Labor groups denounce MTA’s refusal to disclose job quality commitments; Jobs to Move America files lawsuit following years of stonewalling
NEW YORK – Today, labor unions and advocacy organizations, including the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, and Jobs to Move America (JMA), are calling on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to immediately release unredacted information related to Kawasaki Rail Car’s (KRC) multi-billion dollar contract to manufacture New York subway cars. The request was made during public commentary at the MTA board meeting, as the MTA Board moved to exercise a $1.3 billion option on the contract for the next batch of subway cars. This follows JMA’s December 2023 lawsuit to obtain the withheld documents.
For six years, Jobs to Move America has sought transparency on commitments Kawasaki made regarding wages, benefits, and training programs for the workers manufacturing subway cars in Yonkers, NY, and Lincoln, NE. Despite multiple Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, the MTA has refused to release this critical information. Of the 36 records provided, 29 were so heavily redacted they were rendered unusable. One of the MTA’s leading justifications? That Kawasaki claims the information constitutes “confidential commercial information” and that sharing wage and benefit data could “unnecessarily agitate KRC’s workforce.”
In addition, the MTA Board is being presented today with letters from the New York State Legislators, labor leaders, environmental and government watchdog organizations echoing the request for full transparency on this issue. The letter signatories include Labor, Transportation, and Corporations and Authorities Committee Chairs and/or members in the State Legislature.
Labor Leaders Demand Accountability
“To ensure good jobs actually result from public spending on U.S. manufacturing, public transparency is essential. We applaud the MTA for requiring Kawasaki to make concrete commitments and transparency on the front end of its huge contract to make New York subway cars,” said Dave Goodspeed, Director of Production Workers at SMART International Union. “But even as the MTA Board votes today to spend another $1.3 billion on this contract, we still don’t know anything about KRC’s contractual commitments related to workers. MTA’s position is absurd, protecting the company from public scrutiny by refusing to reveal any information about hundreds of workers at their plants in Yonkers and Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s time MTA stop protecting a union-busting company.”
Richard Davis, President of TWU Local 100, which represents 43,000 transit workers, emphasized the need for full transparency. “Transparency is fundamental to accountability. The MTA’s persistent refusal to fully disclose the Kawasaki Rail Car contract details is unacceptable. We demand the immediate release of all unredacted documents to verify that commitments regarding job quality, wages, and benefits are in fact being honored.”
Eric Romann, Northeast Director for Jobs to Move America, highlighted the audacity of Kawasaki’s claims and the MTA’s complicity: “Secrecy has no place at the MTA, especially related to the jobs created on a $4 billion contract. Years ago, the MTA partnered with us and MTA unions to encourage high-road employment in the manufacture of these railcars, as recommended by the U.S. DOT. Kawasaki was simply required to complete a worksheet on the number of jobs created and the wages and benefits for those jobs, and then regularly report on those commitments.
“It’s outrageous that the company now claims this information amounts to trade secrets that they can legally keep from the public, even their own workers. And it’s appalling that MTA would protect this union-buster and continue to stonewall our efforts to hold Kawasaki accountable. The MTA should do the right thing and turn over fully unredacted versions of the documents we’ve requested.”
Public Spending Must Create Good Jobs
The MTA’s $4 billion contract with Kawasaki is one of its largest partnerships with a private vendor. Both SMART and TWU Local 100, unions representing MTA workers who operate and service subway and commuter rail cars, are calling for transparency to ensure that job quality commitments are met and that workers—union or not—are treated fairly.
As public agencies continue to invest billions of taxpayer dollars into infrastructure, ensuring these funds support high-quality jobs and equitable outcomes is paramount. Transparency from both MTA and Kawasaki is the first step to holding corporations accountable for their promises to workers and communities.
About Jobs to Move America (jobstomoveamerica.org)
Jobs to Move America is a strategic policy center that works to transform public spending and corporate behavior using a comprehensive approach that is rooted in racial and economic justice and community organizing. We seek to advance a fair and prosperous economy with good jobs and healthier communities for all.
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