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Daily News's Hometown Heroes in Transit Awards -- Nominations Are Now Open!

It's time to gear up for the Daily News's annual celebration of the unsung heroes of NYC Transit -- TWU Local 100 members who go the extra mile to stop crime, recover property, or just brighten a fellow New Yorker's day by doing something wonderful. Don't be bashful -- nominate yourself or a co-worker! Here's the Daily News's article, by transit reporter Dan Rivoli:

The round-the –click transit system is just one reason New York is the city that never sleeps. As ridership soars to record numbers, the challenge of keeping the system running safely has become more daunting for tens of thousands of Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees. But day after day, they rise to the challenge — often putting themselves in harm’s way and responding to emergencies like champions.

In recognition of their service to the riding public, the Daily News is partnering with the MTA and the Transport Workers Union Local 100 to launch the fourth annual Hometown Heroes in Transit awards.
“The men and women of MTA New York City Transit work around the clock to keep this city moving, but too often their contributions are unknown to the millions of people they serve every day,” MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast said. “New York City couldn’t function without them. The Daily News Hometown Heroes in Transit awards ensure New Yorkers recognize their vital work and honor our employees who go above and beyond the call of duty.”

The jobs can be arduous, grimy and hazardous, with less room for error in the 111-year-old system facing overcrowding problems. The examples of transit workers’ efforts to maintain safe and reliable transportation can get lost amid the frantic flow of riders darting in and out of subway, commuter rail and bus stations. “The transit system is such a vital part of our everyday lives in this city that sometimes we take it for granted,” said Daily News Executive Editor Jim Rich. “The people who, with little fanfare, make sure we get where we are going, deserve to be recognized. They are the silent heroes of our city.” The Hometown Heroes in Transit honored its first group of MTA workers in 2013, with the city and subway system recovering from Hurricane Sandy months earlier. The News has since started to honor the city’s educators with Hometown Heroes in Education awards.

“I was thrilled four years ago when TWU Local 100 teamed up with The Daily News for the first Hometown Heroes in Transit awards, and I’m even more thrilled to see this great program continue,” said TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen. “The men and women of Local 100 - who move more than 8 million riders every single day - are dedicated professionals who deserve to be recognized for their hard work and sacrifice." Nominations for transit workers will be open through Dec. 18. The winners will be honored at a reception in February. News readers can nominate the transit worker in their lives by email, mail or fax. For email submissions, send to hometownheroestransit@nydailynews.com.

Video: Update on developments in the Peña murder case

OCTOBER 19 -- The latest delay in the trial of Domonic Whilby, who caused the death of Bus Operator William Pena, took place today in Manhattan Criminal Court. Pena’s widow, Nancy Rodriguez, attorney Sanford Rubenstein, and supporters from TWU Local 100 were on hand to hear Judge Gregory Carro announce that the trial would begin early next year. In the interim, the defense has asked for evidence to be submitted to a toxicologist for analysis, and that should happen next month. Outside court, Nancy was sorrowful at the long delay and adamant that she will oppose any plea deal for her husband’s killer.

In Photos: 2015 Italian-American Heritage Day

A selection of photos from the 2015 Italian American Heritage Day held October 15 at the TWU Local 100 Union Hall. Enjoy!

In Video: TWU Local 100 Russian Day 2015

Russian Day 2015 -- An Outstanding Celebration of Heritage and Union Pride

A great night was had by all at Tatiana, the Brighton Beach night spot where we celebrate TWU's Russian Day, honoring our transit workers and their heritage. Political leaders and union officers enjoyed the evening of great food and entertainment on October 10th. A letter sent to President Samuelsen speaks eloquently about the feelings of the wives of some of our transit members:

From Tatyana Dubson:

Thank you for Russian Heritage Day! This year we had much better Russian Heritage Day service in Tatiana's Beach Cafe then previous year. We are very grateful to you for descent fund that you allocated for this event. I'm writing on behalf of wife's of dedicated MTA "Russian" workers who pay significant role along with other in successful operation of NYC transit. We know how seriously and professionally they do this job, so they deserve this kind of appreciation from your site.

