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Arbitrators Agree: MTA Can Pay

3,000 members of Amalgamated Transit Union Locals 726 (Staten Island) and 1056 (Queens) are getting the same 3-year deal that TWU Local 100 won in arbitration. Just like the MTA did with Local 100, it tried to twist the ATU’s arms to get them to make concessions before the arbitrator ruled. But ATU leaders toughed it out and did not agree to what the MTA was demanding – two zeros at the end of a five-year deal along with concessions on overtime.

On the issue of the MTA’s ability to pay, the tri-partite panel came down on the side of the unions. The panel sharply disagreed with the MTA’s cupboard-is-bare argument, asserting that the Authority could tap reserves, money slated for capital construction projects, and get savings from low interest rates through debt refinancing. Funny, these are just the points that TWU Local 100 has been making in our ongoing negotiations.

Now that the arbitrators have spoken (the vote was 2-1, with the Union and management on opposite sides, with the impartial third party, George Nicolau, casting the deciding vote), attention turns to the next step: negotiating a fair wage and benefits package for this contract round. Read the arbitrators' decision here.

Union Members Rally Against American Airlines Bankruptcy Ploy

Hundreds of members of TWU-American Airlines Locals and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants – with a big assist from Local 100 – rallied outside Bankruptcy Court in lower Manhattan on April 22, 2012 just minutes before opening arguments in American’s attempt to use bankruptcy proceedings to slash thousands of jobs and gut labor agreements.

Lobby Day Recap: Pres. Samuelsen Delivers Message to the Office of the Governor

TWU Local 100 took Albany by storm on March 27, 2012 to give a clear message: "MTA Can Pay" more than three zeroes for our contract. Members took that message to the streets outside the capital building while President John Samuelsen delivered the message personally to the office of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

John Samuelsen with NYS AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. In Albany we worked side by side with the NYS AFL-CIO and other public sector unions..

Local 100 Preserves 25/55 for Next Generation

Governor Cuomo was successful in his quest to implement a Tier VI pension, but TWU Local 100 worked hard to minimize the hit that new transit workers will take. While nearly every other union in the NYCERS plan had their retirement age pushed back to 63, we were successful in defending the 25/55 pension for future Local 100 members.

Local 100 President John Samuelsen, and the union's Albany team of Marvin Holland and Curtis Tate argued vociferously that transit is arduous work that wears down our bodies, and that raising the 25/55 requirements would be nothing less than disastrous. The final outcome reflects this. President Samuelsen said: "The fact that we were able to fend off the bulk this assault on the next generation of transit workers is a significant victory for Local 100 and this entire membership. Our Albany team did an outstanding job, and it underscores the fact that a strong presence is Albany is essential to protecting what we have fought so hard to secure for this membership."

During the days and weeks before the legislature acted, Local 100 was a constant presence in Albany, with member-lobbyists organized by our Political Action Committee hitting office after office, and phone calls from the Union Hall following the same path. We worked side-by-side with the NYS AFL-CIO, and with public sector unions from the city and state, while also carrying a transit-specific message.

The bill, overall, is a setback for future public sector workers in New York City and State. but it was not the knockout blow the Governor's original proposal tried to deliver. A strong pushback by public sector unions, including Local 100, stripped the bill of some of its most egregious features, such as the 401(k)-like individual retirement accounts in the original proposal.