Transportation Unions Help Secure $45B for Transit Under Relief Bill

While the coronavirus-relief bill that Congress passed Dec. 21 contained none of the $500 billion in aid to states requested by the National Governors Association, provided a $45-billion lifeline to transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, thanks to some strenuous union lobbying.

For the moment, that will hold off potentially thousands of layoffs beyond the 1.3 million public employees who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, according to the New York Times. In early December, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that for the third consecutive month, public employment had declined, led by the termination of 93,000 temporary employees involved with the U.S. Census.