement with the TWU that OPTO could only be used during off-peak hours on trains less than 300 feet in length—about four cars.

The MTA was planning on introducing OPTO on the L line, which links Brooklyn with lower Manhattan and is generally crowded from 6 a.m. to midnight or later; the G line linking Brooklyn and Queens, where it is used on the weekends when service is reduced; and the N line.

While the TWU’s contract expired in December of 2005, under New York State’s Taylor Law its provisions are still in force until a new contract is reached. That was the legal basis for the arbitration.

Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign, which is a nonprofit transit watch dog, rejoiced at this victory at a time when safety is such a concern. “It was lunacy for New York City Transit to try to remove conductors from subway cars. My hat’s off to the TWU for putting up a terrific fight.”

The general reaction among union members outside of transit was that the TWU had both protected jobs and riders’ safety.

However, since the MTA has demanded and achieved binding arbitration on a new contract, it can try to get OPTO through this process.

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