TWU Local 100 Endorses Eric Adams for Mayor of New York City

APRIL 29 -- TWU Local 100 overwhelmingly and enthusiastically endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for mayor today.

The Local 100 Executive Board voted overwhelmingly after hearing from eight leading candidates at the Union Hall in Brooklyn.

“Our members and officers have known Eric for a long time,” TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “He’s stood with us in many battles and has always been there for us. He’s earned this endorsement and richly deserves it.”

Working in the Heat

Working in hot environments is not safe. Your body builds up heat when you work and sweats to get rid of it. Too much heat can make you tired, hurt your job performance, and increase your chance of injury. When the temperature changes quickly, you need time for your body to get adjusted to the heat. Be extra careful early in the summer when hot spells begin.

You have a right to a safe & comfortable work environment:

Clean water provided through a fountain, cooler or bottled water at all locations
Cool Work areas and break rooms
Ventilation to bring in clean air and take out hot air
Make adequate water supplies part of your daily workplace inspection

Need relief? Follow up with supervision immediately:

Bus- Call console, request immediate medical assistance
RTO- command 212-712-4480
CED- call your Barn Chair or Local Union rep
MOW- control 212-712-4120

If needed, file a Safety Rule Dispute Resolution Form.

For Stations: To follow up with supervision, call your respective Field Office. If you are a CTA, you can also ask for a comfort by entering the booth to cool down. If you feel unwell, you must notify OSAC and inform them that you are going home. Doctor’s lines will be needed on your return. Field Office numbers are as follows: 125th Street: 212-712-3127 or 718-436-8421; 44th Street: 212-424-5407 or -5408; 7th Ave: 718-243-3903 or 243-3905; Parsons-Archer: 718-334-8106. OSAC is 347-694-6500. Sick Desk for CTA’s ext. 42.

Click here to download a printed version of this message. Print it out and post it in your workplace.

For Stations Department members, click here.

One good flyer deserves another.

London Calling! TWU Local 100 Glad to Help Out

London’s Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (the RMT) – our brothers in arms across the pond – found inspiration in our recent graphic campaign to slow trains and prevent subway fatalities. We sent them our graphics files and they went to work, repurposing our graphic image of a chalk outline on the roadbed and making it the centerpiece of their campaign to bring back laid off workers who ensure safety on the Bakerloo line. The line’s management cut staffing, forcing train operators to drive out of service trains into stations or “sidings” in yards without checking for passengers who didn’t get off in time. The RMT points to the case of a 12-year old boy who found himself alone in a yard walking the tracks. Now the public is getting the message that this unsafe practice should end and that they should let London Underground management know they need to bring back the laid-off staff. See the RMT’s flyer here.

AVP Kemp Blasts Transit Management on Systemwide Radio Outage

DECEMBER 17—At the MTA Board's public comment period this morning, TWU Local 100 Administrative VP Alexander Kemp took agency bosses to task for a massive bus radio outage that started yesterday and is still not fixed.

In a tightly-worded two-minute speech, the time limit set by the MTA, Kemp noted that Bus Operators are without access to working radios, and that members in the past have been physically, sexually and verbally assaulted. 

"The second you have an emergency, you press this radio, and help is on the way—but what happens when you press the button and help is not on the way?" Kemp said.

The Admin VP added that bus radios are "their last line and their first line of defense," and that New York City Transit's own policies forbid Bus Operators from carrying cellphones, but that the Authority is now telling operators to use them in an emergency.

"If you attempt to use the solution we provide to you, you could potentially be fired," said Kemp. 

Kemp said the union's position is that any bus without a working radio is unsafe and should not be in service.

MaBSTOA Vice President Donald Yates confirmed that the outage is still not fixed.

"t's a very unsafe situation for us because we rely on that radio. We were told it was a systemwide blackout," said Yates.

Union Fighting "Awful" Conditions for Greenwich School Bus Drivers and Monitors

DECEMBER 17—Some of Local 100's school bus drivers and monitors in a well-heeled Connecticut town are working in abysmal conditions, with one member even needing EMS to assist when they slipped in the muddy lot provided to the members in lieu of a base. 

The Greenwich, Connecticut school board contracted to work with Dattco, but has yet to provide anything beyond a field as a home base for the drivers and monitors. That has left 120 members literally out in the cold. It's also dark in the unlit field when members when they show up for their morning shifts.

School Bus and MTA Bus/Private Lines Vice President Danny D'Amato was on CBS2 news last night to tell the public that our members are now working out of a muddy parking lot without proper facilities or a break room. 

