News from TWU Local 100

Transit workers are on the front line and deserve pension fairness: Fix Tier VI!

BY PETE DONOHUE

Bus and subway workers may not carry guns or axes like cops and firefighters - but in a very real sense they too are on the front line. When the World Trade Center towers collapsed, thousands of transit workers volunteered, or were directed by the MTA, to work the pile. Many became seriously ill and some died for their service. As Superstorm Sandy barreled towards New York City, transit workers were ordered by the MTA into the mandatory coastal evacuation zones so they could quickly restore bus and subway service after the deadly storm passed.

When there is a shooting or stabbing or theft on a bus or subway train, transit workers are the first uniformed personnel on the scene. It’s not uncommon, meanwhile, for a transit worker to jump to the tracks and rescue a rider who has fallen from the platform and is in jeopardy of being hit by a train. But transit workers hired after 2012 contribute up to 6% of their pay for pensions – twice as much as police officers and firefighters hired after 2012.

“Transit workers are not police officers or firefighters, but like firefighters and police officers, transit workers have very unique, very important and very dangerous jobs,” TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen said. “They deserve respect and pension fairness.”

The dangerous nature of transit workers’ jobs can’t be underestimated. Track workers contend with the electrified third rail and trains going through their work zones every few minutes. More than 240 transit workers – many trackmen struck by trains - were killed on the job since 1946. Four transit workers a day on average, meanwhile, are assaulted or harassed. The abuse includes being punched, spat upon, kicked and verbally threatened. Bus operators and train conductors are the public punching bag for the unhinged and riders frustrated to the point of violence about fare hikes, overcrowding, service delays and diversions. In one heinous attack, Bus Operator Edwin Thomas, 46, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Brooklyn in 2008 by an ex-con farebeater.

More recent incidents include: a 62-year-old Bus Operator who was pummeled by a reportedly mentally-ill rider who first attacked while the bus, packed with passengers, was moving; a 69-year-old Bus Operator who was punched twice in the face by a young man reportedly upset that another bus didn’t stop for him earlier; a 52-year-old Bus Operator who was struck in the eye by a laser while driving, and Bus Operator who had a bottle thrown at him by a teenager at a bus stop. State legislation placed newly hired transit workers in the Tier VI pension class and mandated pension contributions jump from 2% to 6%. The Legislature should roll that back. Legislators should fix Tier VI.

Black History Celebration Unites Past and Future

#blacklivesmatter -- and for the TWU, the economic power of the Black middle class has always mattered. Civil rights and economic empowerment were celebrated on February 26th at the Union Hall, with a keynote address by noted black lives activist Walter Newsome and a reminiscence by Adam Clayton Powell IV, who remembered his father's proud stand along with TWU founder Mike Quill during the 1941 Bus Strike and Harlem boycott.

TWU Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips opened the program by describing the early days of the Union, where we took our first stand for racial integration, demanding that bus mechanics -- his own title -- be hired with racial balance. The Irish unionists of that time had their own experiences with discrimination -- and were determined that their union would not perpetuate it

The Union's Black History event was -- as usual -- also marked by great entertainment and great food. In keeping with our tradition of activism, we heard from the talented spoken word poets of Split this Rock and enjoyed a dance performance of the New Beginnings Performing Arts Studio. A special Union welcome was extended to Firefighter Regina Wilson, President of the FDNY's Vulcan Society, and the first woman to hold that post. She described the discrimination that Black Firefighters -- both male and female -- have had to endure within the overwhelmingly white emergency service. The audience also heard from Thomas Giovanni, the Executive Assistant to NYC Corporation Counsel Zachary Taylor, himself only the second Black man to hold the position of the city's chief legal officer.

MC and TWU Local 100 Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp-Sauray called every Division and Departmental officer up to the front of the room to show the depth and breadth of Black representation in the TWU's officer ranks. It was a dramatic demonstration of the progress of Black integration into the workforce and now into the leadership of the TWU.

TWU's Marvin Holland Honored with Legislative Conference Award

Our own Marvin Holland, Director of Political Action, and a constant presence in Albany, was honored earlier this month by the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, Inc., the premier gathering of Black and Latino political leaders in the state. At the event, Brother Holland was presented with the organization's Labor Award, signifying "an individual who has made significant contributions on behalf of minorities in the labor movement." In this photo, he is joined by (l-r) Assemblywomen Rodneyse Bichotte, Latrice Walker, and Diana Richardson. Congratulations, Marvin!

