Spotlight on public sector unions

Spotlight on New York City public sector unions

• By City & State
• April 6, 2018

Cuomo’s “disingenuous” estimate of NYC's surplus

Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked New York City to pony up more money for the subways in a speech on Thursday – but the de Blasio administration shot down the budget numbers he used as evidence as “completely disingenuous.”

• By Jeff Coltin
• April 6, 2018

New skyscrapers near Penn Station are a good idea

New skyscrapers near Penn Station are the ideal way to finance the station's reconstruction.

• By Jonathan English
• April 4, 2018

Labor is under threat. A new bus managers union shows how to fight back.

A new MTA bus managers union could be a model for growth as the labor movement faces an uncertain landscape.

• By Bob Hennelly
• April 2, 2018

Why it costs so much to build anything in New York City

Union fees drive up New York City building costs.

• By Nicole Gelinas
• April 1, 2018

Updated: 6 questions about the Gateway Program, answered

The Gateway Program is the Lucy’s football of regional politics – long-promised and long-awaited, but always just out of reach. Here are six questions and answers about the project.

• By Grace Segers
• March 29, 2018

New York wants to double-dip from ride-hail companies

A “phase one” for congestion pricing in Manhattan isn’t the only state budget proposal affecting ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. An Assembly measure would add a new $1 tax on such rides in upstate and Long Island – and business groups aren’t pleased.

• By Jonathan Lentz
• March 29, 2018

MTA board member: Congestion pricing talks limited to first phase

• By Rebecca C. Lewis
• March 26, 2018

Latest value capture proposal could harm NYC

City taxes should not be diverted to the MTA without local input.

• By Carol Kellermann
• March 21, 2018

The MTA is leaving disabled New Yorkers behind

Subway station renovations in New York City should include accessibility for the disabled.

• By Edith M. Prentiss
• March 20, 2018

U.S. Attorney Berman sues MTA for disability violation

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman, a Trump appointee, joins an existing suit by disability rights advocates.

• By Ben Adler
• March 13, 2018

Can the state implement congestion pricing without NYC’s approval?

It appears as if the congestion pricing process will be far different than it was in 2008, as it is being driven by the governor rather than the New York City mayor - and the state has the right to decide what happens on the city’s streets.

• By Grace Segers
• March 11, 2018

How value capture can save New York City’s subways

Value capture, in which the public sector recovers some of the value created by government actions like the construction of a transit line or a rezoning, has recently joined congestion pricing among the most discussed potential funding streams for New York City’s troubled subway system. And it can work.

• By Anthony Flint
• March 11, 2018

Transit problems threaten New York’s economic future

Amazon and other tech companies want a subway system that runs on time.

• By Julie Samuels
• February 19, 2018

Following the MTA's lead on MWBEs

New York City and New York state have set 30 percent goals for minority- and women-owned business enterprises, or MWBEs. To reach those goals, one model is the mentorship programs at the New York City School Construction Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which help MWBEs obtain contracts so they can gain experience and continue growing.

• By Rebecca C. Lewis
• February 15, 2018

Who’s who at the MTA

A guide to who is in control of New York's famously opaque mass transit agency.

• By Grace Segers
• February 1, 2018

Why it’s still up to Cuomo to fix the subway

Congestion pricing requires legislation, but it's still Cuomo's MTA.

• By John Raskin
• January 30, 2018

Andy Byford reformed transit in Toronto. Can he do it in NYC?

New York City's new transit chief innovated in Toronto. His new home could use some of that.

• By Jonathan English
• January 29, 2018