"They're in porta-potties. There's not even a place for them to rest when they come back from their run. And these are people that pick up the most precious cargo in the world—our children. And they're being treated like garbage," he said.

Line Equipment/Signals Mourns Telephone Maintainer and father Fitzgerald Boyce, 53

DECEMBER 16—Fitzgerald Boyce, a Telephone Maintainer who worked out of the main shop at 3300 Northern Boulevard, died this morning at home of a heart attack, Vice Chair George Torres said. He was on vacation at the time. Brother Boyce, 53, had just under seven years with NYC Transit.

Torres said that Boyce was severely ill from COVID during the pandemic, and was hospitalized. "We were very glad to see him back at the desk when he came back to work," he said, adding that Boyce "was a big music and photography guy, and a DJ. He was very down-to-earth, and well-liked by the members."

Brother Boyce leaves his wife, Perphenia Tucker-Boyce, and his two sons, Myles, 21, and Kevin, 16, to mourn their father. Arrangements were pending today and we will update this post to reflect them.

Union Crew at 161st/Yankee Stadium Brightens Up Station with Decorations, Gifts

DECEMBER 16—A report by ABC7's Kemberly Richardson is showcasing the Christmas spirit of union members, who took it upon themselves to decorate their customer service booth at the Yankee Stadium stop in the Bronx. As part of Eyewitness News' "Be Kind" series, the story highlights the work of Station Agent Esmeraldo Pacheco and co-workers Aasim Robertson and Maria C. Romero. The beautiful decorations were just the start—our members bought gifts for kids who came through the station as well.

Richardson reported that the decorated booth is part of a five-borough wide contest for MTA workers. The winner? 161st and Yankee Stadium. Just click to watch the news story. 

Myran Pollack, center, flanked by Brooklyn DA Gonzalez and President Chiarello

Train Operator Myran Pollack Sees His Assailant Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

DECEMBER 15—Train Operator Myran Pollack spent 16 days in the hospital last October recovering from 11 stab wounds inflicted by a man who later pleaded guilty to attempted murder. On Monday, he told his story to the court and saw his assailant sentenced to 15 years in prison plus five years of supervised release.

The October 8, 2024 unprovoked attack on the 4 platform at the Utica Avenue stop in Crown Heights was every transit worker’s nightmare. Jonathan Davalos, 27, nodded at the veteran Train Operator, who was trying to clear his train at the last stop, and then swung at him with a knife, stabbing him repeatedly as he tried to run for his life and to ward off the attack. Without the swift intervention of NYPD officers, Pollack believes, he would have died right there on the platform.

“As the customer stepped off the train facing me, he pulled out a large kitchen knife. No words were spoken. No sounds were made. There was no fight. No confrontation of any kind. Just the blank look from the customer. It was like looking at the face of a mannequin," said Pollack to a hushed courtroom full of people hanging on his every word.

CED Mourns CTA Albert Linares, 38

DECEMBER 12—CED Jamaica Maintenance in mourning the sudden passing of CTA Albert Linares, who tragically died from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, November 25. He was 38 years old and had proudly served 3 1/2 years with the department, said CED Executive Board Member Hector Correa. Brother Linares is survived by his mother and father, who held private services in his honor.

He will be remembered for his positivity, his willingness to share ideas and the spontaneous humor he brought to his coworkers. Albert was dedicated to advancing his career in Transit, always studying and taking exams to move forward. His loss is deeply felt by all who worked alongside him.

Results of TA Surface Special Elections

DECEMBER 11—The results of the special elections for leadership positions in TA Surface were announced today, with three formerly vacant spots being filled.

Eager candidates gathered in Manhattan for the ballot count, conducted at the American Arbitration Association. Word of the tallies soon reached the Executive Committee as they held their meeting in Brooklyn, and the names of the newly-elected were announced.

Andre Armstrong, Chair of Fresh Pond Depot, will become Division Chair, replacing Gary Rosario, who was sworn in as TA Surface VP in September. With 24 years on the job, Armstrong served as Chairman of Fresh Pond since 2016. Armstrong won his office with 386 out of 689 votes.

Thomas Hopkins, who works as a Bus Operator out of Ulmer Park and has been with transit for eight years, will be the new 1st Vice Chair with 404 out of 689 votes.

Tanya D. Johnson, a Bus Operator from the Flatbush Depot with 18 years on the job, was elected onto the Executive Board with 386 votes out of 689 votes.

This will be the first time Hopkins and Johnson have held office. 

