New York City's United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the most powerful teachers' union in the city, has joined forces with Staten Island's Republican borough president, Vito Fossella, to file a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The lawsuit aims to stop the implementation of the MTA's controversial congestion pricing plan, which is set to charge drivers $15 per day to use city streets and avenues south of 60th Street in Manhattan.

UFT head Mike Mulgrew, who resides in Staten Island, described the plan as a "money grab" that would disproportionately impact the working and middle class of the city. Speaking at a rally on Staten Island, Mulgrew and Fossella argued that the congestion pricing plan would not only burden residents financially but also worsen air quality and increase traffic in Staten Island.

The lawsuit challenges the MTA's two-year environmental assessment, approved by the federal Department of Transportation, which concluded that the toll program would reduce pollution and traffic across the region. However, it also revealed that pollution could potentially increase in Bergen County, Staten Island, and parts of The Bronx as truck traffic shifts from Manhattan to outer-borough expressways.

To obtain approval from federal authorities, the MTA committed to investing $130 million in clean-up programs in Staten Island and The Bronx. However, no similar guarantees were offered to New Jersey.

The UFT's lawsuit argues that the congestion pricing program cannot be implemented without the completion of a thorough environmental impact statement, which includes the potential effects on the city's air quality. The union claims that the current plan would merely shift pollution and traffic to surrounding areas, causing greater environmental injustice.

The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in Brooklyn federal court, also includes five teachers as plaintiffs, four from Staten Island and one from New Jersey, who commute into Manhattan.

The congestion pricing toll was originally planned to launch in May, with drivers using the Hudson River and East River tunnels receiving a $5 discount from the $15 toll. Low-income drivers living more than half-a-mile away from a subway, commuter railroad, or express bus stop would also be eligible for a discount.

The congestion pricing legislation, passed by Albany in 2019 and signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, exempts the FDR Expressway and West Side Highway from tolls. It also allows residents within the congestion zone who earn less than $60,000 annually to deduct the cost from their taxes.

MTA officials anticipate that the toll will generate $1 billion per year, with the funds allocated towards $15 billion in bonds for major upgrades to the subway, commuter railroads, and bus systems.

Unfortunately, the lawsuits have now caused delays in the MTA's ability to sell bonds, which has led to the postponement of several infrastructure projects, including a billion-dollar program to replace century-old stoplight signals on the Fulton Street subway with a new computerized system.

John McCarthy, spokesperson for the MTA, defended the thoroughness of the environmental review process for congestion pricing, emphasizing the benefits it would bring in terms of reducing congestion and improving air quality. McCarthy also emphasized the need to adequately fund the public transit system to address the growing issue of overcrowded streets and provide safer and more efficient transportation for students and teachers who rely on mass transit.

As the legal battle ensues, the fate of the MTA's congestion pricing plan hangs in the balance, with potential implications for transit funding, air quality, and traffic in New York City.