It's All Over But The Voting

TWU board OKs contract deal

BY DAN JANISON and HERBERT LOWE
STAFF WRITERS

December 27, 2005, 11:32 PM EST


The executive board of the transit system's main union Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved a contract deal that would raise workers' wages a combined 11 percent over three years, but included no pension concessions.

The agreement would end the worst labor crisis at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in a quarter century -- one that led Transport Workers Union Local 100 to strike for three days last week.

[....]

However, city bus and subway employees will have to pay 1.5 percent of their pay in health benefits, through a first-ever premium.

According to state budget documents, the MTA in July set aside funds for a wage and fringe increase at the regional inflation rate. That was calculated at 2.9 percent per year.

This could come close to the final rate when the health insurance concession is taken into account. But sources close to both sides cautioned that the cost of fines for the strike and other factors such as work rules, deployment and other possible improvements for the workers had yet to be spelled out.

My good friends over at NYCEducator have a couple more interesting little tidbits, inside baseball stuff.

Looks like the union, in the end, won what they wanted, while the MTA is able to keep their budget in line.