The MTA will begin implementing the “double dues” payment plan for the nearly 700 members who signed up to restore their good-standing membership with the first payroll check in November.
The Union negotiated the payback plan with the MTA over the summer to provide members, who fell behind in their dues after the 2005 strike, a relatively painless method to regain full membership in the union.
It has taken a bit longer than expected for MTA payroll to execute the plan.
Local 100 Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips thanked those who signed up for the double-dues restoration plan for their patience during the process. “I know those who signed up are anxious to get themselves back into good standing. And we are eager to get as many members as possible back into the ranks of full membership. We are a stronger union when the entire membership shares ownership of our great organization.”
If you are still not restored to good standing and wish to sign up for the restoration program, click on the green “PAY YOUR BACK DUES” button on the lower right side of the home page.
We're over 20,000 petition signatures and counting -- and that's our printed and signed petitions. On line signups are an additional 1,500. Anyplace is a good place to ask your friends or passers-by to show they support a cost-of-living raise for transit workers -- especially after our phenomenal work during and after Hurricane Sandy. Get the printed petitions from your Union rep -- and share this link to sign on line: sign the petition.
TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Angel Giboyeaux led a union party of five to honor Centro, a research institute dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. The gala evening October 17 featured a look at Puerto Rican history and culture. Centro's exhibit space last night showcased the preservation of the Nuyorican experience. The non-profit links scholarship on Puerto Rican culture to social action and policy debates to contribute to the betterment of the community. We're proud to support Centro and its important mission.
Italian American Heritage Night, TWU Local 100’s celebration of the contributions to our union by Italian American transit workers, became the first official event to be held at our new Union Hall at 195 Montague Street.Local 100 MOW Vice President Tony Utano organized and hosted the event in the new hall’s spacious meeting room.
Newly elected TWU International President Harry Lombardo, the first Italian-American to serve in that office, was the event’s special guest and keynote speaker. After the Pledge of Allegiance, a Moment of Silence and Invocation, Local 100 President John Samuelsen greeted attendees, but as he said, “I can’t let a gathering of so many transit workers take place without a little business.”
That “business” took the form of a report on the union’s current efforts to negotiate a fair contract with the MTA for NYCT, MABSTOA and MTA Bus members. He affirmed that the MTA’s demands that transit workers accept no pay increase for three years “is an insult,” and he stated bluntly, “transit workers are not eating three zeroes.” International President Lombardo offered the national union’s full support for Local 100’s bargaining goals, and he said that under his stewardship, TWU across the country would return to its roots as a “street-fighting union.”
October 10 was a milestone for TWU Local 100. New members at Quality and Brothers Bus Companies in Brooklyn, who were organized by TWU over the summer, came out to their first union meeting. This is the first new property organized by the union in some time. And the drivers and mechanics we now represent at Quality are enthusiastic about their new-found power to negotiate with their employer. At a meeting co-chaired by Local 100's Curtis Tate and Attorney Polly Halfkenny, dozens of members from Quality -- who voted to begin paying union dues even without a first contract -- got an update on negotiations and were educated on the history of the TWU. There was a lively discussion on contract proposals and a breakout session to discuss bargaining strategies. Welcome to the fold!
Enjoy these snapshots of our 2013 Indian Day, celebrated in Queens. Local 100 was honored to hear guest speakers Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Consul General of India for New York, State Senator Tony Avella, and Assemblyman Rory Lancman. As in years past, attendees were treated to an astounding array of performances and cuisine.
Letitia James has won the runoff race for Public Advocate over State Senator Daniel Squadron. At 10:15 PM, WNYC declared her the winner with a vote total of 101,068 to 68,694 for Squadron, or 59.5% for Tish James against 40.5% for Squadron. Tish James has always been a strong supporter of TWU Local 100, frequently attending union rallies, coming to union events, and speaking out forcefully against the closing of booths and the shutting down of bus lines. As a City Councilwoman, she has been a tough antagonist against Mayor Bloomberg's contracting out, notably in the CityTime debacle. WIth Tish in the Public Advocate's seat (she must still win in the November election, but that is virtually guaranteed), transit workers will have a courageous ally to push for more transit funding and better working conditions. Areas of the City with high concentrations of TWU Local 100 members leaned heavily for Tish. Squadron's campaign buried neighborhoods like the Upper West Side in direct mail, touting the endorsement of the New York Times. It didn't matter after the people spoke tonight. Congratulations!
Interrupted for nearly a year by Hurricane Sandy, Joe Lhota’s disappearing act and the delayed emergence of Tom Prendergast as the new head of the MTA, Local 100 officers finally met face-to-face with the MTA in formal contract negotiations on Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. The MTA told the union that $2 billion in “found” money is theirs, not ours.
