MTA Workers Are Being Paid To Get Vaccinated

Will that convince more employees to get shots? [View this email in your browser]( Will Extra Pay Convince More Transit Workers To Get Vaccinated? Plus: The MTA has postponed its plans for a fare hike. An artist turned the 46th Street station into a tribute to the 46th president. And scientists found an optimal way to clear coronavirus particles out of a moving taxi. By James Ramsay [a subway cleaner wipes down an empty train car] Frank Franklin II/AP After Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week finally expanded the ranks of who's eligible for a coronavirus vaccine to include transit workers, the MTA began encouraging its 60,000 employees to get a shot. "For this to make a difference, we need everyone to get vaccinated," NYC Transit leader Sarah Feinberg wrote in [AM New York](. "Simply put, it's the best way we can protect ourselves and our families going forward." Shenilya Fuller, a station cleaner at Jay St - Metro Tech who [spoke with We The Commuters]( at the start of the pandemic, said she plans to wait to get the vaccine. "I don't really trust it 100%," she said yesterday. "I kinda feel they rushed this vaccine to be made. I don’t know the science behind it. I don't know what's in the vaccine. And it seems like it doesn't prevent you from getting COVID again — you still have to wear the mask." (Scientists have been studying coronaviruses for years — [the Oxford scientists]( behind one COVID vaccine had developed a MERs vaccine in April 2020. And while [you can still theoretically transmit the virus]( if you're vaccinated, it shouldn't be possible to get infected.) Fuller said she's not a vaccine skeptic — she recently brought her two-month-old son to the doctor for a round of vaccinations. "This one is isolated because I feel like it was really, really rushed," she said. "There have been so many other diseases and viruses with no vaccine, but for this one, we go make one in the lab real quick?" Fuller said that among her coworkers, she estimates that about 50% are currently too skeptical to get vaccinated, while the other half are lining up for a shot. "There are 40,000 [New York City] transit workers and it appears the majority are eager to get the shot while some are hesitant," said Pete Donohue, a spokesperson for the transit workers' union. "We are encouraging them to get the shot. The supply is still smaller than the demand but we are educating them about vaccine opportunities." To further encourage vaccination, the MTA is among a handful of high-profile organizations (Trader Joe's and Dollar General are others) paying workers to get shots. For each dose administered, transit workers will receive two hours of wages. But MTA worker Jonathan Beatrice, who got his first dose of the vaccine on Sunday, said he didn’t view the money as much of an incentive. In all, getting two doses would amount to around $120 in extra pay, he said. "For me, it was [that] I don't want to get COVID-19 and I don't want to spread it to other people and I want to help end the pandemic," Beatrice said. "That was my incentive." No matter how quickly transit workers agree to get vaccinated, New York has its own issues securing enough doses for everyone who's eligible. This week, the city [had to cancel 23,000 vaccination appointments]( and temporarily close 15 vaccination hubs due to a low supply of doses. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he hopes the newly-installed Biden administration will speed up vaccine manufacturing under the Defense Production Act. Despite her hesitation right now, Shenilya Fuller said she still appreciates the MTA's sense of urgency in getting its workforce vaccinated once enough doses are available. "COVID has been really hard, especially on MTA workers," said Fuller, whose own cousin was a train operator who died of the virus last year. "So the MTA is saying, listen, if this is going to help us from dying, let’s go ahead and get it. I understand their message — as long as they don't try to force it on us. That'd be more problematic." — [With reporting by Sydney Pereira]( The MTA Is Postponing A Fare Hike Because 'People Are Suffering' [a woman walks down an empty train platform] Justin Lane/Shutterstock Prior to this week, the MTA had been considering a fare hike for single rides from $2.75 to $3, a price increase for weekly and monthly MetroCards, and a jump in the price of a MetroCard itself from $1 to $3. But MTA chair Pat Foye announced ahead of today's board meeting that a fare hike would be postponed because New Yorkers are "suffering and cannot shoulder even a modest fare increase right now." Foye and other local officials are hoping that a federal government under Democratic control will come through with a bailout for the transit agency. "Buoyed by President-elect Biden, incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the MTA has hope for $8 billion in additional pandemic relief and continued federal investment in mass transit in 2021 and beyond," Foye said. "For these reasons, the MTA has decided to postpone the planned fare increase for several months. We plan to move forward with a discussion and vote on recommended toll changes in February." — [Reporting by Jen Chung]( Here's What Else Is Happening The number of one-way subway runs dipped last month, likely due to MTA worker shortages. While absences weren't as high as in the first months of the pandemic, December did see an increase in sick or quarantined conductors, forcing a 2% decline in the number of train trips. The transit workers' union said it hopes the MTA will lift a hiring freeze so more conductors can join the agency. ([THE CITY]( Commuter rail lines may start selling bulk packages of tickets that don't expire. Even when offices in Manhattan fully reopen, NJ Transit and Metro-North don't expect as many suburban commuters to come into the city five days a week. To make up for declining sales of monthly passes, they may start selling bulk tickets without expiration dates. For city buses and subways, meanwhile, advocates say the MTA should continue selling and promoting weekly and monthly unlimited passes, which benefit lower-income New Yorkers who need affordable ways to commute daily. ([The Wall Street Journal]( NJ Transit had more breakdowns than any other rail system in the country in 2019. For the second straight year, the Federal Transit Administration recognized NJ Transit as the railroad with the highest number of breakdowns: 351. In response, the agency complained that it's an unfair distinction, since NJ Transit is bigger than most other rail systems, and thus has more trains that fall apart. ([WBGO]( The science is in: Rolling down the car windows is a good way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a study of a test sedan moving 50 mph, the researchers found that rolling down all four windows is the best way to get virus particles out of there. In a counterintuitive twist, though, they found that if you're the lone passenger in a cab, sitting in the right rear seat, and you don't want to roll down all the windows, lower the front right window and left rear window. This method creates a barrier of moving air between you and the driver. ([The New York Times]( Traffic outside Trump Tower can resume now that the building's owner is no longer the president. The stretch of East 56th Street just south of Trump Tower — along with sidewalks around the building — are opening up to normal traffic today. As an ex-president, Donald Trump will continue to receive modified Secret Service protection, though even that could change if the Senate votes to retroactively "remove" him from office. ([New York Post]( Infrastructure Week never happened. Other than some rural highways and 15 miles of border wall, the self-described "builder president" didn't build much. Here's a complete list of the infrastructure projects Trump did complete during the last four years. ([Curbed]( The 46th Street Subway Station Is Now A Tribute To Joe Biden [subway mosaic tiles taped over to say "46th Joe"] Adrian Wilson There isn't an obvious subway station that works as tribute to Joe Biden (no [Prince St.]( for example), but street artist Adrian Wilson figured something out: The mosaic at the 46th Street station in Queens has been taped over to read "46th Joe," in honor of the 46th president. Wilson also altered the Thompson St. sign at the corner of Spring St. to read "Trumpgone St." Though the signs used stickers that are easily removable, Wilson said he's still not worried about any vandalism charges: "If Trump can pardon [Steve] Bannon's crimes, Biden can pardon mine!" — [Reporting by Jen Carlson]( Weekend Service Changes: Night of January 22nd – Early Morning on January 25th This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. Note: The entire subway system is closed each night from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice. trains will not run between 137 St and 242 St. trains will not run between Bowling Green and Utica Av/New Lots Av. trains will not run between Queensboro Plaza and 34 St-Hudson Yards. trains will not run between Church Av and Coney Island-Stillwell Av. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. James Ramsay will be honest with you: He has no intention to drive down 56th Street anyways. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2021 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](