CHICAGO – Following the RTA Ad Hoc Committee on Transit Funding announcement in which the transit authority claimed Illinois’ initial transit fiscal cliff has fallen to $202 million, Tim Drea, on behalf of the Labor Alliance for Public Transportation and Amy Rynell, on behalf of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, are calling on lawmakers and the RTA to work together to address the dire need for transit funding and reform during the October veto session instead of kicking the can further down the road.
“While recent projections from the RTA may impact the timing of the fiscal cliff by a few months, the bottom line remains: transit cannot wait, and we need better, safer, more reliable service now. Transit riders and workers deserve better, and they’ve made it clear that they want the reforms and long-term solutions provided by dedicated revenue levels that were negotiated in the spring legislative session,” said Amy Rynell on behalf of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. “RTA is applying a patchwork of short-term funding solutions, fare increases and slow-rolling much needed improvements to a system that drives so much of Illinois’ economy, and which so many Illinoisans rely on. While the RTA downplays the urgency and need for action, it’s time for the Illinois General Assembly to reverse transit’s downward spiral and finally take action to reform the RTA and invest $1.5 billion in transit.”
“We’ve sat through numerous public hearings, forums, and conversations with transit workers and riders. Their ask is the same each time: fix and fund transit,” stated Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea. “Transit workers are walking on eggshells not knowing if they’ll be issued a pink slip when they clock in for a day’s work. Working people, students, and seniors that rely on transit at all hours worry that their service will be cut. They fear that they’ll find themselves without a way to get to their job, school, or doctor’s appointments. What we are seeing today is a short-sighted attempt to plug a budget hole without a long-term solution. The people and taxpayers of Illinois deserve better; we cannot keep kicking the can down the road. Now is the time to fully fund and pass transit reforms.”