Daily News's Hometown Heroes Salutes Transit Workers

FEBRUARY 24 -- The fourth annual Daily News Hometown Heroes of Transit is featured in today's paper, recapping yesterday's outstanding breakfast at the Edison Ballroom in midtown that showcased TWU Local 100 members who acted above and beyond the call of duty to help members of the public. In stories variously heart-warming and filled with drama, celebrity presenters like WCBS's Mary Calvi and WNBC's Darlene Rodriguez talked about the acts that merited these prestigious awards. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen expressed his pride in our members and their awards, and newly appointed NYCT CEO Ronnie Hakim also named and praised the TWU.

Registration Now Open for FREE Summer Camp TWU!

The TWU Local 100/MTA NYCT Childcare Fund is now taking applications for free summer camp for the children of TWU members! The camp runs from July 5, 2016 to August 12, 2016. A great way to entertain the kids during the summer, with free shuttle, t-shirts, bookbags, and lots of great activities! Contact the Childcare Fund at 718-780--8700 for more information, and download our flyer here!

Pedicab driver Ali Salih, with family back in Baghdad on his cellphone

Daily News on Pedicab Win: "Samuelsen Stood Tall and Said No Way"

Today's Daily News's editorial, "Mayor, money and mania," wraps the story of the failed de Blasio horse carriage bill -- that would have banned hundreds of pedicab drivers from the park below 85th Street, destroying their livelihoods. Drivers like Ali Salih (pictured), an Iraqi refugee whose impoverished family back in Baghdad depends on him to buy food for survival.

The paper gives credit to TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen, who saw the danger to the pedicab drivers and acted forcefully, deploying the union's legal, organizing, and media resources to raise the drivers' profile and torpedo Intro. 573. When we began our tough fight just two weeks ago, it looked like the Mayor's bill, that would reward carriage horse owners who stood to make big money by selling their stables, was headed for a slam-dunk. The City Council's Transportation Committee was in favor by a 10-2 margin.

Then the plan began to unravel, when carriage horse drivers took a second look at how it would winnow their numbers and the Central Park Conservancy started to have second thoughts about a proposed $25 million stable in the Park. And the pedicab drivers started to organize -- with our help. The numbers started to shift on the Transportation Committee as our campaign grew stronger. The plight of the drivers became major news in the daily papers and on local TV. Then, on Thursday morning, the Teamsters withdrew their support.

It added up to a win for working people and a reaffirmation of the TWU's social consciousness, to stand up for working families against a "so-called progressive Mayor." A protest march set for Thursday afternoon turned into a victory rally at Central Park. IB Image

Read the Daily News Editorial here.

Even the animal rights activists saw through the clutter, with noted activist Elizabeth Forel writing in a personal letter to the TWU: "Thank you for coming to the rescue of the pedicab drivers. You guys were the true heroes here."

Pedicab Drivers' Livelihoods at Stake if Mayor's Plan Goes Through

FEBRUARY 2 -- Pedicab Driver Ibrahim Barrie, at Columbus Circle, shares his personal message to Mayor de Blasio.

Pedicab operator Khadim Seck in Central Park

An American Dream in Jeopardy

BY PETE DONOHUE

Khadim Seck was steadily, if slowly, pedaling untroubled towards his American Dream, until mid January - when a roadblock appeared in the form of our 6-foot-5 so-called progressive mayor.

Seck, 26, gives sightseeing tours through the lower and middle sections of Central Park on a pedicab. He’s not getting rich, but he makes enough to pay his rent and cover other living expenses. He’s able to send money home to support his impoverished family in Senegal and also take community college classes in the city. “There isn’t the opportunity in Senegal like there is here,” Seck, who aspires to be an accountant, said recently.

But Mayor de Blasio suddenly announced last month that the city was going to boot pedidicab operators from Central Park below 85^th St. They only will be able to operate in the northern portion of the park, under the plan. There’s one big problem with the shift, according to several of the hundreds of pedicab operators working the park. Not a lot of tourists want to go up there. The Central Park Conservancy, the non-profit stewards of the park, has its own “signature” tour of the park. It includes stops at the Bethesda Fountain, The Mall and Literary Walk, The Bow Bridge and the Sheep Meadow. All are below 85^th St. These are big draws, and fodder for mini-history lessons pedicab drivers say they provide to their riders.

The Bethesda Fountain, for example, features the “Angel of the Waters” statue, which was inspired by the Gospel of John. The fountain was erected to commemorate the 1842 opening Croton water system bringing fresh water to the burgeoning city. The picturesque mall, with one of the last remaining stands American Elm trees, is the park’s “most important horticultural feature,” according to the Conservancy. The Literary Walk features sculptures of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. Overall, there are about 210 “Things to See and Do” listed by the Conservancy. The overwhelmingly majority – about 160 – are in the area from which pedicabs would be prohibited.

