Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Report: The T needs to hire thousands if it’s ever going to improve — and it probably can’t
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimates the T will need to hire 2,800 workers within the next year — more than it hired in the last four fiscal years combined.
The MBTA could be looking at continued service cuts and persistent safety issues if it fails to hire nearly 3,000 workers over the next year, a new report warns.
Between an upcoming wave of retirements at the T and an increasingly difficult labor market, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation — the think tank behind the report — forecasts an uphill battle.
“A sufficient workforce is the most fundamental ingredient necessary for a transit service that’s safe, reliable, and serves our economy,” MTF President Doug Howgate said in a statement accompanying the report, released Monday.
“The current gap between reality and the levels of service riders and our region deserve is startling and failing to close that gap quickly will result in a cascading series of issues that raise important questions about its capabilities going forward,” Howgate continued.
More on the MBTA:
The report highlights the severity of the T’s staffing woes; more than one in every 10 positions funded in the agency’s operating budget are vacant, MTF reported last summer.
Advertisement:
Factoring in 1,000 expected departures for the remainder of fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the MBTA will need to hire 2,800 workers within the next 12 months in order to meet its proposed headcount of approximately 7,600, according to Monday’s report.
By comparison, the T hired about 2,400 workers in the last four fiscal years combined and only increased its headcount by 450 due to departures, the report notes.
The MBTA’s new general manager, Phillip Eng, starts next Monday. As he takes office, Eng and the T “confront fundamental problems beyond a fiscal cliff or persistent service disruptions,” MTF asserted. “They face a cascading series of issues, exacerbated by labor shortages, that raise questions about the MBTA’s capabilities going forward — none of which have short-term solutions.”
Advertisement:
As Howgate noted, there’s a lot at stake for the nearly 700,000 people who take the T every day.
“The MBTA is a microcosm of the workforce issues facing Massachusetts today,” he said. “As these shortages worsen, it will ripple through vital sectors and limit our ability to grow the Commonwealth’s economy.”
The foundation noted in its report that the T has the short-term resources it needs to significantly increase its workforce and has also made a concerted effort to hasten its hiring processes and scale its outreach.
On Monday, for example, the MBTA announced that it will increase its sign-on bonus from $4,500 to $7,500, also expanding the eligible positions to include bus drivers, rail repairers, track laborers, streetcar and subway drivers, service technicians, and fuelers.
Even still, “solving labor force challenges are likely beyond the MBTA’s or any other single institution’s abilities,” according to MTF, which added that ensuring the T’s safe and effective operation should be a top priority for lawmakers.
“How the state steps up to address this growing threat and their impacts on state residents will, in all likelihood, determine Massachusetts’ future,” the report concludes.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com