We are happy that our husbands are under your umbrella and you also remember about us -women who share with them all success and failure in this life. Thank you for the ability to join this celebration together with our husbands. For us this celebration like re-union and we meet and introduced to our husband's supervisors, Russian coworkers, union representatives. So, we know with whom they do their work that very often dangerous and require friendly and supportive attitude to each other. We really can say, that along with other nationalities, our husbands are in good hands.

Thank you.

Donohue on NY1's The Call: TWU Has Secured Thousands of Jobs

OCTOBER 13 -- TWU Local 100's Director of Press and Media Relations Pete Donohue went on New York 1's "The Call" to discuss Mayor de Blasio's agreement to kick in $2.5 billion to the MTA Capital Program over five years -- a move that secures 3,000 union jobs tied to the transit system's expansion.

TWU Notches Another Bike Share Win in Washington, DC

In a copyrighted story, Laborpress reporter Joe Maniscalco reports on the TWU's latest organizing win -- a new contract for bikeshare workers in our nation's capital.

New York, NY - TWU bikeshare workers in the nation’s capital ratified their first-ever contract last Friday, solidifying an almost five-year deal that not only raises wages, guarantees benefits and provides job security — but also serves an another indication that while significant obstacles remain, the American Labor Movement is on the march.

“We are proud of the solid worker-led contract victory,” TWU Executive Vice President John Samuelsen said in a statement. “TWU continues to advance wages and improve working conditions for bikeshare workers, and we continue to organize in cities not yet under contract.”

Bikeshare mechanics and technicians here in New York City set the stage for that ongoing campaign when they became the first such workers in North America to successfully secure a contract last summer.

At the time, Samuelsen told LaborPress that the newly-minted contract would, indeed, become the template for other bikeshare contracts around the country.

“The bikeshare industry is in its infant stages right now, perhaps a few thousand workers,” Samuelsen said. “But within the next 20 years, there’ll be tens of thousands of workers in the industry. We’ve broken down the door so to speak in the bikeshare industry with a collective bargaining agreement. We expect that the 200 workers in New York that are covered by this first contract will lead to thousands and thousands of workers being covered by COBs around the country within the next decade or so.”

President John Samuelsen's Statement on Funding for the 5-Year MTA Capital Plan

“This is obviously a great win for the thousands of transit workers whose jobs are directly impacted by the MTA Capital Plan, and for the millions of New York’s working families who use the bus and subway system every day. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Gov. Cuomo for pressing this issue so hard and bringing it to a conclusion so that the MTA would not be forced to scale back the capital plan. Over three thousand TWU members earn their livelihoods keeping our transit system in a state of good repair, and if the failure to properly fund continued, it would have hurt workers and riders alike, to say nothing of the long term negative impact on the region’s economy.

The TWU's aggressive media campaign that targeted the Mayor, who was on the wrong side of this issue, had to be done to get the public involved and raise the level of attention being given to this terribly important issue. NYC Transit Workers provide the most vital public service to New York’s working families day in and day out. In the end, there needs to be a more permanent solution to the MTA’s funding needs instead of nasty battles every five years to modernize the system and insure access to safe, reliable and affordable public transit for New Yorkers. At the moment, however, I am happy its over and our members and the riding public can rest easy that at least this issue is behind us."

TWU Local 100's campaign included full-page newspaper ads featuring the mayor operating a graffiti covered subway train and jumping a turnstile, making the case that the city was not contributing its fair share. Local 100 represents about 41,000 transit workers with more than 3,000 performing tasks related to the capital plan, including rehabilitating stations, replacing tracks and driving shuttle buses when stations and line segments are temporarily closed.

President Samuelsen on NY1: Fund the Capital Program

From NY1's website

Inside City Hall 10/8/15

Nuestras Naciones 2015, A Celebration of Hispanic/Latino Heritage

TWU Local 100 members and friends gathered for an evening of entertainment, education, and delicious cuisine at the Union Hall on October 1. This celebration, organized and guided by our Administrative Vice President Angel Giboyeaux, and Organizing's Dylan Valle -- with a host of others -- set a new standard for a heritage event at the hall. Enjoy the photos!