| WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congress has ordered New York's
Metropolitan Transit Authority to cease using federal
transit tax dollars to pay salary, benefits and/or expenses
to elected or appointed officers of the Association
of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE), which represents
engineers and conductors on Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
These employees previously were represented by the UTU
and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
The congressional
action came following intensive lobbying by the UTU
Commuter Rail Department led by UTU Vice President
Tony Iannone.
The efforts
began after the New York Daily News reported that
"four top union leaders on the MTA's Metro-North are
drawing full salaries from the railroad while collecting
second paychecks from their controversial new union.
The unusual arrangement," said the Daily News, began
shortly after the leaders "of separate conductor's
and engineer's locals launched a fight to decertify"
the UTU and BLE "and start a new independent union."
ACRE general
chairpersons Michael Doyle and Anthony Bottalico reportedly
founded ACRE "with MTA backing" and Metro-North "violated
federal railway law by subsidizing ACRE and interfering
with the right of employees to choose their own union,"
said the Daily News.
U.S. Rep. Joseph
Crowley (D-N.Y.), following meetings with the UTU
officers, asked the Department of Labor to investigate
ACRE's arrangements with Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
Based on information developed, the House voted 338-83
and the Senate voted 76-20 that MTA stop using tax
dollars to subsidize ACRE.
"ACRE, with
the financial backing of Metro-North, has been able
to replace unions that do not have access to the same
Metro-North dollars," said Crowley. "ACRE holds it
can provide the same quality of member service (as
UTU) while having less expensive dues. Of course,
ACRE is able to provide the same service at lower
cost because it is being subsidized by Metro-North,"
said Crowley.
Working with
Iannone to gain the legislation blocking the employer
subsidy to ACRE were National Legislative Director
James Brunkenhoefer; K.J. King, general chairperson
of Chicago METRA; R.E. Arenas, general chairperson
of Port Authority Trans-Hudson; A. Wojasinski, general
chairperson of Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation
District; R.A. Vazquez, general chairperson of South
East Pennsylvania Transportation Authority; X.D. Williams,
general chairperson of New Jersey Transit; and Al
Suozzo, general chairperson of Amtrak.
Also assisting
were New York Legislative Director Sam Nasca, Michigan
Legislative Director David Brickey, New Jersey Legislative
Director Dan O'Connell, Indiana Legislative Director
Jim Carrico, Illinois Legislative Director Joe Szabo,
Pennsylvania Legislative Director Don Dunlevy, District
of Columbia Legislative Director Steve Fritter and
Florida Legislative Director Carl Cochran.
UTU represents
employees on commuter railroads in each of these states
who could lose quality representation from UTU were
similar company-subsidized unions created elsewhere.
"No one does it better than UTU," said Iannone. |
