Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have required two-person crews on every New York City subway train, including a conductor and a driver.
Hochul’s veto is a blow to the Transit Workers Union, which had championed the bill for decades, arguing that having two-person train crews is crucial for safety.
In her veto, Hochul wrote that trains can be operated safely by one driver, and cited the bill’s cost.
“The bill would cost as much as $10 million annually, reducing service, and limiting the MTA’s ability to benefit from capital investments in modern rolling stock and signals,” she wrote.
The MTA’s contract with the Transit Workers Union already requires two-person crews on many trains, and the legislation, on its own, wouldn’t have changed that. But it would have required an additional worker on the trains that currently only have one operator, as well as on future lines. State lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill in June.
The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the veto. But in September, TWU President John Samuelsen told Gothamist that having two workers per train is not just “a necessity for safety” but also “wanted by the overwhelming majority of New York City working people.” On Thursday, Hochul announced that subway crime was at its lowest level in 16 years, with overall major crime on the transit system down 5.2% from last year and 14.4% from 2019.
After the veto, Samuelsen told the New York Times that Hochul’s decision to veto the bill was “classist,” and suggested that Hochul might experience a backlash from transit workers during her re-election campaign next year.
Budget watchdogs, however, praised Hochul’s move.
“The governor did the exact right thing vetoing this bill,” said Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission.
He said having one worker per train is “the global norm used by virtually every other transit system around the world,” and provides equally good service while saving money. In a study of 400 subway and commuter rail lines in 36 cities, NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management found that fewer than 6.25% used two-person crews.
