The Metropolitan Transportation Authority laid out a detailed defense yesterday of the settlement it signed last week, arguing that an important concession made by the transit workers' union - having all workers contribute to their health insurance premiums - is worth more than pension demands the authority abandoned. The authority's forceful posture, following weeks of animosity with the union, underscored how bitter relations between the two sides remain, despite the deal.
See "M.T.A. Offers Strong Defense of Union Deal", Sewell Chan and Steven Greenhouse, January 1, 2006