All News

Donohue on NY1's The Call: TWU Has Secured Thousands of Jobs

OCTOBER 13 -- TWU Local 100's Director of Press and Media Relations Pete Donohue went on New York 1's "The Call" to discuss Mayor de Blasio's agreement to kick in $2.5 billion to the MTA Capital Program over five years -- a move that secures 3,000 union jobs tied to the transit system's expansion.

TWU Notches Another Bike Share Win in Washington, DC

In a copyrighted story, Laborpress reporter Joe Maniscalco reports on the TWU's latest organizing win -- a new contract for bikeshare workers in our nation's capital.

New York, NY - TWU bikeshare workers in the nation’s capital ratified their first-ever contract last Friday, solidifying an almost five-year deal that not only raises wages, guarantees benefits and provides job security — but also serves an another indication that while significant obstacles remain, the American Labor Movement is on the march.

“We are proud of the solid worker-led contract victory,” TWU Executive Vice President John Samuelsen said in a statement. “TWU continues to advance wages and improve working conditions for bikeshare workers, and we continue to organize in cities not yet under contract.”

Bikeshare mechanics and technicians here in New York City set the stage for that ongoing campaign when they became the first such workers in North America to successfully secure a contract last summer.

At the time, Samuelsen told LaborPress that the newly-minted contract would, indeed, become the template for other bikeshare contracts around the country.

“The bikeshare industry is in its infant stages right now, perhaps a few thousand workers,” Samuelsen said. “But within the next 20 years, there’ll be tens of thousands of workers in the industry. We’ve broken down the door so to speak in the bikeshare industry with a collective bargaining agreement. We expect that the 200 workers in New York that are covered by this first contract will lead to thousands and thousands of workers being covered by COBs around the country within the next decade or so.”

President John Samuelsen's Statement on Funding for the 5-Year MTA Capital Plan

“This is obviously a great win for the thousands of transit workers whose jobs are directly impacted by the MTA Capital Plan, and for the millions of New York’s working families who use the bus and subway system every day. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Gov. Cuomo for pressing this issue so hard and bringing it to a conclusion so that the MTA would not be forced to scale back the capital plan. Over three thousand TWU members earn their livelihoods keeping our transit system in a state of good repair, and if the failure to properly fund continued, it would have hurt workers and riders alike, to say nothing of the long term negative impact on the region’s economy.

The TWU's aggressive media campaign that targeted the Mayor, who was on the wrong side of this issue, had to be done to get the public involved and raise the level of attention being given to this terribly important issue. NYC Transit Workers provide the most vital public service to New York’s working families day in and day out. In the end, there needs to be a more permanent solution to the MTA’s funding needs instead of nasty battles every five years to modernize the system and insure access to safe, reliable and affordable public transit for New Yorkers. At the moment, however, I am happy its over and our members and the riding public can rest easy that at least this issue is behind us."

TWU Local 100's campaign included full-page newspaper ads featuring the mayor operating a graffiti covered subway train and jumping a turnstile, making the case that the city was not contributing its fair share. Local 100 represents about 41,000 transit workers with more than 3,000 performing tasks related to the capital plan, including rehabilitating stations, replacing tracks and driving shuttle buses when stations and line segments are temporarily closed.

President Samuelsen on NY1: Fund the Capital Program

From NY1's website

Inside City Hall 10/8/15

Nuestras Naciones 2015, A Celebration of Hispanic/Latino Heritage

TWU Local 100 members and friends gathered for an evening of entertainment, education, and delicious cuisine at the Union Hall on October 1. This celebration, organized and guided by our Administrative Vice President Angel Giboyeaux, and Organizing's Dylan Valle -- with a host of others -- set a new standard for a heritage event at the hall. Enjoy the photos!

TWU Indian Day Festivities a Crowd Pleaser

TWU members of Indian heritage proudly celebrated their union and their achievements before a packed house at the IBEW Hall in Queens on Saturday, October 3. The 10th Anniversary celebration included singing and Bollywood dancing and speeches by political and Union leaders.

IB Image

In Their Own Words: TWU's Members at GCS Say Why We Fight

Dozens of call center workers at Global Contact Services -- the MTA's Access-A-Ride Call Center in Queens -- came to speak truth to power to the MTA Board of Directors at their September meeting in Manhattan. Speaking to a room of executives who make salaries in the high six figures, these TWU Local 100 workers, who make from $9 to $11 an hour, pleaded for a review of the MTA's contract with GCS. In his remarks, TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen called the call center's Northern Boulevard operation a brutal place to work where employees are routinely denied basic rights. He called the workers poster children for why New York's mininum wage needs to be immediately raised to $15/hour. Here are the call center operators, expressing their concerns about the workplace -- their willingness to work hard and grow the company -- and their need for fair treatment.

Mid-Autumn Celebration A First for TWU Chinese American Workers

SEPTEMBER 25 -- Five Hundred Chinese-American transit workers and their families gathered at the New Spring Garden Restaurant in Brooklyn to celebrate the traditional Autumn Moon Festival, highlighted by an exciting lion dance and a musical program. This was a first for TWU Local 100, recognizing our Chinese-American members in a festive event on the eve of the "super moon" and total lunar eclipse which was visible all over North America. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen keynoted the event along with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and the first-ever elected Chinese-American Councilwoman, Margaret Chin, who also sang at the event. Enjoy the slideshow!

President John Samuelsen Demands $15/hour for Call Center Workers at Access-A-Ride

SEPTEMBER 25: TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen called on the MTA Board of Directors to audit the performance of Global Contact Services, the operator of the MTA’s Access-A-Ride call center. In a presentation to the Board, he detailed the harsh treatment suffered by call center workers represented by the Union, including arbitrary firings, low pay, and a ruthless approach to employee relations from a North Carolina based company that is running a southern-style plantation in Queens. After his presentation, MTA CEO Tom Prendergast said he would prioritize a review of the company’s performance and contract.

Daily News Slams Access-A-Ride's Harsh Treatment of Disabled Employees

In a copyrighted story, Daily News columnist and Democracy Now! host Juan Gonzalez slams Global Contact Services -- which runs the call center that dispatches Access-A-Ride -- as a vindictive and heartless employer that pays poverty wages even though their contract with the MTA is worth $152 million. Gonzalez reveals that GCS, which took over the MTA Access-A-Ride contract from First Transit three years ago, cut employee wages across the board. Now they are refusing to bargain in good faith with TWU Local 100 and raise wages in spite of the statewide push for $15 an hour. In the article, President Samuelsen spells out the consequences of continued intransigence on GCS's part - a strike. Read the complete article here.