If any Local 100 members needed more to convince them to reject the proposed contract, they’ve got it. The New York Post that attacked us with one racist, anti-worker front page after another during our strike, has come out strongly support of Toussaint’s contract. They complain about the in pension refund bribe, but in a January 3 Editorial they advise Pataki not to press the issue for fear it will risk the contract not passing. They write:
now’s not the time to lose sight of the groundbreaking nature of the contract itself: For the first time, transit workers will be paying for a portion of their health-care insurance, and ... the MTA will net millions of up-front dollars from the deal. Transit workers will kick in much more money for health coverage than they stand to get from pension rebates.
Indeed, the health-insurance payments will continue – and grow – over time, while the pension givebacks are a one-shot deal. ... Further, the health-care contributions are a benchmark concession that city and state labor negotiators can use in future deliberations with public-employee unions.
So the Post supports Toussaint’s contract for the same reasons RTW opposes it: the deal costs transit workers far more than we get, and sets up the rest of the working class for the same attacks. Vote down the sellout contract!