Jack Martins Calls Upon Rep. McCarthy To Come Clean On Federal Disability Scandal
October 17, 2008, Mineola, NY ---
Despite the widening scandal of the systematic abuse by former Long Island Railroad workers of the federal Railroad Retirement Board system, which is intended to protect the nation's disabled railroad workers, an investigative report by Newsday has revealed that leaders from a dozen transit unions have written New York's congressional delegation urging members to reject an overhaul of the federal pension system that has allowed nearly all railroad workers who apply for disability benefits to receive them. Newsday has also reported that Representative Carolyn McCarthy tops the chart of local elected official who has received the highest amount of political campaign contributions from the LIRR's largest unions. Rep. McCarthy has received amounts comparable to her full year's congressional pay from six unions representing more than 4,000 LIRR employees: $168,000 over the last 11 years, including $60,000 from a union group that has just 600 LIRR members.
Mayor Jack Martins of Mineola, who is seeking election as United States Representative for the Fourth Congressional District on Long Island, is calling upon his opponent Rep. McCarthy to immediately disclose all her communications with such transit unions and to return her hundreds of thousands of campaign donations provided by the LIRR's largest unions. Newsday reports that the letter said that the high disability applications by LIRR retirees do not reflect a "systematic, nationwide situation. ... Railroad management is trying to circumvent decades of collective bargaining by exploiting a localized issue," despite the fact that over nine out of ten LIRR workers have applied for and received disability in the past few years.
Jack Martins is taking a strong stand against the apparent abuse by former Long Island Railroad employees, including both managers and workers, of the federal Railroad Retirement Board system, which is intended to protect the nation's disabled railroad workers. "It is outrageous that nine out of ten Long Island Railroad retirees get federal disability payments intended to assist disabled railroad workers," Jack Martins said at his campaign headquarters in Mineola, Long Island. "The fact that the union bosses have the arrogance to ignore the need to reform this broken system by turning to their friends in Congress speaks volumes about how things get done within the Washington Beltway. The fact that Rep. McCarthy is their favorite representative in the New York delegation is suspicious and very troubling. While other members of the New York delegation, for example, personally participated in the recent meeting with the federal disability board members," Jack Martins said, "Rep. McCarthy only sent a staffer."
"It is obvious that Rep. McCarthy remains totally compromised and lacking the will or the ability to reform the federal system," Jack Martin said at his campaign office in Mineola. "Unless Rep. McCarthy immediately discloses what communications she's had with these railroad union bosses and disgorges her $168,000 or more in LIRR-related campaign contributions, her constituents on Long Island will continue to question who's interests she's been protecting in Congress."
"I pledge to work hard to implement the changes needed in Congress to end this abuse once and for all. It is time send someone to Washington who is not beholden to the very special interest groups that will resist any meaningful change or reform. The federal disability system, which the investigative reports have shown to been obviously abused, is a perfect example of what is wrong with Washington." said Jack Martins. "With the support of my neighbors I will go to Washington and stop allowing LIRR free loaders from taking this federal gravy train once and for all."
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