MTA chief Janno Lieber admits LIRR needs staffing, contract change after Post probeBy Nolan Hicks
February 22, 2023
As the MTA seeks a rescue from Albany, its leader acknowledged Wednesday that outdated staffing practices and decades-old work rules at the Long Island Rail Road are costing commuters and straphangers millions.
“Do we have, on our operating side, a ways to go to make sure that maybe antiquated rules, work rules and ways of working do not cause the MTA to spend more money than the first-class modern transit systems we look at as our peers?” Janno Lieber told WNYC radio. “Sure, we have a ways to go.”
A seven-month Post investigation revealed last month that the MTA could save at least $200 million annually by operating the LIRR as efficiently as its other major railroad, Metro-North.
“A lot of that stuff is at the collective bargaining table, though,” Lieber said. “So, you can’t just change overnight the number of people that are assigned to a particular task, even if those assignment patterns date from, you know, 50, 60, 100 years ago, which some of them do.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/02/22/mtas-janno-lieber-says-staff-and-contract-reforms-needed-at-lirr/
