News from TWU Local 100

African-American Day Parade A Joyful Day

In what has become a signature event for TWU Local 100, hundreds of members marched through Harlem in the Annual African-American Day Parade. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen and his wife, Lisa, joined the other top leadership of the Union and many rank and file members in the march, along with a large contingent of bikers on motorcycles who come out annually to share in the festivities. At the same time, other TWU members were marching in the People's Climate March through midtown Manhattan. "TWU was there in force, to celebrate black heritage. There was plenty of music, plenty of food, and plenty of good times with our brothers and sisters," said Administrative VP Angel Giboyeaux.

We Win at NYC Bike Share as Company Agrees on Voluntary Recognition of TWU Local 100

TWU Local 100 is now the exclusive bargaining representative of New York City bike share workers, after an agreement was signed Tuesday night. TWU becomes the first to unionize the growing bikeshare industry across the US, with plans to organize workers in other cities as well. TWU Local 100 President called bike share "uncharted territory" for unions, and said that organizing committees are forming to unionize additional bike share workers. TWU Local 100 views bike share workers as part of the urban transportation system, bringing mobility, healthy exercise, and environmental responsibility to the mix. Prior to the signing of the agreement, Local 100 had waged an organizing campaign among the 200-plus bike share workers in New York City, and a majority had signed union cards. The win by TWU Local 100 comes just days after another successful organizing drive brought 550 new members into the fold, who are employees of Global Contact Services which is a call center under contract to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Local 100 Hockey Team Forming

Telephone Equipment Maintainer Nick Gallo is organizing an ice hockey team for TWU Local 100, with the objective of playing other unions in the NYC area. Brother Gallo reports that the men's league is starting at the end of September, and everyone that's on the roster now will meet on the ice for the first time on September 27 to decide on where we stand to join the league. We're looking for Local 100 members who are hockey players to come out and join up! If you're interested, please contact Brother Gallo via email at local100icehockey@outlook.com. See you when the puck drops!

Samuelsen at Javits: If it Moves in NYC, It's Ours

A thousand TWU Local 100 rank and file members came to the Jacob Javits Center Saturday to hear President John Samuelsen and Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips give reports on the year's accomplishments. President Samuelsen pushed hard on organizing new properties, telling the rank and file that "if it moves in New York City, it's our work," signaling a new determination on the part of the union to bring unorganized transit properties and affiliated business into the fold. Just a few hours later, the Local 100 organizing team would report a major victory: organizing 550 new members at Global Contact Services in Queens.

Members also heard, via video, from four political leaders who won primary challenges with Local 100's strong support in the field: Brooklyn's Jesse Hamilton, Latoya Joyner, Latrice Walker, and Rodneyse Bichotte, all of whom are expected to win general election challenges in November and take seats in the New York State legislature. They heard good news as well from Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips, who reported that Local 100 has brought another nine thousand members into good standing since the beginning of the Samuelsen administration. The Local's Widows and Orphans Fund, supported by member contributions has raised the level of support for the education of children of those who have died in the line of duty to $10,000 per year. For more news on the meeting, see the upcoming issue of the Transport Workers Bulletin in the mail soon.

Big Win as TWU Local 100 Organizes Global Paratransit

Major Organizing Win as TWU Local 100 Organizes Global Paratransit

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 -- Early this morning, TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen released a letter of congratulations to Union staff involved in the successful organizing drive to represent employees at Global Contact Services' Paratransit operation on Northern Boulevard in Queens. The facility employs 550 call takers and reservation agents who schedule paratransit services for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Here is President Samuelsen's letter:

It is with great satisfaction that I announce Local 100 has been victorious in our drive to represent 550 Paratransit dispatch workers at Global, on Northern Boulevard. The ballots were just tallied and we have prevailed! Global is anti union corporation from the south, and they ran an extremely vigorous anti union campaign . We fought back, organized the workers and defeated Global. We defeated two other unions which were on the ballot as well.

Members at White Plains Bus Embrace New Contract

TWU Local 100 members at White Plains Bus have ratified a new, five-year contract by an overwhelming 214-9 margin.

The contract provides for ten wage increases totaling 14.2%. Other provisions include guaranteed hours and a union-run pick for school bus.

