Newsday, October 3, 2008 Friday
Copyright 2008 Newsday, Inc.
October 3, 2008 Friday
ALL EDITIONS
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A30
HEADLINE: ON THE MONEY TRAIN?;
As its disability pensions come under fire, unions representing LIRR workers have given tens of thousands of dollars to local pols
BYLINE: BY MELANIE LEFKOWITZ. melanie.lefkowitz@newsday.com
BODY:
The LIRR's largest unions, under scrutiny for its members' huge numbers of disability pensions, have donated tens of thousands of dollars to local politicians in the past decade, campaign finance records show.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton received the most from United Transportation Union, the Long Island Rail Road's largest union: $35,000 between 2000 and 2007. And Rep. Carolyn McCarthy received the most from six unions representing more than 4,000 LIRR employees: $168,000 over the last 11 years. Clinton received $133,500 from the six unions since she first ran for office in 2000.
Unions commonly donate to politicians, and these unions also have national interests. Some that make the largest donations are massive national organizations that represent a relatively small number of LIRR workers, such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which donated $60,000 to McCarthy over 10 years and represents about 750,000 workers nationally, including 600 LIRR workers.
LIRR rules that allow a worker to earn several days' pay in a single workday, along with the federal board that oversees disability pensions, have been under scrutiny since reports two weeks ago revealed that more than 90 percent of all LIRR retirees had been granted disability pensions.
While federal and state lawmakers do not directly oversee the LIRR, they can still be influential on fronts including major funding and railroad security. Yesterday, the LIRR president called on Congress to pass legislation reforming the system that allows the Railroad Retirement Board to approve LIRR pensions, and Gov. David A. Paterson wants Congress to probe the alleged fraud.
Some state officials have control over MTA major spending plans, and a State Legislature committee oversees authorities, including the MTA.
Of local state legislators, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has received the most from United Transportation Union - $11,800 between 2005 and 2008. Before becoming majority leader, Skelos was the State Senate's representative to the MTA's four-person Capital Program Review Board, which must unanimously approve multibillion-dollar, five-year capital spending plans.
"Senator Skelos has earned broad support from individuals and organizations throughout New York State," said Scott Reif, a spokesman for Skelos.
A spokesman for McCarthy said in a statement: "Congresswoman McCarthy is proud to be supported by a variety of people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds who help make our region strong."
A Clinton spokesman said she found the abuse reports "deeply alarming." He did not address the donations from the unions: the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the United Transportation Union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Sheet Metal Workers.
The United Transportation Union, which represents 2,603 workers, donated to all of the Island's congressional delegation in the past decade. Nationally, the union has 125,000 members.
All five Long Island members of Congress and Sen. Charles Schumer said they support a congressional investigation into possible pension abuses. Clinton's spokesman said she "supports all investigative efforts that will produce the facts."
A spokesman for Rep. Tim Bishop, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, noted Bishop had scheduled a meeting with Railroad Retirement Board members, but it had to be postponed because of bailout talks.
Cornell University labor law professor Lee Adler said that although state and federal officials may have some influence over issues important to the unions, the donations are not necessarily meaningful. "They donate to people that support them, and they donate at times to people that are not fully supportive, hoping perhaps to make them more supportive," he said. "It's just something that they do because they think that it makes sense to do it."
Former Gov. George Pataki received $6,000 from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers since 1999. The United Transportation Union donated $11,000 to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and $10,500 to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.
Aside from Skelos, just a handful of local state legislators received LIRR union donations.
Who got union funds
A look at some campaign donations from unions that represent LIRR workers to local pols from 1997 to 2008. The United Transportation Union is the largest, representing 2,600 workers. The other unions are Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Sheet Metal Workers International Association:
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-N.Y.)
From United Transportation Union: $35,000
Total from LIRR unions: $133,500
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-N.Y.)
UTU: $10,000
Total: $61,250
REP. GARY ACKERMAN (D-Jamaica Estates)
UTU: $8,000
Total: $97,500
REP. TIM BISHOP (D-Southampton)
UTU: $20,000
Total: $123,500
REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D-Huntington)
UTU: $11,000
Total: $113,250
REP. PETER KING (R-Seaford)
UTU: $5,500
Total: $67,150
REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D-Mineola)
UTU: $10,500
Total: $168,000
STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER DEAN SKELOS (R-Rockville Centre)
UTU: $11,800
Total: $32,300
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