'Nobody worked these hours.' TWU accuses MTA of falsifying bus maintenance records
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- In depots across the city, surprise inspections by the transit union are turning up problems in the MTA's enormous fleet of buses, according to TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello.
"All types of issues, from cracked windshields to signals and signal lights that may be out, headlights that may be out, issues inside the bus - you name it," he said. "At this point, we don't trust the (Metropolitan) Transit Authority."
Chiarello says buses are often hitting the streets with documented maintenance and safety issues. He says some senior MTA managers are logging into the system and clearing out open work orders, falsely claiming that repairs were completed.
Union bus maintenance directors Mike Rehn and Tom Lenane claim that repairs are often falsely attributed to employees who weren't even at work and provided multiple work orders and maintenance records from the Kingsbridge Depot in the Bronx.
"Nobody worked these hours. Nobody did these jobs," said Rehn.
Eyewitness News reporter N.J. Burkett asked about a work order "for 54 items done by a guy who was on his day off."
"Correct. That wasn't even on the property," said Lenane. "He's a really super mechanic. He could do it from home."
One worker was credited with taking more than 100 oil and fluid samples when he, too, was off. And another worker, on a personal day, was credited for multiple repairs, including two with "red line holds."
"Anything involving tires, steering, brakes, that's a hold - that bus can't go out in service. It's not safe," said Rehm.
But if the work order is cleared?
"Well, then, apparently it didn't happen."
MTA officials dismissed the allegations as "bogus" while downplaying safety concerns, claiming that every bus is inspected "for serious maintenance issues."
"There's no surge in bus malfunctions," communications director Tim Minton told Eyewitness News. "There is, however, a recent spike in bogus complaints from union officials - just in time for labor negotiations."
But union officials say they raised these concerns more than two years ago, that the practice is widespread and that nothing has changed.
"It's at least two years that Tom and I have been arguing, trying to put a stop to this. And it seems like it's only gotten more brazen," said Rehm.
City College professor emeritus Robert Paaswell is a former president of the Chicago Transit Authority.
"If somebody says, 'this has to be fixed' or 'that has to be fixed,' you just can't say it was fixed if it wasn't fixed," he said.
Union leaders say the MTA's bus depots are understaffed and that managers are trying to do more with less. Or, at least, making it look that way.
"They can't keep up with the work that's being not done," said Rehm. "Work that's not being completed. So what they're doing is just making it go away."
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