By Courtney Dentch
About 200 non-union employees in Queens may lose positions as accountants, office managers and more once the MTA takes control of the borough's Jamaica, Green, Triboro, Command and Queens Surface bus lines July 1, Avella (D-Bayside) said at the rally at the Jamaica Bus terminal on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.
“There is no protection whatsoever for these workers,” Avella said. “They have served as the key front line and now they are left high and dry.”
The five private lines provide service to much of Queens, but they have a reputation for frequent breakdowns and slow service. After much discussion, the MTA announced on April 19 that it would take over the companies along with two more lines serving other parts of the city.
Although the transfer was scheduled to take place by July 1, final details of the deal were still being worked out, including the role of the non-union employees of the private bus lines, said Jordan Barowitz, spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“This and a myriad of other issues are part of the negotiations with the private bus company owners,” he said.
The city is also talking with the unions representing the drivers and other private bus line employees on what part they will play in the MTA, Barowitz said.
But the non-union employees are getting more and more anxious as the July 1 deadline draws near.
“July 1 is fast approaching and I along with hundreds of others are upset, scared and very concerned about our futures,” said Donna Pirillo, an office manager who has worked with Green Bus for 31 years. “Do we have jobs? What about our health benefits, pensions, life insurance and our families? We have families to support and children who will be attending college.”
The city is trying to streamline the bus system and make it more efficient under the takeover, and the workers say they are essential to that goal,” she said.
“They're taking over eight garages and 1,300 buses,” said Richard Conry, superintendent of Jamaica Buses. “There are no redundancies. They need people to run these bus depots.”
A number of Queens lawmakers, including Avella, have criticized the takeover plan, saying the borough has not been informed of the discussions on how the transition will work and that the plan has not been thought through. And with the non-union workers still out in the cold, some are worried about the transition plan, said Lenora Noriega, a Command Bus receptionist.
“We are the core of private bus companies,” she said. “We are the ones who make it work, yet we've been ignored. If such an important part of the organization has not been considered, one has to wonder what else hasn't been considered.”
Avella called on Bloomberg and his administration to protect these workers by finding a place for them under the new structure, he said.
“The city should be fair to city workers and that's what they are, indirectly,” he said. “They're our workers.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
