Nearly 500 subway station agents will be out of a job by next Friday.
MTA brass sent layoff letters to the agents today, instructing them to turn in badges, keys, rulebooks, and clothes with the MTA logo and attend an “exit session.”
“We recognize the personal difficulty involved and are making every effort to lessen the impact on those affected,” the MTA’s letter read.
The result will be 70 booth closures around the system, saving the cash-strapped agency $21 million per year.
Labor leaders blasted the decision.
“These layoffs are destroying hundreds of families,” said John Samuelsen, chief of TWU Local 100.
He said MTA CEO Jay Walder could save some of the jobs by using stimulus money, which top management has decided to keep for use for mega-projects.
“I hope he sleeps well tonight,” Samuelsen said.
Critics charge that abandoning the booth will leave some stations unsafe, becoming open targets for fare beating and other crimes.
In response to the layoffs, the union is holding a rally outside Penn Station on Monday.