The head of the powerful Transit Workers Union blasted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as “ignorant” as he threatened to spend millions “exposing” her as a spineless shill — and bring her the ugliest contract fight since the strike in 2005, when more than 30,000 workers walked off the job.
TWU president John Samuelson railed against Hochul on Friday, as they gear up to renegotiate their contract with the MTA, which is up in May. As governor, Hochul oversees the transport agency.
“This contract fight coming up is gonna be among the most ugly contract fights we’ve had since the strike in 2005,” said Samuelson, who represents the union’s more than 150,000 workers nationwide, including at least 40,000 members of New York City’s local 100 chapter.
“We will invest a huge amount of money exposing Kathy Hochul for what she is — which is not a pro-trade union Democrat. She’s a corporate Democrat at best,” he raged.
The transit union’s latest spat with Hochul came to a head in December when the governor vetoed a bill that would have required one conductor on all subway trains, along with a train operator — which the organization has argued is unsafe.
“It’s so immeasurably less safe that it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculously ignorant,” Samuelson said.
A Marron Institute survey of 400 Big Apple subway cars found that only 6% required two-person crews. Still, Samuelson, a Brooklyn native who began his career as an MTA track worker, noted that train conductors play an integral role in evacuating trains safely during emergencies, such as the 2022 subway attack.
“When the murderous terrorist got on a train at Fourth Avenue and 36th Street and started shooting up the train, it was the conductor who evacuated the train,” he said.
The TWU’s current contract with the MTA upholds the two-person crew rule, however, the transit boss says both the MTA — led by CEO Janno Lieber and Hochul — will try to squash the rule when their contract is up for renegotiation in May of this year.
“There is no doubt that Janno Lieber and Hochul are gonna come in with a very lowball wage,” he said, blasting the MTA head as “narcissistic.”
“We will literally spend millions to defend Local 100 and to defend the livelihoods of New York City Transit workers.”
Sean Butler, a spokesman for Gov. Hochul, insisted she has had the “backs of transit workers since day one.”
“She’s delivered historic wins for worker safety, secured record investment in the MTA capital plan, and ensured the MTA had the funding to avoid a fiscal cliff — all in support of the union members who keep New York City moving,” he said in a statement.
“She respects the collective bargaining process, where these issues should be discussed and resolved,” he added.
The MTA’s Chief of Policy John J. McCarthy saod the agency looks forward to working with the union.
“More than 80 unions represent MTA employees and we always look forward to working with them on wages, productivity, and ways to increase service, while making it even more reliable,” McCarthy told The Post in a statement.