The head of New York's transit workers union and the chief executive of the system's paratransit vendor, which is under fire over call-center working conditions, plan to meet again on Friday in the hopes of averting a strike.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 and Greg Alcorn, CEO of Global Contact Workers LLC, met last week after the union's executive board unanimously authorized a strike. Union president John Samuelsen cited "the company's abject refusal to respect the basic rights of call center workers for more than two years."
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority late in 2012 awarded a $152 million contract to GCS to operate the call center, which serves customers of the Access-a-Ride system throughout the five boroughs.
"We started a dialogue," Samuelsen said in a statement issued to the media during Wednesday's monthly MTA board meeting in lower Manhattan. "Based on that meeting, I believe there's a chance to improve the deplorable working conditions and reach a contract settlement. But if the dialogue breaks down, we will resume organizing and planning for a strike."
Several workers have spoken at board meetings the past few months about cold, cramped working conditions at the call center in Northern Boulevard in Queens, as well as bedbugs and nepotism. The workforce of about 500 is mostly minority female, according to a Samuelsen spokesman.
Some employees said they were fired or otherwise disciplined for being late to work, even though Access-a-Ride - their employer - caused the lateness. Others said terminations after 89 days on the job were commonplace to keep the company from paying benefits.
MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said he urged both sides to keep talking. He also said agency officials are preparing a report on the situation.
"I cannot urge more importantly the urgency of the matter," said Prendergast.
