The 90 degree heat this past week has been brutal, but oddly enough, the weather is not why New Yorkers all across the city, including myself, are calling this the “Summer of Hell.” By now, almost everyone has had their life negatively impacted in some way by the transit delays and overcrowded trains that are plaguing our daily commutes.
A lot of people, especially elected officials, have spoken out, but when it comes to finding solutions to these problems, there’s no one we should trust more than the transit workers. When they’re not driving the trains, they’re commuters themselves, and they have an intimate knowledge of what it takes to get us out of this mess.
As a former transit worker of 14 years, I can tell you that we feel your pain and we stand with you. That is why I’m so grateful that my former union, Transit Workers Union Local 100, has proposed a 10-point that will help fix the subways and get us moving again.
TWU’s proposal is called “Boots on the Ground Plan,” and requires more frequent maintenance, faster maintenance and more staff to troubleshoot the issues that are causing the current delays. There’s nothing radical about this plan, in fact, it’s what the commuters of this city deserve from the moment they put money on their MetroCards.
I have yet to see a more comprehensive plan from any elected official or entity, including the MTA. This is because the failures of our transit systems are not only an affront to all working people of our city, but also to the dedicated conductors and maintenance workers who get up in the morning with the sole purpose of keeping us moving.
It is certainly revealing that the MTA has yet to comment on or respond to TWU’s plan. I can only guess that they don’t want to make the kind of immediate investment in our subway system that it actually needs. Also silent on this plan is Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who seem to be too busy bickering while the ridership is suffering.
The Mayor and the Governor must put their differences aside, but the MTA board must also come to the table, sit down with TWU, and work out a solution together. The problems we’re facing are the result of many years of neglect and lack of investment by the MTA, and we’re now feeling the consequences of a crumbling infrastructure due to underfunding.
I urge anyone reading this article, anyone who is fed up with these transit delays, to attend town hall meetings, write letters to the editor, call your elected officials, Tweet at the MTA, post on Facebook and advocate strongly in any way you can for the plan introduced by TWU. It’s clear that our transit workers care about the ease of our daily commutes, and they are fighting for all of us.
Henry Butler is a candidate for the 41st District City Council seat in the upcoming Sept. 12 primary, and former TWU Local 100 shop steward, the union’s Brooklyn political organizer and subway train conductor.