Congratulations to our members at White Plains Bus, and to Union officers Gus Moghrabi, Hector Cartagena, Davy Erasmo and Laura McCloughlin, who were instrumental in securing this contract.

[Photo: members at White Plains review the contract before ratifying it.]

Thirteen Years Later, We Remember the Efforts of Transit Workers at Ground Zero

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As the towers fell 13 years ago, New York City transit mobilized for the evacuation of lower Manhattan, the painstaking search for victims, and the removal of hundreds of tons of broken cement and i-beams. Our subways and buses brought countless New Yorkers swiftly away from the disaster site, and rushed in hundreds of Firefighters and Police Officers who came to render aid. We picked up passengers from Cortlandt St/World Trade Center just as the towers fell. We brought in heavy rigs and began hauling 80,000 pound loads of debris by tractor trailer from the site. We cut steel and put the supercrane into service at the site that usually lifts sections of railroad track. But in the history of those days, transit workers are generally overlooked. The official histories don't record that three thousand TWU Local 100 members worked on the pile, many for weeks. Today, many suffer health effects from their service. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen was one of those there on a daily basis serving alongside those from most every title in transit. These photos document some our work at Ground Zero as we remember this tragedy 13 years later. Here's how the Local 100 Express covered 9/11 in November of 2001.

Wheels of Justice Grind Slowly as Domonic Whilby’s Lawyer Makes an Exit

Outside New York County Criminal Court, bereaved widow Nancy Pena and attorney Sanford Rubinstein talk to the press about the lack of progress in the prosecution of Domonic Whilby, who killed Nancy’s husband, Bus Operator William Pena, last February. Today in court, Whilby’s attorney Harvey Slovis asked Judge Gregory Carro to release him from the case, on the grounds that he was not being paid. Carro did not immediately grant the request and postponed the case to October 22.

Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) won by a 4-1 margin with the strong backing of TWU Local 100. At right at the 9/9 victory celebration is Admin VP Angel Giboyeaux.

Big Wins for TWU as Bichotte, Walker, Hamilton all Triumph in Brooklyn; Mayer Wins in W'Chester

We picked 'em in Kings County. TWU Local 100's Political Action Committee under the direction of Marvin Holland came up with big winners on Primary Night. The New York Times called the election for Rodneyse Bichotte in the 42nd Assembly District shortly after 12 midnight. Rodneyse marched with Local 100 in the West Indian Day Parade and won decisively in a four-way race after losing two years ago. We put a lot of resources into her campaign, determined to win this time around. We also put manpower and literature into the candidacy of Latrice Walker, who was one of seven competing in the 55th Assembly District against a candidate who many thought had a powerful machine. The pundits turned out to be wrong and Latrice took it with 40% of the votes over 22% for Lori Boozer. In Sunset Park and Flatbush, TWU's candidate Jesse Hamilton crushed Rubain Dorancey 2-1. Elsewhere in the City, the news was also good for TWU. A dedicated friend of mass transit, Adriano Espaillat, pulled out a narrow victory in Manhattan over Robert Jackson. Jeffrey Klein cruised to a solid win over Oliver Koppell in Senate District 34. In Westchester, Shelley Mayer, a good friend of Local 100, easily turned aside a challenge from Michael Sweeney, winning 4-1. And at the top of the ticket, our picks for Governor and Lt. Governor -- Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, won with strong showings. Hats off to our volunteers in the field and our members who got out and voted! IB Image

G Whiz! TWU Credited for Fast G-Line Tunnel Restoration

SEPTEMBER 3 -- TWU Local 100 Vice President for Maintenance of Way Tony Utano along with MTA Chief of Subways Joe Leader congratulated the hundreds of workers from all MOW trades who rebuilt the flooded Greenpoint Tube for the G Train after it was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. In a ceremony on the waterfront by Newtown Creek, Utano and Leader touted the accomplishments of our Track, Electrical, RTO, EMD, Infastructure, Third Rail, and Stations crews who made it all possible. In his remarks, Utano spoke of Local 100's ability to get the job done on time and under budget, and with a familiarity with every inch of the tunnel that no outside contractor could match.