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