Transit union boss says secret deal with MTA ended 2005 transit strike

As he faces a tough reelection fight, the president of the transit union is spilling the beans on what ended the strike that shut down mass transit for New Yorkers in the Bronx and the rest of the city.According

News 12 Staff

Nov 13, 2006, 2:36 PM

Updated 6,618 days ago

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As he faces a tough reelection fight, the president of the transit union is spilling the beans on what ended the strike that shut down mass transit for New Yorkers in the Bronx and the rest of the city.According to the Daily News, Roger Toussaint made a secret deal with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) hours before mediators announced the union agreed to resume talks and end the walkout. The president of Transport Workers Union Local 100 says he signed a two-page deal on December 22 that contained the exact same raises, pension refunds and other provisions that were announced five days later. He says he kept quiet about the secret deal because he did not want Governor Pataki (R-NY) or anyone else getting involved. Transit workers eventually voted against the pact.Responding to the report, one union member said Toussaint violated the trust of the 33,000 transit workers and should be tossed out of the union. The labor relations director for the MTA would not confirm or deny Toussaint's story.