In the middle of bargaining for a new contract covering 40,000 transit workers, the MTA terminated an agreement that allowed longtime employees who’ve used more than half of their sick days to receive a lump-sum payment upon retirement, leaving thousands of workers close to hanging up their gloves potentially out tens of thousands of dollars.
The MTA notified Transport Workers Union Local 100 in an August letter that it was unilaterally ending the Career Sick Leave Cash Out program in place since 2017.
The program allowed any transit employee with fewer than 50 percent of their sick days remaining to cash them out upon retirement. Since the cancellation, only workers who held onto more than half of their sick days are able cash them out upon retirement…