“There’s no business above 85^th St., “ Moussa Fall, 36, also of Senegal, said. “Everyone would lose their jobs.”

You might think the mayor or his representatives would consult with pedicab operators, most of whom are immigrants looking for a foothold in America, before planning their eviction. Think again. “No one talked to us,” Fall said. “This was all done behind closed doors.” You would think the mayor and City Council would take some time to study and consider such a drastic move. Think again. A bill enacting the pedicab restriction is on the fast track.

The pedicab push somehow emerged from de Blasio’s obsession with horse-drawn carriages. He failed to win enough City Council support to entirely ban the popular tourist attraction because the main argument - the horses are not well housed and cared for by their owners – was widely discredited in a NY Daily News campaign. The mayor’s new plan is to drastically reduce the number of working horses, confine them to the park and use taxpayer money to build a stable there. Booting pedicabs from much of the park somehow is needed to strike a “balance” of park users, the mayor has claimed.

By the way, both scenarios – banning or sharply curbing the carriage industry - involve the carriage industry vacating West Side buildings that are located on what has become very valuable real estate. It’s like a Scooby Doo episode without a ghost or a monster. (It’s always about real estate). But this isn’t a cartoon. The bill is scheduled for a vote by the City Council Friday. There’s another item on the Council’s agenda – voting to give members fat pay raises of more than 30%.

“I can’t believe this is happening in America,” Ibrahim Barrie, a pedicab operator for eight years who fled civil war in Sierra Leone, said.

Pres. Samuelsen with Pedicab Driver Ibrahim Barrie, who hails from Sierra Leone

Union Stands with Pedicab Drivers Against New Mayoral Plan

The Union issued this press release today, signaling our opposition to a Mayoral plan which would eliminate the bulk of the jobs and livelihood of pedicab drivers in Central Park, most of whom come from Senegal and Sierra Leone. We view this as an unconscionable attack on the working poor and are committing resources to a fightback.

TWU Local 100 – the largest transport workers local in the country – is helping vulnerable pedicab drivers fight for their jobs, Local 100 President John Samuelsen announced Friday.

The union has begun helping the drivers organize and will be providing training, legal advice and other assistance. Pedicab worker representatives were at the Union Hall in Brooklyn today and a large gathering is planned at TWU Local 100 headquarters for Monday.

Mayor de Blasio is pushing a plan that would ban pedicabs from Central Park below 86th St. where all the business is located.

The plan also would shrink the number of the popular horse-drawn carriages, and have the carriage industry vacate now-valuable real estate on the West Side where the horses are now stabled.

“No credible person believes this is about animal welfare at this point,” Samuelsen said. “Obviously, there’s more than meets the eye at play. These vulnerable workers are being thrown under the bus in a way that is the opposite of progressive. It’s anti-worker, anti-immigrant, and these workers shouldn’t have their livelihoods ripped away from them just so the mayor can reward his campaign donors.

"This fugazy deal stinks to high heaven. These workers now have a voice and the backing of the 42,000-strong TWU Local 100.”

New Exec Board Members Sworn in by International President

TWU International President Harry Lombardo swore in the newly elected members of Local 100’s Executive Board Thursday morning – and called for-post election unity. Local 100 President John Samuelsen echoed those sentiments, and said that he would do everything within his power to make Local 100 a more united union. “We had a hard-fought election, no doubt about it,” Samuelsen said. “That’s to be expected. This is Local 100. It’s not kindergarten. It’s not a tea party. Everyone here in this room has earned the respect of the members and it’s my intention to honor that respect. I’m looking for a fresh start and I hope everyone in this room is looking for a fresh start.”

Local 100 is arranging for “nuts and bolts” training for newly elected officers to better prepare them to handle contract-enforcement issues, workers compensation cases and other responsibilities, Samuelsen said.

The challenges facing Local 100 include negotiating a new contract for MTA bus and subway workers. The current contract expires in January 2017.

Local 100 will launch a fight for the state Legislature to enact pension reform and rollback the higher contributions imposed on Tier Six workers.

All public-sector unions, meanwhile, face the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court this year will hand down a decision making it more difficult for unions to collect dues or agency fees. The Executive Committee held a strategy meeting Wednesday, and a sweeping plan of action focusing on internal organizing and officer training is being developed, Samuelsen said.

On other fronts, contract negotiations have begun in Westchester with the county and Liberty Lines. The last contract was reached only after very contentious negotiations and the threat of a strike. Local 100 will be ready to take such militant action if necessary, he said.

“If you fight back, you may not win every time,” Samuelsen said. “But if you don’t fight back, you will lose every time.”