(l-r) Conductor/Tower Chair Chris Drummond, RTO VP Tramell Thompson, Conductor Angel Rivera, Bus Operator Louis Ortiz, MaBSTOA Div. 1 Chair Sean Battaglia, MaBSTOA VP Donald Yates and Depot Chair Anthony Clark

Bus Operator, Conductor Honored as 'Keepers of the City'

DECEMBER 9—Bus Operator Louis Ortiz and Train Conductor Angel Rivera were honored Tuesday at DC37 headquarters as Keepers of the City, in an awards event sponsored by the local media company Straus News, which publishes Chelsea News, the West Side Spirit and other community newspapers. Each has 13 years of service with NYCT. They were among 12 state and city workers profiled in Straus papers as essential workers who keep the city moving.

Ortiz, who drives the M23 crosstown bus, was praised at the event by Local 100 MaBSTOA Division 1 Chair Sean Battaglia.

"Louis Ortiz is a perfect example of an exemplary Bus Operator. He comes to work every day, he puts in long hours, he drives safely, he's all about the customers, he's just that guy who's always there. If you've got work, he covers it. During Covid, he was one of our Covid cleaners. Always in a good mood, never down, an outstanding Bus Operator," said Battaglia.

John Chiarello talks to the press saying he would have wanted a harsher sentence for Banks

Assailant in Stabbing of Off-Duty Cleaner Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail; 5 Years Probation

DECEMBER 8—A Bronx judge today sentenced Jamar Banks, 53, to 10 years in prison and five years probation for the January 2 stabbing of an off-duty NYCT Cleaner. The cleaner, 48, was on the northbound No. 6 train platform at the Pelham Bay station when Banks started an argument with him and then attacked him with a knife, stabbing him multiple times.

Banks pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of the cleaner in September, said Bronx Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Doty in court.

The sentence is to run concurrently with an identical one Banks received earlier this fall for another stabbing he pleaded guilty to, which took place the day before on the 2 train at 14th Street. 

Outside the courtroom, Local 100 President John Chiarello said that the sentence may sound severe, but "what happened to our member is that he was nearly killed. This was an assassination attempt." Chiarello noted that Banks had multiple previous arrests, "and there's no reason why he should be on the street."

"Very lovable" Track Worker Mourned by MOW, Services on Monday

DECEMBER 6—Track Worker Bennie Jones, who passed away suddenly on November 21 due to a heart attack, will be laid to rest on Monday. He would have celebrated 15 years on the job the previous day.

Jones, who was only 50 at the time of his passing, worked at the Linden Shop and had originally been posted at 59th St./Columbus Circle, said union staff member and friend Shannon Poland,

"He was a huge New York Giants fan and a very lovable guy," Poland said. "Always concerned about his fellow brothers and sisters on the tracks."

Track Division Chair Carlos Albert called Jones "a great union guy" and noted how difficult the timing of the loss must be for his family, being so close to the holidays.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family," said Albert. "He will be deeply missed by his peers, his union brothers and sisters."

A viewing from 4-6 PM and funeral service from 6-8 PM will be held Monday, December 8 at Good Tidings Gospel Chapel on 345 Malcom X Blvd. in Brooklyn, with a repast to follow at Caribe Hall, located at 1963 Utica Ave., also in Brooklyn.

Given Jones' love of the New York Giants, his family is inviting attendees to wear their favorite sports jersey, and in lieu of flowers, contributions to the cost of his final arrangements are welcomed. Those wishing to contribute may send payment through Zelle to 917.774.7534 or kthomasjones@yahoo.com..

Three casinos are now in the process of being cleared to operate -- with $$ flowing to the MTA 's Operating Budget

MTA Expected to Receive "Windfall" from Casinos

DECEMBER 5—A "windfall" is likely coming to the MTA as a result of the approval of three casino licenses in the city, the New York Times reported. If, as expected, the State Gaming Commission issues the licenses by the end of the year, the casinos will pay the MTA $500 million in 2026 and 2027, with an additional $600 million in 2028, the paper said. All of the money must go to operating expenses, which can include employee salaries.

That’s a departure from some of the MTA’s other revenue streams, like congestion pricing, which is dedicated solely to the capital program. Recognizing this, New York State cut the deal with casino companies back in 2023 that directed revenue to the operating budget to prevent fare hikes and service cuts. As of this writing, however, a ten-cent fare hike is still in the cards for early 2026.

The MTA is also looking to save money by further cutting fare evasion—which costs the system $1 billion each year—by using a feature on the OMNY card that allows an enforcement agent to determine if the card was used to purchase a fare. That’s now the standard for most mass transit systems in Europe, where card readers carried by law enforcement can tell whether passengers used their card to pay or jumped the turnstile.