Davis Elected as Local 100 President; Members First Slate Comes Out on Top
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 12 – The 2024 election for top leadership at Transport Workers Union Local 100 has been decided, with most wins going to incumbent President Richard Davis and his Members First slate. Davis, 55, won by a vote of 6848. His rivals for the top spot, Evangeline Byars and Mike Cordero, received 2289 and 1855 votes respectively. These are unofficial numbers but we expect them to hold when the complete tallies are released tomorrow.
Also winning in the contest for the top four positions – President, Secretary-Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and Administrative Vice President, were incumbent Secretary-Treasurer John Chiarello, Shirley Martin, formerly Vice President of the Car Equipment Department, who ran for Recording Secretary, and Carlos Bernabel, formerly Division Chair for Liberty Lines in Westchester, who ran for Administrative Vice President. Chiarello received 6941 votes, Martin received 6996 votes, and Bernabel received 6844 votes.
Vice Presidential contests were won by JP Patafio in TA Surface, Donald Yates in MaBSTOA, Richie Rocco in Maintenance of Way, Robert Kelley in Station, Matthew Ahern in Car Equipment, Danny D'Amato in Private Bus Lines, and Tramell Thompson in Rapid Transit Operations.
Under the TWU Constitution, the candidate who receives a plurality of the votes cast is declared elected. The newly-elected officers take their official positions on the first business day of the New Year.
The vote tally was conducted by the American Arbitration Association and was held at the Brooklyn Marriott, with observers allowed in from each competing ticket. 11,411 union members cast ballots in the election.
The complete vote count, including vote tallies for all contested positions, will be released as soon as it is officially verified by the AAA.
Richard Davis, a Bus Operator by trade, started with New York City Transit in 1996, and worked his way up the ranks, beginning his career at the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot in Manhattan, where he became Chief Line Steward. Other promotions followed, leading to election as Vice President for MABSTOA where he served two terms. He was elevated to Secretary-Treasurer in May of 2022 and then to the Presidency of Local 100 in December of 2022 by the union’s Executive Board. He negotiated the current contract between TWU Local 100 and the MTA which took effect in May of 2023.
The second Caribbean-American after Roger Toussaint to win election to the Union’s top post, Davis came to the United States from Guyana as a child. His father worked for NYC Transit as a Bus Mechanic.
"This is a bright day for TWU Local 100 and I look forward to leading this great union into the future," he said.
Secretary-Treasurer John Chiarello, 57, a Signal Maintainer by trade, joined New York City Transit in 2001. He was previously Vice President of Maintenance of Way.
Newly-elected Recording Secretary Shirley Martin, 66, started with New York City Transit in 1991 as a Car Inspector. She was previously a Machinist in her native Jamaica.
Newly-elected Administrative Vice President Carlos Bernabel, 55, is a Bus Operator with Liberty Lines Transit in Westchester.