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STATEMENT BY BOROUGH PRESIDENTMARKOWITZ ON POSSIBLE PRIVATE COMMUTER BUS LINES STRIKE

“Mayor Bloomberg must work immediately with bus company operators and union leaders to do everything possible to avoid a bus strike that would cause disruption in the lives of thousands of Brooklyn riders. Many commuters in southern Brooklyn depend on these bus lines for their livelihood and rely on them to commute to hospitals and cultural institutions in Manhattan. The City and the MTA must get serious about negotiating with the bus companies so that a transition can take place by the April 30, 2005 deadline. In regards to the recent sickout, I hope that the City and the unions will make every effort to notify the public of any future service disruptions to show respect to the ultimate recipient of this service — the bus rider.

It is unacceptable that for over two years, union workers for the city’s subsidized bus lines, including Command Bus Company and Green Bus Lines, have been working without a contract. Workers and union leaders continue to get a cold shoulder from the City and now relations are so frigid that innocent Brooklyn riders may be left standing in the cold, waiting for a bus that never comes. It’s time to stop spinning our wheels and get headed in the right direction.”

-Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz