Yesterday disgruntled transit workers took to the streets, protesting layoffs and other budget-cutting measures by slowing morning rush hour at a bus depot in Queens. Or at least that's what the News says. Before sunrise, union inspectors found “equipment defects” on 64 buses as they headed out for their morning trips, then held them for more than an hour. The bus back-up led to the cancellation of 16 more bus runs, MTA officials said, meaning that a third of the College Point depot’s vehicles were affected. Protest delays like this one are illegal, reports the tabloid, but can be hard to prove.
When Transit Workers Union President John Samuelson took office in January he promised to fight MTA layoffs, but no one expected such drastic measures. On Friday he said the morning delays weren’t related to threatened administration cuts. "The union has an obligation to provide a safe workplace for our members and a safe bus for the riders, and by doing these inspections, we're living up to our obligation," Samuelsen said, but an inside source said that union was “flexing its muscles,” striking against the planned layoffs of 500 token booth workers and bus drivers.
