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Transport
Workers Union Local 100 NEWS RELEASE
Transit
Workers and Riders Launch Charge City Doesn’t Get a Fair Share of State Transit Aid Urge Riders to Visit www.savethefare.org and www.straphangers.org Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign today unveiled two subway posters as part of a “full-court press” to block a possible 50-cent hike in subway and bus fares. The ads—which will be seen by hundreds of thousands of subway riders in 2,000 subway cars in October and November—warn riders “you may soon be paying $2 for a subway or bus ride.” (See attachments 1, 2.) The ads urge riders to visit two web sites — www.savethefare.org and www.straphangers.org — to learn how to fight an increase. In July, Mayor Bloomberg said that the base transit fare might rise 50-cents from $1.50 to $2, which would be the biggest fare increase in city history. At a news conference at the Union Square subway station, the groups said they both oppose a fare hike as a regressive tax hike that hits vulnerable New Yorkers hardest. They also charged that New York City does not receive its fair share of state transit aid. City subways and buses move 84% of the state’s yearly transit riders, but receives only 63% of state aid for transit — an annual loss of $325 million. (See attached fact sheet.) “Our ads allow us to reach the millions of riders who would be hurt by a fare hike,” said Roger Toussaint, TWU Local 100’s president. “There’s a false presumption that the only way to balance the transit budget is on the backs of working people, whether they be riders or transit workers,” he added. “Our ads help drive home the point that New York state and city must adopt other, fairer ways to fund transit,” said President Toussaint. “Our message to riders is simple: ‘Fight now or pay later,’” said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. “We’ll give riders the information they need so they don’t have to take a fare hike sitting down.” The posters are part of a massive campaign to defeat a $2 fare and to maintain adequate funding from city and state governments. The effort has included voter registration in the subway, collecting thousands of post cards against a fare hike and joining in a Save the Fare Coalition with labor, civic, senior, community, disabled and environmental groups; and working with elected officials throughout the region. The groups plan to hand out 350,000 anti-fare hike leaflets in the subways. Both ad posters were designed by Rob Rosenthal and Bart Robbett of Robbett Advocacy Media. The TWU Local 100 ad features a picture of a person with empty pockets next to the headline “Thanks to a possible fare hike, subway and bus riders may be traveling lighter this year.” The ad alerts riders to the pending fare increase and points out how city transit riders get a raw deal in state transit aid. Riders are urged to visit www.savethefare.org, where they can send a fax to protest a fare hike and get background information about transit funding and the union’s position. The Straphangers Campaign ad features a picture of standees holding a subway car pole next to the headline: “New Yorkers won’t take a transit fare hike sitting down. Particularly when you can’t find a seat.” The ad goes on to warn about a $2 fare and urges riders to “visit www.straphangers.org … We’ll provide you with the information you need, such as how you can fight a fare increase, help New York City get a fair share of state transit funding, win new fare discounts and demand improvements to mass transit — so maybe you could even get a seat.” A fact sheet on the issue can be found at http://www.straphangers.org/farehike/farefacts.html. A copy of the Straphangers Campaign ad can be found at http://www.straphangers.org/farehike/ad.pdf. A copy of the TWU Local 100 ad will be available on Sunday, October 6 on the Internet. -30- _____________________________________________________________________
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