Transit union donates to Hochul while blasting her in public

Plus: Does the MTA check its email? [View this email in a browser.]( [On The Way - from WNYC and Gothamist]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( Inside today's newsletter: - Is anyone at the MTA monitoring the new email address for questions about the G train shutdown? - NYC to Boston in 100 minutes: A high-speed train proposal picks up steam - Remembering when subway service improved (a bit) under Andy Byford's watch Transit union gives big bucks to Hochul’s campaign while blasting her in public By [Stephen Nessen]( and [Clayton Guse]( The influential union boss representing a majority of the MTA’s workforce has in recent months [publicly called]( Gov. Kathy Hochul an “enemy” of transit workers. But behind the scenes, his organization has poured cash into her campaign fund. Transport Workers Union International President John Samueslen has since last year repeatedly blamed Hochul for fraught contract negotiations with Metro-North workers, which were resolved in November. In the last month alone, [he’s called]( for Attorney General Letitia James to run for her seat in 2026, [described]( Hochul as a “little leaguer” and [claimed]( she’s “accomplished zilch.” TWU Local 100’s campaign contributions point to a different view of Hochul’s record. The local – which is a chapter of TWU International – represents more than 40,000 rank and file New York City transit workers. On July 11, the local donated $18,000 — the maximum allowed under state law — to Hochul’s campaign fund, according to records published this week. While Samuelsen oversees the international union, he explained the local chapter has “autonomy, and that includes the ability to make political contributions where it’s permissible.” He said no other TWU locals would be donating to Hochul. A spokesperson for Hochul’s campaign declined to comment. Still, the hefty donation highlights the fraught politics that contributed to Hochul’s decision to [indefinitely pause congestion pricing](. Even as Samuelsen slammed the governor’s office for its conduct during the Metro-North negotiations, he supported Hochul’s decision in June to halt the tolling program. He’d said the [proposed tolls]( were “a total abrogation of Hochul’s responsibility to working class New Yorkers” that should have been accompanied by an expansion of public transit. [John Samuelsen at a rally for striking union writers] Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images “John Samuelson knows better than anyone that New York's economy is an attention economy — the more over-the-top the comment, the more likely it's going to get attention,” said Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. “On the merits, though, the governor has recently delivered on an important union issue, pausing congestion pricing.” Hochul, for her part, has said that the $15 base fare of congestion pricing “could break the budget of a hard working middle class household.” Yet Hochul’s decision continues to be a political vulnerability — [just take a look at the flyers posted in subway stations]( throughout the city blaming her for delayed trains. The donation shouldn’t be interpreted as a sign Hochul will receive the union’s support if she runs for reelection in 2026, Samuelsen said. “She’s the exact type of Democrat who’s crippling (President) Joe Biden’s chances,” he said. Curious commuter Have a question for us? [Use this form]( to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter! “Does anyone actually monitor the new email address to monitor the G line shutdown? I have submitted an email complaint and never received even an acknowledgement.” - Benjamin in Brooklyn You’re one of the few riders who have sent a missive to this email address. The MTA has appointed a “czar,” Hugo Zamora, to keep commuters moving on shuttle buses along the G line during [the summer shutdown that began last month](. The agency puts out a weekly G train newsletter. And it has an email address: [Crosstownlinesignalupgrades@gmail.com]( where commuters can ask questions about the project. (Why they opted to use a Gmail address is a mystery to me). But MTA officials say it’s hardly used: Only 11 people have emailed the address, and eight of them got responses, according to MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults. Benjamin’s inquiry is among the three that did not receive a reply. “The general themes of these emails are shuttle bus lanes being blocked, subsequent traffic delays and NYPD enforcement," Shults wrote in a statement. Curious Commuter questions are exclusive for On The Way newsletter subscribers. Did a friend forward this to you? [Sign up for free here]( to start asking your questions. What New York is reading this week - A proposal for a high-speed train that would get from New York City to Boston in 100 minutes is gaining traction, with labor unions highlighting the jobs the project would bring to the Northeast. [Read more](. - Mayor Eric Adams said gun-detecting scanners equipped with AI will soon be installed in subway stations — even as new NYPD data shows a drop in transit crime. [Read more](. - NJ Transit warned this week that it was experiencing “heat-related rail equipment issues” that could cause train delays. [Read more](. - The MTA has quietly cut bus service in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan by 10% due to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pause of congestion pricing, the transit workers union and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams allege in a new lawsuit. [Read more](. - Between tolling camera expenses, legal fees and the cost of paying 600 employees to spend four years working on the congestion pricing program, the MTA may have thrown $1 billion down the drain thanks to Gov. Hochul’s about-face. ([The New York Times]( - Amazon delivery drivers are parking their massive trucks in Manhattan bike lanes and it’s unclear if the police are doing anything to stop them. ([Hell Gate]( - It is once again summer, and there are once again subway cars without working ACs. ([amNewYork]( This week in NYC transit history [a crowded subway platform]( Skippy Santiago Subway service grows from pitiful for adequate Five years ago this week, MTA leaders celebrated that 81% of subway trains ran on time. If the system were a student, its grade would be a B-minus. But the news came just a year after service was in the pits, with only 68% of trains running on time. [The improvement in reliability]( came as former NYC Transit President Andy Byford was quarreling with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo over who was responsible for the boost. Byford would [leave the agency]( less than a year later. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [YouTube]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.