By Philip Newman
The Transport Workers Union, representing 34,000 subway and bus workers, has overwhelmingly approved a new contract with the MTA.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board is expected to grant final approval of the contract, which includes an 8 percent wage increase over the life of the five-year contract.
The transit employees approved the contract by a margin of 82 percent Monday. The TWU members had been working without a contract for more than two years.
The agreement will provide wage raises dating back to 2012, including improvements in their dental plan as well as two weeks in maternity or paternity leave. The workers will pay more for their health insurance.
The MTA had long insisted that its financial condition was so precarious that it could afford no money at all for wage hikes for the transit workers.
The two sides announced recently, however, that they had agreed on a new contract with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s help as a mediator.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.
