Report: MTA rules leave track workers being paid to do nothing

12/1/09
mta
By Heather Haddon

Report: MTA rules leave track workers being paid to do nothing

(Photo by NYC Transit)

Officials have found a snag in getting all that subway work done — crews sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

MTA rules prevent workers from going onto elevated subway tracks for half their weekday shifts on average, wasting millions of dollars and stalling repairs, a damning report released Tuesday said.

“You are losing hours of productivity,” said MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger. “I was surprised at the extent of the downtime.”

The 450 workers repairing elevated lines are only allowed to be on the tracks from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during weekdays because of safety and to avoid rush hours, Kluger said. Workers, who are paid between $45,000 and $70,000 without overtime, are reading or chatting during the rest of their shifts, costing the MTA $10 million annually in pay and benefits, he said.

In response, NYC Transit officials agreed that track maintenance should be conducted “more efficiently and effectively.” The MTA is gunning to push more track work to the weekends, when there are few restrictions. That could cause straphangers more weekend headaches, but it would likely get the decades of needed subway repairs done faster, Kluger said.

But union leaders bristled at the suggestion, saying that nearly all track workers already have Saturday or Sunday shifts.

“If they are suggesting that track workers shouldn’t have any time with their families, then they are going to run head on with Local 100,” said John Samuelson, a track worker who is running to lead the main transport workers union.

Subway workers do not have the same lost time during the weekdays, as they can repair track at night, Kluger said. For safety reasons, elevated train workers cannot work at night because of the lack of light.
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Report: MTA rules leave track workers being paid to do nothing

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