New Yorkers to Congress: Save Our Subways, Rail, Buses, and Paratransit With $3.9 Billion More in Federal COVID-19 Emergency Aid

New York, NY–Leaders of 55 organizations representing a broad spectrum of New York’s economy and civic life today strongly backed the MTA’s call for an additional $3.9 billion to rescue public transit service and maintain operations for the remainder of 2020. Signers called on New York’s Congressional delegation, which includes many members of senior leadership in both legislative chambers, to make sure the MTA gets the federal funding it needs to survive the COVID-19 emergency.

Since early March, the MTA has lost more than 90% of its subway and commuter rail riders. Overall, between huge declines in farebox, toll, and dedicated tax revenue and expensive measures to fight COVID-19, the MTA is losing over $1 billion per month. The MTA’s $3.9 billion request for federal rescue funds assumes ridership will bounce back to 50% of pre-pandemic levels by year’s end.

The letter from the 55 New York organizations comes a week after the MTA completed its pandemic damage estimate and transmitted its own request for aid to Congress. In their letter, the leaders of the groups emphasize the central importance of the transit system to the life and of the nation’s financial and cultural capital. They argue that the New York City region, which provides 11% of the U.S. GDP, cannot recover from the COVID-19 emergency without a working MTA.

“New York relies on transit to a unique degree among American cities,” the letter reads. “New York will not return to work and other aspects of our lives primarily in automobiles. We not only need the MTA to continue to function through the worst of the crisis, but also to be poised to rebound and again accommodate a large share of travel in the city and metropolitan region.”

“Helping New York get back to work will be an important component of getting America back to work. In better times, the MTA moves 9 million people per day, and is critical to the daily function of a region that accounts for 11 percent of America’s gross domestic product.”

The signatories include New York’s leading advocates for transit riders, immigrants, union workers, and many more. The breadth of the coalition here signals the unique importance of transit to the entire city as well as the special role New York’s influential delegation will have to play in addressing the MTA’s funding needs among the myriad competing priorities before Congress.

The full letter with the complete list of signatories is below.

For a PDF of the letter, click here.

April 23, 2020

Re: Support for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority in CARES-2

Dear Members of the downstate New York Congressional Delegation:

We write to urge you to ensure that federal emergency funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is proportionate to its immense scale within the American public transit sector and fundamental importance to the economy of the New York City region. The COVID-19 emergency has destroyed the MTA’s ridership and revenue, while inflicting terrible human suffering — at least 83 MTA employees have
died — and staggering financial losses.

The MTA said on April 16 that it needed $3.9 billion in additional federal aid to keep afloat during 2020. Credible estimates indicate that the need may be even greater. An analysis released by some of our organizations on April 15 found the MTA’s shortfall may run from $4.4 to $8 billion. This problem deserves your utmost attention.

As you know, New York relies on transit to a unique degree among American cities. Even with ridership down dramatically, we need to keep the system in good running order. New Yorkers riding buses, subways and commuter trains today work in hospitals. They are receiving and sorting critical goods, and keeping grocery stores stocked. Transit workers and presumably, regular riders have been hard hit by COVID-19. We need the MTA to run enough transit service so that essential personnel and transit workers all have more space on buses and trains. We also need to make sure that the MTA’s vital Access-A-Ride paratransit service, which takes riders to jobs and health care, is operating fully throughout this crisis and beyond.

The MTA accounted for nearly 40 percent of transit trips nationwide in 2018, according to federal data (see attached sheet on metro shares of the U.S. transit market). Yet the agency received less than 15 percent of the transit funding made available in the March CARES Act.

As the crisis eases, New York will not return to work and other aspects of our lives primarily in automobiles. We not only need the MTA to continue to function through the worst of the crisis, but also to be poised to rebound and again accommodate a large share of travel, including more transit accessibility, in the city and metropolitan region.

Helping New York get back to work will be an important component of getting America back to work. In better times, the MTA moves 9 million people per day, and is critical to the daily function of a region that accounts for 11 percent of America’s gross domestic product.

We look forward to working with you as you shape relief legislation.

Sincerely,

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Vice President of Advocacy & Strategy
New York Immigration Coalition

Vincent A. Cassano, PE, Senior Director
Jacobs

Robert Cifarelli, President
Transport Workers Union Local 2055

Jaqi Cohen, Campaign Director
Straphangers Campaign

Matthew Cohen, Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications
Long Island Association

Lisa Daglian, Executive Director
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA

Arthur Davidson, General Chairman
System Council No. 7, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

William DeCarlo, National Vice President and National Legislative Director
Transportation Communications Union (TCU IAM)

Ron Deutsch, Executive Director
Fiscal Policy Institute

Dean Devita, Secretary-Treasurer, Director of Commuter/Passenger Railroads
National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, 32BJ, SEIU

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition

John R. Feltz, International Vice President, Railroad Division Director
Transport Workers Union of America

Danny Harris, Executive Director
Transportation Alternatives

Patrick Howard, President
Transport Workers Union Local 2001

Peter Iwanowicz, Executive Director
Environmental Advocates

David Jones, President & CEO
Community Service Society and MTA Board Member

Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies

John Kaehny, Executive Director
Reinvent Albany

Dave Kapell, Executive Director
Right Track for Long Island Coalition

Gary LaBarbera, President
Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York

John McCloskey, General Chairman
Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Union

Eric McClure, Executive Director
StreetsPAC

Mike McConnell, President
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1573

Matt Mitchell, General Chairman
Association of Commuter Rail Employees Local 9

Jose Ortiz, Jr., Executive Director
New York City Employment & Training Coalition

Jeanny Pak, Head of New York & Mid-Atlantic Region, Public Finance
UBS

Kai Petersen, General Chairman
Association of Commuter Railroad Employees

J. Michael Perry, President Directing General Chairman
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 19

John Porcari, President, Advisory Services
WSP

Nick Peluso, National Representative
Transportation Communication Union (TCU/IAM)

Betsy Plum, Executive Director
Riders Alliance

Thomas Prendergast, Executive Vice President & National Transit Market Leader
AECOM

Benjamin Prosky, Executive Director
American Institute of Architects-New York

Joseph Rappaport, Executive Director
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

Scott Rechler, Chairman and CEO
RXR Realty

Milo E. Riverso, PhD, PE, President, Chief Executive Officer
STV Incorporated

Alexander Roberts, Executive Director
Community Housing Innovations

Michael N. Romita, President & CEO
Westchester County Association

Steven Rubenstein, Chairman
Association for a Better New York

Jean Ryan, President
Disabled In Action of Metropolitan NY

Julie Samuels, Executive Director
TechNYC

Andrew W. Sandberg, Asst to Presiding/Directing General Chairman
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 19

Carlo A. Scissura, Esq, President and CEO
New York Building Congress

Nick Sifuentes, Executive Director
Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Chris Silvera, Secretary-Treasurer
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 808

Anthony Simon, General Secretary Transportation Division
Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Union

Michael Sweeney, P.E., Executive Vice President
HNTB

Julie Tighe, President
New York League of Conservation Voters

Tony Utano, President
Transport Workers Union Local 100

Javier Valdez, Co-Director
Make the Road New York

Jennifer Van Dyck
Elevator Action Group, Rise and Resist

Jessica Walker, President and CEO
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

Robert Wessels, Executive Director
General Contractors Association of New York

James Whelan, President
Real Estate Board of New York

Justin Wood, Director of Organizing & Strategic Research
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

Tom Wright, President and CEO
Regional Plan Association

Kathryn S. Wylde, President & CEO
Partnership for New York City