A Stacked Deck Favors the Transit Union

When one party to a negotiation, because of law and prior experience, holds all the metaphorical high cards, it is child’s play to predict who will come out on top in the bargaining process. Such is the current bargaining situation between the Port Authority and Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. On the morning of September 12, the board accepted a fact finder’s recommendations for settling the contract dispute—recommendations that represent a minimum of what needs to happen. A few hours later the union rejected the fact finder’s recommendations with comments suggesting it is not about to make the concessions called for in the report. And once again the union has won an important skirmish. Full operations continue and no job cuts have been made. Continue