For $2.5 Million, MTA Token Clerks Get New Uniforms

On the heels of the recent fare increase approval, it has come out that the MTA has spent about $2.5 million on changing the uniforms of New York City Subway token booth clerks, or as the MTA calls them "station agents". That breaks down to $738 per employee for white shirts, grey pants or skirts, grey and black ties or ascots, and a burgundy vest, sweater and coat.

A MTA spokesperson told the Daily News in a written statement that management decided upon the new uniforms to "provide a more professional and consistent look for all station agents." The MTA does provide uniforms, usually on a biennial basis, but according to an internal memo from August, the plan was to have the new uniforms on the employees by the start of December.

Token booth clerk Norman Winston Pou told the paper, "That's absolutely outrageous. They could improve facilities and job conditions with that money." And a clerk that didn’t want to give their name for fear of reprisals commented and questioned the suitability of the choice of new uniform, "I feel like a busboy. It's a dirty environment. It's not an office, an open space, with a water cooler and all that. It's a train station." One poster to a subway message board noted that, "The clerk [pictured in the Daily News] looks like a certain union activist."

One thing that wasn’t mentioned in the Daily News piece was that burgundy is the color that was introduced for the uniforms of the former token booth clerks who were booted out of their booths and re-branded "station customer service agents". They were created in 2005, as a compromise measure with the closing 164 token booths. However, the burgundy painted booths do not sell MetroCards and the part-time agents are just in the station to assist passengers. We hope that there isn’t some sort of scheme to further reduce the amount of booths where you can actually get a MetroCard from a human being. Plus we didn't see anything wrong with the old uniforms.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Toby von Meistersinger in News on December 26, 2007 2:08 PM

Comments [rss]

Woodcider

MTA.info

Click the above link and you too can be routinely abused by the public and management.

Become a Bus Operator. No booth, daily threats of bodily harm and the stress of driving 1000's of passengers daily in NYC traffic. Develop "driver's knee" and look forward to a total knee replacement in 10 years.... If you don't get stabbed in the neck first.

Still jealous you don't have such a wonderful job? Didn't think so.

phil

Hey! i worked one of those token booths for 20 years.when they were the old booths,where people like the ones complaining here spit at us ,held us up,and jumped turnstiles.What comes around goes around

shamanovsky

Everyone of these attendants that I had a displeasure dealing with... well, their you have it, a displeasure. They are idiots, who don't speak english. WHY are they there? Why? To blast their hip-hop crap and appear offensive?

smitty

I have a four year degree from a top 25 private university and make less than that.

freddyhere

How about hats?

Albert Sharpton

good thing i have a college education.. i make twice their salary.

poopmast

$738?!?!?!?!?!?!

Is that for 5 days worth of uniforms?

Pillows would have been more cost effective.

tnturner

"...station agents who barely do their job..."

Just last week I was getting on the 1 at 34th st. and the "agent" told me she couldn't give me change for a $20 bill so I could buy a $7 day pass (whilst she was overly lecturing another rider about how to swipe a card, in quite a chastising manner). So I went to the station across the street and the attendant made change without fuss. I guess different policies apply on the Westerly side of 7th Ave.

tnturner

"...station agents who barely do their job..."

Just last week I was getting on the 1 at 34th st. and the "agent" told me she couldn't give me change for a $20 bill so I could buy a $7 day pass (whilst she was overly lecturing another rider about how to swipe a card, in quite a chastising manner). So I went to the station across the street and the attendant made change without fuss. I guess different policies apply on the Westerly side of 7th Ave.

TKaisen

I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill,

I wish my hourly rate and benefits were that mediocre.

pik

new pajamas!

ohhleary

These people are a complete waste of space and money. They get paid twice as much as an entry-level NYPD officer... and I'd feel much better with two of them in the station than one of these bozos.

Woodcider

So, when you get beaten for your iPad or phone, the chances of you running into a cop are a lot lower than getting to a station agent that has access to getting a cop for you.

Keep wishing for a fully automated transit system. How safe will you feel when no one can hear you scream?

Såkandulæredet

what a waste of money.

drewo

where can i apply?

You're probably overqualified.

DaLata

"According to the authority, the average subway or bus operator earns nearly $63,000 per year. The average subway conductor earns about $54,000. The average station agent earns about $51,000. A subway cleaner earns about $40,000."

where can i apply?

ed_Extinct

funny how it's ok to shell out this money for station agents who barely do their job, but force cops to buy theirs.

station agents should be paying for the uniforms.

the money they're saving on that free healthcare they went on strike for can get them a shiny new uniform.

drewo

I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill

I'm not sure I would call their salaries mediocre. This is from a Dec. 2005 NY Times OpEd piece:

According to the authority, the average subway or bus operator earns nearly $63,000 per year. The average subway conductor earns about $54,000. The average station agent earns about $51,000. A subway cleaner earns about $40,000.

DaLata

OMG, doesn't the MTA have bigger issues to address other than the uniforms of their employees. Yes, let's have MTA attendants dress like telegram boys from the 20s or fancy ice cream shoppe clerks. Uniforms are very important and I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill, but do MTA attendants really have to dress like the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? People pee and poop in every corner of the subway.

DaLata

OMG, doesn't the MTA have bigger issues to address other than the uniforms of their employees. Yes, let's have MTA attendants dress like telegram boys from the 20s or fancy ice cream shoppe clerks. Uniforms are very important and I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill, but do MTA attendants really have to dress like the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? People people and poop in every corner of the subway.