New York City’s powerful teachers union is funding a Staten Island legal fight to stop the MTA’s congestion pricing plan, The Post has learned.
The United Federation of Teachers is “leading” the Brooklyn federal lawsuit, providing lawyers and planning to pick up all costs associated with the case, said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, who along with the union is a plaintiff in the suit.
“I give [UFT President] Mike Mul gets a lot of credit for having the courage to step forward,” Fossella said Friday night. “He said his members would be hurt by this – especially new teachers who are on the lowest pay and don’t know where they will be assigned.”
The union declined to say how much it expects to pay in legal fees.
The lawsuit filed Thursday argues that teachers, firefighters, EMS workers and other key public servants will be “forced to bear the brunt of the MTA’s latest fundraising efforts.”
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella is a plaintiff with the teachers union to stop the MTA’s congestion pricing plan. Brigitte Stelzer
Mulgrew called Fossella “out of the blue” a few months ago and asked if Staten Island was serious about the legal challenge, the Republican regional president recalled.
“He asked if we could do it together, and they wanted to lead on the legal side, and I said ‘great — by all means.’ The more the merrier,” said Fosella.
“We’ve been working very quietly over the last few months to build what we think is a strong case.”
The legal team is led by Alan M. Klinger, a partner and high-powered municipal labor attorney at Steptoe LLP, and it includes other attorneys at the New York-based firm. Klinger’s longtime clients include the UFT, the Uniformed Sanitation Association and other city labor unions.
The lawsuit alleges that teachers, firefighters, EMS workers and other essential public servants will be the ones bearing the brunt of congestion fees. AP
The firm’s major wins over the past few years include scoring a $40 million jury verdict in 2022 for client Express Mobile Inc. in a patent infringement case against e-commerce firm Shopify.
The suit asks the court to halt implementation of the plan, which is scheduled to launch as soon as May and would charge drivers $15 a day to use city streets and streets south of 60th Street in Manhattan.
It also argued that the plan was greenlit through a “rushed” federal review process and would create more pollution on Staten Island and in the Bronx as drivers detour around congestion zones.
In addition to the UFT, Fossella and Mulgrew, the suit names as plaintiffs seven teachers whose lives would be negatively affected by congestion pricing — including four from Staten Island and one from New Jersey who commutes to Manhattan.
The suit states that the congestion plan will increase pollution in Staten Island and the Bronx as traffic shifts through those boroughs. AP
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli, both Staten Island Republicans, told The Post they plan to join as plaintiffs — despite the UFT’s long history of supporting left-leaning pollsters, like Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has championed congestion pricing.
“I will work with anyone and everyone who shares a common goal, and in this case it is to stop congestion pricing in its tracks,” Malliotakis said.
Other city unions are expected to submit legal briefs supporting the suit, Fossella said.
The suit is at least the fourth court challenge brought against the toll plan in recent months, including a federal lawsuit filed in July by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who argued that the feds did not conduct proper reviews of the toll’s impact on Garden. State driver.
Critics of the MTA plan also claim that the federal review process was rushed and did not take into account surrounding areas and New Jersey. Christopher Sadowski
Fossella initially planned to have Staten Island join Murphy’s suit, but he said he changed his mind after speaking with Randy Mastro, the attorney representing New Jersey, and learning their argument for restricting tolls was too different from his state’s.
Mulgrew in a statement defended the union’s decision to lead the suit, saying “congestion pricing is sold as a common good that will improve air quality for New York City, improve traffic congestion for New York City and raise money for public transportation… But that’s not the plan they presented.
“Only one borough will see improved air quality and improved congestion – Manhattan. For residents in other boroughs, the pollution and congestion will actually be worse, especially in the South Bronx and Staten Island. That is the plan presented. It is a flawed plan and that is why we are asking the court to take part,” he added.
Transit officials expect the tolls to raise $1 billion a year, which will be used to finance $15 billion in bonds to pay for major upgrades to the MTA’s subway, commuter rail and bus system.
MTA spokesman John McCarthy insists the review process is fair and the controversial tax will “fight worsening road congestion.”
“We must adequately fund a public transit system that will bring safer and less congested roads, cleaner air, and better transit for the vast majority of students and teachers who take mass transit to school,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
