Although MTA Board Member Barry Feinstein told the Daily News last week that subway cleaner labor cuts will likely be removed from NYC Transit’s 2004 budget, NYC Transit approved the cuts Monday. They also approved various other cuts, including subway cleaners, elevator operators, bus dispatchers, subway car inspectors, graffiti-removal crews, and track maintainers.

After the fare increase earlier this year, transit officials promised no service cuts in 2004. Despite this, they more recently provided a list of cuts, many of which would occur through attrition. The cuts will save the agency $129.3 million. Its total budget for next year is $4.3 billion.

Manhattan’s Washington Heights would be hard hit by these cuts — 22 elevator operator positions at five deep stations in the Heights are on the chopping block. The Elevate the Heights Coalition, a group against the cuts, said that MTA is already working to automate the elevators, even though a final decision on the cuts will not be made until a MTA board meeting this Thursday.

Monday’s NYC Transit budget approval elicited hissing and booing from community groups, union reps, and transit advocates. 

MTR back issues:

Go to index of all Mobilizing the Region back issues