Anybody remember when Governor Kathy Hochul and state Democrats bragged about their new congestion pricing tax that was going to keep the trains running without raising fares?
We warned at the time that giving the MTA more money would not cure their problems. They have a structural imbalance and a huge deficit that is caused not by a lack of revenue, but, rather, by an insatiable appetite to spend.
The only way to bring this beast under control is to get a grip on its outlandish spending that is prompted by giveaway contracts that maximize salaries, perks and benefits. Couple that with outrageously inefficient work rules and you have a recipe for disaster.
The governor had a chance in the last contract negotiations to seek givebacks. The union management held firm and went on strike. Hochul folded and gave the union almost everything they wanted without getting any significant concessions. (In fairness, her opponent this fall, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, was actually even worse by marching on the picket line with the union.)
The point is, you won’t see concessions, so long as these elected officials are reliant on the unions for campaign donations and reelection support.
It’s time to cut that cord and the way to do it is for the state to declare the MTA insolvent and to impose a financial control board.
The board would have statutory authority to rip up the contracts and start all over, the same way New York City did to stave off bankruptcy in the 1970s.
How many times can we push the governor and our state reps to finally adopt this measure? Anything less will just be a continuation of the status quo, which provides lousy service with ever-increasing tax increases and fare hikes.