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Hispanic Heritage Celebration an Opportunity for Solidarity

SEPTEMBER 29—Local 100 celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at The Hudson event venue in Upper Manhattan Friday with live music, great food, dancing and our own TA Surface VP Gary Rosario's salsa band.

Union leadership, including International President John Samuelsen and Local 100 President Chiarello, were on hand, with Samuelsen emphasizing unity going into next year's contract fight and the support of our brother and sister transit workers across America.

Chiarello spoke about the importance of TWU Local 100’s solidarity in the face of ongoing threats to labor.

"The most important thing is us coming together to understand how to fight for a contract. If you look at the political climate we’re in now, they’re decimating unions. They lost nearly a million union jobs in the federal government. We have to go forward and fight for what we have."

Car Equipment Mourns Albert Dyment, 53

SEPTEMBER 29—Coworkers at the Coney Island Overhaul Shop are mourning the recent untimely passing of Car Inspector Albert Dyment. Brother Dyment, who did under-car inspections at the Shop, suffered a back injury at work three months ago and went for an MRI, said CED Recording Secretary Eugene Bleynis.

The MRI revealed that Dyment had late-stage pancreatic cancer which was inoperable. After three months of care, he died in active status on September 15 and his funeral was held three days later.

New Flagging Quarters Opens at Chambers St.

SEPTEMBER 26—Conductor and Tower Chair Chris Drummond (center) joined General Superintendent Archer and Superintendent Landis to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated flagging quarters at Chambers Street in lower Manhattan. It is the largest flagging facility in Manhattan and shares some space with Maintenance of Way personnel.

"I thanked Superintendent Archer and everyone involved in the renovation," Drummond said. "I told them it was great and thanked them on behalf of our Flaggers. There are new TVs, showers, and plenty of lockers for both men and women. There's an office for supervision and for TSS as well."

Drummond said that the renovation was five years in the making, and that he hopes these renovations continue. "We finally have a facility that meets our standards," he said.

Sedgwick: The Scourge Goes Beyond Local 100

SEPTEMBER 25—Over the summer, thousands of Local 100 members discovered firsthand Sedgwick’s incompetence in paying workers comp payments.

It turns out that our experience is not unique. At the just-held TWU Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas, Local 579, representing some 6,800 Jet Blue flight attendants, introduced a resolution declaring that their members “have been abused, ignored, mistreated, disrespected, and caused pain by the unprofessional, uncourteous, and uncaring third-party claims/benefits administrator, Sedgwick.”

That resolution – approved unanimously by the delegate body – called on employers, including the MTA and Jet Blue, to cut out middlemen like Sedgwick. The MTA paid Sedgwick a whopping $51 million in a three-year contract to “reduce costs by $20 million or more,” money that will come right off the backs of transit workers.

CED Mourns CTA Robert Allen, 62

SEPTEMBER 24—Members at 207th Street Overhaul Shop are mourning the untimely passing of CTA Robert G. Allen, Jr.

Brother Allen had a massive heart attack Monday, Sept. 22, while in the men's locker room at the Shop. He was found by co-workers who called 911. Paramedics responded and worked on him at the Shop for an extended period, then transported him to the Allen Pavilion at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

CED Division Chair Robert Ruiz called him a true union man who was a genuinely nice person "who was always there to help his co-workers in time of need." He added that Allen loved the New York Knicks. He had 35 years of service with New York City Transit.

Brother Allen leaves a wife, Michelle, and two sons, Xavier and Darius. A Service will beheld at the Williams Funeral Home at 5628 Broadway in the Bronx on Thursday, October 2nd. A viewing will take place from 4PM to 6PM, with the service at 6PM.

African American Day Parade 2025: A Day of Solidarity and Celebration

SEPTEMBER 22—On Sunday, TWU Local 100 members danced and celebrated at this year's African American Day Parade in Harlem, with house music, gogo and classic hip hop being played from our float as it sailed proudly up Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

Influential Black electeds including New York Attorney General Letitia "Tish" James and Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark stopped by the Local 100 contingent to say hello as members waited their turn to march.

Vintage Buses Shine at the New York City Transit Museum Bus Festival

SEPTEMBER 22—A selection of five vintage buses made their way from the Bronx to Brooklyn Bridge Park for New York City Transit’s annual Bus Festival on Sunday, an event crowded with nostalgia and transit enthusiasts.

TWU Local 100 members worked tirelessly to prepare the buses for the festival, getting them into place 4 hours before the event’s 10 AM start time.

“When it comes to stuff liek this there’s people behind the scenes who actually really care, a lot of times I want to say it’s their life’s work,” said Larry Vila, a MaBSTOA Maintainer of 20 years and shop steward from the Zerega Overhaul Shop.

Models from the 1930s through the 1990s and a modern electric bus were the attractions at the park, with some lines wrapping around the corner and down the block.

TWU's 27th Constitutional Convention Wraps in Las Vegas

SEPTEMBER 19 — TWU's 27th Constitutional Convention wrapped up in Las Vegas with International President John Samuelsen and his slate reelected for another term, several resolutions passed to protect members and grow the union and many guest speakers. See you in 2029 for the next one.

Gary Rosario Sworn In as New TA Surface VP

SEPTEMBER 18 — Gary Rosario, most recently Division Chair of TA Surface, was sworn in yesterday as the new VP of TA Surface during an Executive Committee meeting held in Las Vegas during the TWU Constitutional Convention.

Rosario, repeating after TWU Local 100 President John V. Chiarello, swore to “bear true and faithful allegiance to the international and the local union and the cause of all organized labor.”

Mayor Adams Blindsides TWU; Backs Carriage Horse Ban

SEPTEMBER 18 — In a video released Wednesday, while walking through Central Park wearing a Teamsters jacket with its horsehead logo, Mayor Eric Adams said that “we are taking the steps to ban the horse carriage industry in the City of New York… it’s the humane thing to do.”

Referring to a bill pending in the City Council called Ryder’s Law which would sunset the industry, he said, “they already have 20 sponsors, so there’s no reason we can finally end the horse carriage industry in the city.”

TWU Local 100 represents the 170 owners and drivers who operate the carriages that take passengers through Central Park, providing one of New York’s most memorable experiences for thousands of tourists each year.

For nearly 10 years, TWU has been fighting allegations from animal rights activists who say the horses are mistreated. Evidence and testimonials from multiple veterinarians show they are well treated and well cared for.