By Alfonso A. Castillo, Newsday; August 23, 2020
The MTA is facing criticism for a plan to add hundreds of jobs — many of them at the Long Island Rail Road — while considering raising fares and laying off thousands of workers to fill a pandemic-related budget shortfall expected to reach more than $10 billion next year.
The nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission, a fiscal watchdog, issued a report questioning the rationale of the agency’s plan to add a half-billion dollars in labor costs ahead of a special Wednesday meeting, where the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board will discuss how it will address a deficit expected to reach$10.3 billion by the end of 2021.