Defend Your Pension! Union Begins Major Campaign Against Con Con

Defend your pension! Defend your livelihood! Defend your union! TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano on Monday outlined a major get-out-the-vote campaign to stop New York State from holding a risk-filled Constitutional Convention. A New York State Constitutional Convention would enable anti-union forces to advance their anti-union agenda in New York, which includes slashing pensions, eliminating workers comp and taking away the right of organized labor to negotiate contracts on behalf of members. The question – whether or not New York should convene a Constitutional Convention – will be on the ballot in November on Election Day.

The answer is “hell no,” Utano said.

Local 100’s Vote No campaign will include officers shop-gating and educating our members in the field about the dangers that Constitutional Convention poses to working men and women, Utano said at a staff meeting at the Union Hall.  “We have to make sure this question goes down,” Utano said. “Our pensions, our compensation and much more is at stake.” In addition to shop gating, Local 100’s Vote No campaign will include an anti-Convention message on a Times Square electronic billboard, newspaper advertisements, a direct mailing to members’ homes and direct appeals to new transit workers during their orientations.

Local 100 also will be encouraging members to become ‘Vote No’ activists who actively spread the union’s message to their relatives, friends, neighbors, as well as to the members of any civil or religious groups with which they are involved. Under state law, New York voters must be asked every 20 years if a Constitutional Convention should be convened. Delegates at such a gathering would be empowered to draft, introduce and vote on proposed amendments to the state Constitution. If an amendment is approved by a subsequent referendum, it would become law. Voters overwhelmingly said NO to a Constitutional Convention in 1977 and again in 1997.