Union Has Demands Before MTA Fully Reopens

As the MTA prepares to reopen the subways and restore service to pre-pandemic levels, the union representing subway and bus workers has a list of demands.

At the top of the list is Hazard Pay. That is extra money for running the system during an outbreak. The MTA has said it’s open to this, if the federal government pays for it.

Other demands include the expansion of things the MTA is already doing, like taking the temperature of workers before a shift, and installing protective barriers on buses for drivers.

To date more than 100 MTA workers have died.

The union hasn't said what it will do if the MTA does not meet its demands. Its president, John Samuelsen has appeared in Zoom meetings recently with a baseball bat prominently placed in the background.