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Union Mourns Tower Operator Phyllis Robinson-Ward, 68, Dies from Coronavirus

Phyllis Robinson, 68, of Brooklyn, NY, passed away April 8, 2020 in the ICU unit of Kings County Hospital. She had 30 years of service with MTA/NYCT, and most recently worked midnights at Rockaway Park. Services have not yet been held for her due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her only daughter, Francine, gave us this remembrance:

Phyllis was born the first of three children, to Fred Melvin Robinson and Clara Edmonia Robinson in Harlem, New York, on July 25, 1951. Phyllis graduated from Julia Richmond High School in 1969 and went on to receive a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Fordham University in 1977.

Transit Workers Eligible for State's COVID-19 Antibody Test

Starting immediately, transit workers are eligible for the State's new Covid 19 antibody testing campaign for essential workers. Testing is free of charge, voluntary and by appointment only, made on line.

Many workers have been exposed to the virus but don't even know it because they never displayed symptoms. This test will reveal whether that could be the case for you, and whether you may be immune in the future.

Testing for transit workers begins this week at MAC 1, located at 180 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY and will expand to additional sites over the following two weeks. Details on expanded sites will be forthcoming.

Please review this document closely. It outlines how to make an appointment, and how the testing will be conducted.

Again, the testing is voluntary, and is not for someone who is displaying symptoms. If you have symptoms, for immediate testing, you should go a Northwell Health Urgent Care Center.

Ramon Gutierrez, Kingsbridge Bus Operator, Loses Battle with Virus

Kingsbridge Bus Depot members and officers are mourning the passing to the Coronavirus of beloved Bus Operator Ramon Gutierrez, 62.

Brother Gutierrez was planning on retiring next year, according to friend and Kingsbridge Chief Line Steward 1 Felix “Flex” Olivo. “With his transit time and military time, Ramon would have been able to go out next year. He was looking forward to it.”

NY Waterway Bus Operator Reyna Joyasaca Dies of Virus

Bus Operator Reyna Joayasaca, an 18-year veteran at New York Waterway and a very involved member of Local 100, passed away of the Coronavirus last week. She had been in the hospital for several weeks prior to her death at 62.

Private Operators Division Chair Carlos Bernabel said that Sister Joyasaca had worked until the last of bus operations on March 25, 2020 when operations closed due to the virus restrictions. “She was always at the union meetings, contributing,” said Carlos. “This is very sad.”

A Tribute to Ben Schaeffer, Conductor and Division Vice Chair, 58.

Conductor Benjamin Schaeffer passed away at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn from COVID-19 on Tuesday, April 28th, Workers Memorial Day. As he fought for life on a ventilator, an appeal from TWU Local 100 brought many union brothers and friends to the hospital's blood center to donate plasma. Other unions also stepped up, with ATU 726 President Danny Cassella advising that a member of his local had also donated.

Rapid Transit Operations Vice President Eric Loegel wrote this remembrance of his difficult final days:

NYPD, MTA Begin Removing Homeless from Subways

April 29, 2020 — NYC police officers at ten stations removed the homeless from subway trains early Wednesday morning in a new joint initiative between the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The aggressive action follows years of advocacy by TWU Local 100 and the members for the city to more aggressively tackle the problem of the mentally ill and homeless camped out in the system. That advocacy, including a flurry of newspaper and television coverage, intensified during the COVID-19 crisis.

Daily News: Utano calls for NYPD to Escort Homeless from Subways During Pandemic

APRIL 28 -- In a three-page cover feature story, the New York Daily News highlights the growing homeless problem on our subway system. Local 100 President Tony Utano calls for action on the crisis saying that "Mayor de Blasio has to direct the police to escort the mentally ill and the homeless out of the system. This is a life-and-death situation, not a quality-of-life issue. They are posing a real health hazard and a real danger to my members -- and to the essential workers who are supposed to be the only ones using the system in the first place." Read the full article here.

A Message from Tony Utano on Workers Memorial Day

President Tony Utano's message on Workers Memorial Day 2020

Quill Depot Mourns Cuong Luu, 56, of Coronavirus

Cuong Luu, a hardworking and generous family man, has passed from the coronavirus. The entire Quill Bus Depot, where Luu worked as a maintainer for 23 years, mourns along with his wife and two adult children.

“Luu was a very quiet guy, but if you ever had an issue or a problem on the job, he was the first one to come over and give you a hand,” Anthony Vultaggio, the Maintenance Vice Chair at Quill, said.

RTO Mourns N Train Conductor Frank Lee, 64

Heartbreaking losses continued in Rapid Transit Operations with the passing on April 16 of Conductor Frank Lee, who had 22 years of service. Brother Lee’s wife, Wai, said that Brother Lee had been sick for about a week before transit sent him home to his Bay Ridge residence on March 30 with a fever. “I isolated him, but things got worse,” she said. She called 9/11 and he was hospitalized at NYU Lutheran in Brooklyn, but never recovered.