The Bulletin
NEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - JUNE, 2009
New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association Vol. 52, No. 6 The Bulletin Published by the New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box 3001, New York, New York 10008-3001.
For general inquiries, contact us at nydiv@ electricrailroaders.org or by phone at (212) 986-4482 (voice mail available). ERA’s w e b s i t e i s www.electricrailroaders. org. Editorial Staff: Editor-in-Chief: Bernard Linder News Editor: Randy Glucksman Contributing Editor: Jeffrey Erlitz Production Manager: David Ross
©2009 New York Division, Electric Railro a d e rs’ Association, Incorporated
In This Issue: Houston Street and Smith Street Subways — Construction History ...Page 2
June, 2009
DOOMSDAY BUDGET AVERTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ELLIOT SANDER RESIGNS Late on May 4, it was announced that an agreement had been reached with two State Senators who had withheld their support for a “rescue package” or “bailout” for MTA. The remaining issue was to exempt school districts from the payroll tax, which will be 34 cents per $100 for every employer’s payroll, in all 12 counties in the MTA region. During the initial negotiations, for Dutchess, Orange, and Putnam Counties, the rate would have been 25 cents per $100, but in the end it was felt that the rate had to be uniform. To resolve this, Governor David Paterson committed that the state would provide $60 million to reimburse school districts and signed the bill on May 7, 2009. Many elected officials were especially unhappy that government and non-profit organizations would be required to pay this tax. The New York State Assembly passed the bill on May 5 by a vote of 86-56, with 15 Democrats (some representing the suburbs) voting “no,” joining with all of the Republicans. In the Senate, approval came on May 6, with all of the Republicans voting “no”. The final vote was 32-29 with one Republican absent. On May 7, MTA Executive Director Elliot Sander submitted his resignation because as part of the legislation, the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer were to be combined. The Rockland Journal News reported that Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef said that the county should consider breaking away from MTA. This would be the fourth time in 20 years, and, in fact, on Tuesday, May 5, the Rockland County Legislature voted unanimously to condemn the new tax
and request the option to withdraw. In 1986, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties were given this option, and only Rockland County voted to leave. However, a subsequent vote by the County Legislature reversed this decision after MTA agreed to provide funding for local transit projects. In 2005, an MTA study found that there is a “value gap” because Rockland County contributed $88.2 million in taxes and fees, and received $46.5 million worth of services. Of the 12 counties, only Rockland and Orange suffer this “value gap.” In 1986, the gap was $10 million, and the county received $5 million. With the new taxes, this gap will increase. Some members of the Suffolk County Legislature would go one step further, and secede from the State of New York, creating their own 51st state. Initially all fare/toll hikes were put on hold pending the results of a special meeting, which was held on Monday, May 11. At that time, 10% fare hikes were approved across the board. This table compares the existing fares with the subway/bus fares which go into effect on June 28, rather than May 31. SUBWAY/SIR/BUS
CURRENT
NEW
$2.00
$2.25
Single ride Unlimited MetroCard – 1 Day
$7.50
$8.25
Unlimited MetroCard – 7 Days
$25.00
$27.00
Unlimited MetroCard – 14 Days
$47.00
$51.50
Unlimited MetroCard – 30 Days
$81.00
$89.00
(Continued on page 20)
1 JERVIS EXCURSION, JUNE 13 NEXT TRIP: METRO-NORTH PORT