Pre-Retirement Seminar Set for April 19th

Considering retirement from transit? You don't want to miss our info-packed pre-retirement seminar on Friday, April 19th, at the Union Hall in downtown Brooklyn. Just click here go to the link to register. This presentation will be both on Zoom and live in person. You can also download the flyer here and scan the QR to register.

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.

Wellness Training Set for April 26th at the Union Hall

Wellness Training will take place at the Union Hall on April 26th from 9AM to 3PM, with a course on emergency first aid given by Dr. Patrick McGrory, CPR from the American Heart Association, Safety Training, and Yogatation with Lalita Dunbar. Join Us!

Union Co-Sponsors Autism Awareness on Saturday, April 20th in Astoria

We're proud to be a sponsor of Autism Awareness Day this Saturday at Astoria Park in Queens. Support -- Advocate -- Educate. This follows on our success in obtaining an autism therapy benefit for the children of our members. The event runs from 11AM to 4PM. The Park is bordered by 19th Street in Astoria. 

Astoria Park Parking Lot, 19, 19th St, Astoria, NY 11105

Yoga, Relaxation Classes Come to the Union Hall

Local 100 will present relaxation and yoga classes at the Union Hall beginning later this month. The relaxation sessions include guided relaxation, breathing, and aromatherapy. The Yogatation class will teach techniques that you can apply anytime you want a healthy break during your workday.

Relaxation classes take place on Fridays: May 17th, June 14th, and July 12th. Sessions last 30 minutes, and four are scheduled on each day from 2PM to 4PM.

Yogatation takes place on 11 Fridays from April 26th through July 26th in two one-hour sessions from 2PM and 3PM and from 3PM to 4PM.

Mike Quill in 1938

Today 4/12 Marks 90 Years Since the Union Began

On April 12, 1934, seven men met in a Columbus Circle cafeteria after a hard night’s work on the IRT to find a way to fight the transit companies which had trampled workers’ rights into bitter dust. They knew that in past years – 1905, 1910, 1916, strikes had failed to create a union.

Member Services at 149 Pierrepont to Re-Open Next Week

After remediation from a minor flood at the facility, the Union's Member Services Office at 149 Pierrepont Street (the street adjacent to the Union Hall looking north) will re-open during the week of April 15th. We look forward to helping union members with their needs regarding health care, and other services or issues that require support. We are on the first floor and you do not need an appointment.

Eid Al Fitr Mubarak

Sending all our love and blessings! Eid Mubarak!

Union Retirees Covered for Treatment at New York's Premier Cancer Hospital

In response to the Union's request for clarification, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York's premier cancer hospital, has clarified that the hospital accepts our retirees' Aetna Medicare Advantage plan as "in network" coverage as a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can read the relevant section of the Memorial Sloan Kettering website here. This Aetna coverage is accepted at MSK for NYC Transit Retirees only, according to the site.

"Retirees can rest assured that their coverage at MSK is in good hands and is in force," said Local 100's Director of Health Benefits, Chris Lightbourne. "The commercial plan that active members participate in has had Sloan as a participating provider for years. If individual members are having difficulty with Sloan being an in-network provider, please provide member details and what facilities are involved and Aetna can then investigate," he said. You can reach the Union at: member.services@twulocal100.org.

Pilot Program Will Test Gun Detection in Subways

MARCH 28 -- Stations VP Robert Kelley along with MOW Power Division Vice Chair Celeste Kirkland, who leads our Safety Department, attended Mayor Eric Adams’s press conference today at the Fulton Street Station in Manhattan. Adams announced a new-tech scanner to aid in detecting guns and other dangerous weapons people may attempt to carry into our transit system. The technology is said to be smart enough to detect the difference between a gun and a phone. Local 100 was present for the demonstration and will keep members updated for further developments.

We Commemorate the Workers Killed at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire -- 113 Years Ago

MARCH 25 -- Today marks the 113th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in Greenwich Village in 1911. It was the greatest industrial disaster in the history of the city, causing the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and girls and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, falling, or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Italian or Jewish immigrant women and girls.

Because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked – a common practice at the time to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft – many of the workers could not escape from the burning building and jumped from the high windows. There were no sprinklers in the building. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers. It paved the way for safety rules and fire regulations which have protected millions of workers to date.

Remembering the tragic fire and the union's vital role in protecting workers, we say along with Mother Jones: Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.

Healthcare Update: Aetna and NY Presbyterian Agreement Reached!

For members who may have received an email or correspondence from NY-Presbyterian about their negotiations with Aetna: A agreement has been reached! The ongoing negotiations between Aetna and NY-Presbyterian have been settled. These negotiations are a standard part of the process, aimed at securing the best possible health plan for you. At this time, your coverage remains unchanged. There will be no impact on your ability to receive care at NY-Presbyterian facilities. Your health and well-being is a top priority. If you have any questions or concerns contact your union rep or call Aetna at 1-855-824-5349

Richard Davis, President

National Transit Worker Appreciation Day

MARCH 18 -- It's National Transit Worker Appreciation Day. Whether you operate a bus or a train, make announcements and ensure safety, fix and repair rolling stock, serve customers at transit hubs, clean and maintain our system, transport schoolchildren or tourists, you are valued and you are our reason for being at TWU Local 100, the greatest and most powerful transportation union in the United States. Through the routine and the unexpected, we are the bedrock of New York, keeping this great City moving 24/7.

Appreciation is often not extended to you when you deserve it. That's why we get on the news to make sure the public understands what it is that we do and the hazards of our jobs, even as we are committed to ensuring ever better wages, working conditions, and benefits for you as we go forward. Never forget that we are a Union family and that the fact of our solidarity, above all else, will secure our future.