NYC Bike Share Workers Rally for Union Representation by TWU Local 100

The riding public doesn't just sit on their duffs on subways and buses. Over 100,000 New Yorkers are members of NYC BikeShare, also called Citibike, for its corporate sponsor. They've made 7 million trips in the one year since NYC Bike Share rolled out its docking stations and bikes with blue corporate decals. The program works because of the over 120 men and women who serve as mechanics, drivers, customer service people, and "re-balancers," day in and day out. These workers love Bike Share and want to make it better. Three dozen of them rallied on Memorial Day, the one-year anniversary of the program, to declare they're union ready. They believe that they would be taking a big step towards making NYC Bike Share better by becoming members of NYC's largest transit union, TWU Local 100. Unionization, they believe, would give them what they most want -- a seat at the table and a part in discussions about day-to-day operations. They also want input into such questions as the assignment of overtime, the use of private non-staff contractors within the company, and part-time vs. full-time employment. TWU Local 100 wants NYC Bike Share to succeed, because it's an important part of progressive mass-transit solutions to the problem of how to get around in New York in an environmentally responsible way that also benefits the user through exercise. We welcome NYC Bike Share workers into our Union and say -- if you haven't done so already, sign a union card. Let's see how far we can go together.