TRANSIT SUPERVISORS-TWU LOCAL 106 FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MTA, NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY AND NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Philip Valenti, President of the Transit Supervisors Organization (TWU Local 106) announces his union lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit Authority and the New York City Department of Finance regarding the agency’s illegal enforcement of civil violations against transit supervisors receiving tickets for parking their agency assigned vehicles in bus lanes while servicing broken down buses and other duties.

Under current law, owners of motor vehicles who park in bus lanes or bus stops, receive Notices of Violations for civil penalties of up to $50 per incident when their autos are videotaped parked in an authorized bus lane or bus stop. Such penalties escalate up to $250 if the vehicle is a habitual offender. Unfortunately, Transit Agency supervisors who are dispatched to bus lane locations, routinely park in the lanes as part of their duties to oversee transportation maintenance issues or supervisory functions. Yet, the MTA and NYC Department of Transportation enforce civil penalties against agency employees doing their jobs forcing the employees to either pay the fines or take time off to fight the violations in traffic court.

There are instances where a supervisor gets a Notice of Violation for parking in the bus lane to help a disabled bus and receives a violation on the vehicle worth $250 because the vehicle is videotaped multiple times while the employee only used the vehicle one time, Valenti said. The bigger problem is the misapplication of the law requiring their employees to pay the fines. It is not the driver’s responsibility in these cases, it is the owner of the vehicle which is the MTA, who is acting outside the law to compel employees to foot the bill for something the agency requires them to do.

While the law has good intentions, the nightmare that has ensued against on duty MTA supervisors doing their jobs has resulted in hundreds of violations against Transit Supervisors Organization members and it has to stop.

Hence, the Transit Supervisors Organization has filed an action in New York State Supreme Court seeking a nullification of the MTA’s actions against its employees through injunctive relief and deeming the Bus Lane Enforcement Law unlawful as it applies to on duty agency employees parked for legitimate purposes.