2 MTA Worker Groups Vote to Join Union
Two groups of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s nonunion employees have voted overwhelmingly to join the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union, according to results of a mail-in vote announced Thursday. More than 80% of the eligible employees returned their ballots, an unusually high turnout in a union election.
A total of 94% of the rank-and-file workers and 90% of the supervisors in two separate employee groups chose the union as their representative. The vote totals were 29-2 and 324-37 in favor of union representation.
Although the MTA’s bus drivers, maintenance workers and clerical employees were unionized, about 1,650 other employees were not. Financial difficulties that led to the layoffs of some unrepresented MTA employees last year and continuing morale problems helped spur the union organizing campaign. The recent vote affects 503 employees and supervisors.
Because the MTA board insisted that supervisors and workers not be placed in the same bargaining unit, separate units were created.
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