Executive Board Elevates Lynwood Whichard To Administrative Vice President; Also Names Robert Kelley as Stations Vice President, And Derick Echevarria as Stations Division Chair

Pres. Utano salutes Brother Whichard with a fist bump after he swore him into office under the Union Constitution

September 29, 2020 - The Local 100 Executive Board today elevated Stations Division Vice President Lynwood Whichard to Administrative Vice President, to fill the void left by the passing of Nelson Rivera on May 23, 2020. Whichard joins President Tony Utano, Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips and Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp in the top four elected positions in the union. The Board then voted to elevate Stations Division Chair Robert Kelley to Vice President of Stations, and also named Derick Echevarria as Division Chair for CTA's.

Local 100 President Tony Utano said that the Board’s actions “adds a powerful new element to the union’s already strong leadership team.” He said that Brother Whichard “brings an incredible work ethic, an impressive history of community service, and powerful advocacy for transit workers to this new role. I am proud to have him as a new partner in this vital local-wide leadership position. We face some very tough challenges in the months ahead,” said Utano. “With Brother Whichard as Administrative Vice President and the united leadership team of Vice President Robert Kelley and Division Chair Derick Echevarria in Stations, we are better prepared to take on whatever comes our way.”

Brother Lynwood Whichard, a Station Agent, has been with NYCT since 1988. He graduated from Boys and Girls HS and attended Boricua College in Brooklyn. Before Transit, he worked in the printing industry as a linotype operator and graphic artist. He was been representing his co-workers for 20 years in a variety of roles, including Shop Steward, Executive Board member, Division Recording Secretary and Vice President. He believes that the union plays a vital role in our members’ lives that goes beyond contracts and grievances. “Our members are dealing with so much in their private lives. It’s important for us to understand each individual’s personal challenges to properly represent them. Overall though, we as a union must provide our members with the peace of mind that their jobs are safe and secure, and that the union always has their backs.”

Brother Whichard is a bit of a Renaissance man. He holds a Black Belt in Aikijujitsu. He started a non-profit community after school and Saturday program in Brooklyn, where he taught reading, writing, martial arts and life skills. In addition, he worked as a site supervisor for many years at one of America’s leading community-based organizations, the Jackie Robinson Center for Physical Culture in Brooklyn.

He has received numerous awards for his community service, including the United States Congressional Award for Outstanding Community Service. In 1993, he was cited by the New York Times as a Positive Role Model in his community. Whichard is also active in the civil rights movement and is a strong supporter of Black Lives Matter. He and his wife of 27 years have six children.

IB Image New Vice President Robert Kelley has been with Transit as a Station Cleaner since 2006. Prior to transit, he was a regional manager for Century 21 Home Improvement covering the entire City and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. He then started his own successful business in home improvement. “The money was good but no benefits,” he said, which was an important consideration for his family of five children. He took the transit test, but rejected the offer when first called. “I changed my mind and took it when I was called back.”

Having served in the private sector in managerial roles, he was taken aback by the amount of supervisory bullying at Transit. He began independently helping co-workers with a variety of issues. Word of his effectiveness spread, and he was recruited by the union as a Shop Steward. He was elected to the Executive Board in 2012 and was appointed the union’s lead representative for disciplinary hearings at 2 Broadway for 3 years, which said Kelley “resulted in countless wins and a dramatic drop in excessive discipline.”
Kelley was elected Division Chair in 2018, where he has worked effectively across all titles, including Cleaners, Station Agents, Collecting Agents and Supply Logistics.

He caught the Coronavirus while working long hours making sure the membership had proper PPE and clean facilities. He was in and out of the hospital three times with the virus. He even tried to conduct business from his hospital bed while grievously ill. “The union finally turned my phone off so I could concentrate on getting better,” he said with a laugh in retrospect.

Kelley was featured in the Daily News this past Father’s Day as a dad who beat the virus. He was born in Harlem, graduated from Truman HS, and is the proud father of five children and has nine grandchildren.

Derick Echevarria brings 31 years of service as a Station Agent to his second time around as Division Chair. He is a graduate of Norman Thomas High School where he was a star basketball player leading his team to two Division B City championships. He went to Buffalo State College on a partial athletic scholarship, where he earned a Business Degree in Accounting. After graduating, he worked on Wall Street for three years, but “hated it.” He took the Transit test, and when called, took the job “for something to do. That was 31 years ago.”

Brother Echevarria has worked in union roles since 2006. He has served as a Shop Steward, a Division Chair for 6 years, and Vice President for 3 years. He has also worked as a peer counselor at the Union Assistance Program (UAP). Brother Echevarria has served on the International Union’s Executive Board, and currently is a member of the Executive Council. A bachelor until a few years ago, he met his wife while working overtime at the Lincoln Center station on the 1 train. “I was friends with her in high school. She worked at ABC, and it was just chance that she came to the booth. We recognized each other and started talking. We met again at a high school reunion, and now we’re married.”