Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips Retiring at 60

MAY 25 – Earl Phillips, after 11 years as TWU Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer, the second highest position in the Union, is retiring this month. He was warmly congratulated on his tenure by President Tony Utano and other Union leaders and staff at a small reception in his honor on Tuesday. International President John Samuelsen also attended the event.

Brother Phillips, 60, was born in Barbados and came to America in 1987 to join his mother and sisters in America. He started an auto-repair business in Brooklyn and was hired by NYCT as a Chassis Maintainer in 1993, working out of East New York Bus Depot in Brooklyn as well as Gun Hill and Kingsbridge Depots in the Bronx. Witnessing work situations that compromised worker safety, he became active with the Union and became a Field Safety Representative in 2002.

In 2009, he was named Director of Safety and Health. In February of 2011, the Union’s Executive Board elevated him to Secretary-Treasurer. He has been serving as Secretary-Treasurer ever since, winning office in four consecutive union elections, expertly managing the Union’s finances and overseeing a steady increase in the membership rolls. At the same time, he has also been serving as TWU Local 100 Safety Director, managing the Union’s team of field safety reps.

Earl is also an elected International Vice President of the Transport Workers Union of America,  and has earned numerous honors and awards for labor advocacy, Caribbean-American community service, and charitable work.

He has a daughter, Tina, and a son, Alexander. He plans to enjoy his retirement in Barbados.

photo: Flanked by the Union's top leadership, and next to International President Samuelsen, Earl Phillips cuts his retirement cake.