Our members refuse to be taxed for simply coming to work, and they've made this abundantly clear at shopgates across the system. As the President of TWU Local 100, I will be steadfast in letting every legislator and politician know that this is where we stand. This isn't about convenience; it's about ensuring that the implementation of congestion pricing doesn't compromise the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of the transit system. It's about advocating for a plan that genuinely serves the common good, with necessary improvements and safeguards in place.
Janno Lieber, the face of this premature congestion pricing push, needs a reality check. Lieber did not make necessary service improvements nor consider the tolling flexibility our members need when going to work. We won't tolerate our essential workers being burdened by his ill-conceived plans. Governor Hochul's decision to delay congestion pricing implementation acknowledges this crucial point. It's a step towards ensuring that our transit system remains safe and efficient for both workers and riders. The MTA must prioritize these necessary improvements before adding any financial burdens to our essential workers.
June 3 -- The assault case for Station Agent Noreen Mallory, has been adjourned yet again until July 25th. This is the reality for many of those who suffer assaults while performing their duty. Court proceedings are often taxing for members, albeit necessary. "This would be so much harder if I didn't have the support of my union." Mallory said, "I am incredibly thankful that [Stations Vice President Robert] Kelley and my colleagues have come to all of my court appearances."
In this case, Ms. Mallory was assaulted while routinely roving the Wall Street Station. She noticed a mass underneath the bench and upon closer inspection, she realized it was a man resting there. Before she was able to send a notification through the emergency messaging system, she was attacked. Noreen sustained injuries to her eye and back as a result and is still on her journey to recovery.
The union encourages all members who may be available to stand in solidarity with Noreen Mallory at her next court appearance at 100 Centre Street on July 25th.
MAY 30 -- For the first time, TWU Local 100/MTA Honor Guard Capt. Jose Domenech walked proudly alongside the other agencies that played major roles at the 9/11 response and during the rescue and recovery effort. The Memorial Glade ceremony, which marks the end of the rescue and recovery effort in 2002, never included TWU Local members -- until now. Working with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, President Davis and former President Utano have made it a priority to see that the 3,500 union members who responded on that fateful day are given their due.
At the ceremony, Museum President and CEO Beth Hillman acknowledged our TWU members, with President Davis and Tony Utano in the audience, along with scores of 9/11 families and guests from City agencies. We are all looking forward to this September, when the Museum will be showing 9/11 artifacts from transit, and will welcome our members for our annual medal ceremony.
MAY 23 – Over 75 Bus Operators and other transit workers crowded a Manhattan criminal courtroom this morning for the trial of Rashon Eagle, who is accused of assaulting Bus Operator Moses Adams on the M15 Bus last February. After a brief scuffle with our Bus Operator, Eagle allegedly attacked Adams with a knife. Fortunately, our Operator was able to disarm him.
Bus Operator Adams was present in the courtroom along with his wife and Local 100 officers from MABSTOA including VP Donald Yates and Division Chair Sean Battaglia.
The case was called at 10:45am. In the brief hearing, a Legal Aid attorney representing the assailant said that his client’s last arrest had occurred in 2018 and that he was seeking an Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) decision for drug and mental health treatment. The judge said that the parties were free to agree on an ATI, but that in the meantime he was setting a trial date of August 15. The attacker, Rashon Eagle, is currently out on $3,000 cash bail.
Outside the court, MABSTOA VP Donald Yates disagreed with the possibility of an ATI. “Moses Adams faced a very terrible assault,” Yates said outside of court. “We’re not feeling like we’re getting the justice that is deserved in this matter. This case was an attempted murder. He fought for his life. The least the court system could do is prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Our Operators face daily challenges while serving the public.”
Division Chair Sean Battaglia said in part, “This was attempted murder… We come to work to provide a service for the riding public. We do not come here to get assaulted. To hear that this accused attacker had the option of an ATI is an outrage. We’re not going to stand for it.”
TWU Local 100 Station VP Robert Kelley blasted Bronx DA Darcel Clark for allowing defendant Alexander Wright to claim mental health as a reason to delay his ongoing trial in the Bronx. Wright assaulted CTA Anthony Nelson in August of 2022, inflicting serious injuries which still have not healed. In this Fox 5 report, Kelley notes that Wright has over 40 arrests on his rap sheet and Fox 5 showed surveillance video of Wright sucker punching an Asian woman in Chinatown. Wright previously claimed mental illness and the trial was already put on hold once, before he was judged fit to stand trial. This latest delay comes from the Bronx DA's office and has stirred anger among transit workforce who see justice delayed yet again.
In a bold move to address the widespread denial of reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers within the MTA, Richard Davis, President of TWU Local 100, has thrown his support behind members in need of reasonable accommodations in the TA Surface Department as they pursue a landmark lawsuit. The legal action, an Article 78 proceeding filed in New York State Supreme Court on April 18, aims to challenge the systemic barriers faced by pregnant employees and demands equitable treatment of women within the transit authority.
As the Albany budget dust settles, TWU Local 100 can claim significant victories on three fronts -- a more favorable calculation for Tier 6 retirement benefits, a carry-over of overtime pension calculation benefits from the COVID-19 years, and a breakthrough in raising penalties for perpetrators in spitting incidents on NYCT workers.
These accomplishments are due to persistent engagement by our membership -- who showed up in Lobby Day in unprecedented numbers -- along with a full-court press by union leaders and staff, said President Richard Davis. Davis also credited the win to a new initiative, organized by our Tier 6 Reform Committee Chair and Co-Chair, that brought a large group of transit workers -- Tier 6 Ambassadors -- to the State Capitol as the budget was being finalized.
Local 100 will present relaxation and yoga classes at the Union Hall beginning later this month. The Relaxation sessions include guided relaxation, breathing, and aromatherapy. The Yogatation class will teach techniques that you can apply anytime you want a healthy break during your workday.
Relaxation classes take place on Fridays: May 17th, June 14th, and July 12th. Sessions last 30 minutes, and four are scheduled on each day from 2PM to 4PM.
Yogatation takes place on 11 Fridays from April 26th through July 26th in two one-hour sessions from 2PM and 3PM and from 3PM to 4PM.
On April 12, 1934, seven men met in a Columbus Circle cafeteria after a hard night’s work on the IRT to find a way to fight the transit companies which had trampled workers’ rights into bitter dust. They knew that in past years – 1905, 1910, 1916, strikes had failed to create a union.
In response to the Union's request for clarification, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York's premier cancer hospital, has clarified that the hospital accepts our retirees' Aetna Medicare Advantage plan as "in network" coverage as a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can read the relevant section of the Memorial Sloan Kettering website here. This Aetna coverage is accepted at MSK for NYC Transit Retirees only, according to the site.
"Retirees can rest assured that their coverage at MSK is in good hands and is in force," said Local 100's Director of Health Benefits, Chris Lightbourne. "The commercial plan that active members participate in has had Sloan as a participating provider for years. If individual members are having difficulty with Sloan being an in-network provider, please provide member details and what facilities are involved and Aetna can then investigate," he said. You can reach the Union at: member.services@twulocal100.org.
