(NEW YORK CITY) - A Union representing Transit Workers has approved a new amendment to their constitution that would bar the Union from bargaining away Retirees’ traditional Medicare coverage.

Members of the Transit Supervisors Organization/Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 106 have voted to approve revisions to the Union’s Constitution and By-Laws that prohibit the Local from bargaining to terminate traditional Medicare unless the Members vote in favor of doing so.

“Traditional Medicare and Retiree Medical Benefits cannot be eliminated through bargaining for current Retirees unless a General Membership meeting was called for this purpose with fifty-percent of the ACTUAL Membership in attendance and a two-thirds vote of the Members voting to affirm the change,” the new article states.

The Local represents about 1,400 Level 2 Station Supervisors, Maintenance Line Supervisors and other Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Employees.

The Union’s President, Philip Valenti, said that he came up with the idea to add language to the constitution protecting the Members’ Medicare.

“We saw a trend management and other Unions were going down and we didn’t want to go in that direction,” he said during a recent phone interview. “We were looking to protect ourselves from Medicare being eliminated.”

As part of a three-year contract deal reached last year, the MTA and TWU Local 100 agreed to switch Retiree health care from Medicare to a privately administered Medicare Advantage program.

TWU Local 100 retirees, like those other retired City Civil Servants, have fought against the plan. 

Although the Local 100 pact does not cover Local 106 Members, the additions to the constitution would safeguard Local 106 retirees from similar changes being made to their health care. 

Valenti noted the MTA “has stressed to me that Medicare Advantage is a really good thing, and I respect that, but I’m not willing to take a chance.” 

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