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MTA: Gov't Shutdown Poses No Risk for Medicare Advantage Recipients

OCTOBER 6—In the wake of the ongoing federal government shutdown, some retirees have been calling our Member Services Department with concerns about their Aetna Medicare Advantage coverage.

Addressing those concerns, Member Services Executive Director Chris Lightbourne reached out to MTA/NYCT about this issue. In an email received today, the New York City Transit Health Benefits Department says that "There is absolutely no disruption for your Medicare Advantage membership as a result of the federal government shutdown."

Retireed members should rest assured that their health care insurance coverage is solid and in full effect.

Union, Citing "Grift", Seeks to File Suit Against Horse Carriage Opponents

OCTOBER 3—TWU International President John Samuelsen charged today that deep-pocketed Manhattan elites funding opposition to the Central Park horse carriages may be illegally conspiring with a Florida businessman and a cryptocurrency lawyer who ran a PAC for New York Mayor Eric Adams to end the industry.

Union Mourns Julia McMillon, 85, First Female Recording Secretary

OCTOBER 2—Julia McMillon, who rose from the ranks to break the glass ceiling at Local 100’s top echelon of leadership, passed away Tuesday, September 30, at her home in Co-Op City.

Starting out as a Cleaner in 1982 at the age of 42, she became a Shop Steward in the Stations Department, at a time when women were under-represented and their issues were often sidelined.

McMillon grew up on Dean Street in Brooklyn before her family moved to the Lower East Side and later ended up working nearby, at the 2^nd Avenue station on the F line.

According to her niece, longtime Local 100 staffer Siaida Bryant, Julia was the glue that held the family together. “She was the matriarch,” Bryant said. “If someone fell short and needed help with the children, she was that aunt that picked up the pieces.”

(l-r): Previous medal winners Dom Spagnolo, Alan Grande, and Hector Soto, who was also honored this year, stand with Local 100 Pres. John Chiarello and Exec. Board Member Mario Galvet in front of glass case containing transit artifacts

11 Are Honored with 9/11 Medals at Sept. 29 Event

OCTOBER 1—Eleven retired TWU Local 100 members—all of whom suffer from medical conditions associated with their service at Ground Zero—were honored at the TWU Local 100 medal ceremony held at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum on Monday.

Local 100 President John V. Chiarello noted that, even now, 24 years later, most members of the public are not aware of the fact that New York City Transit workers were "the largest group to respond on the ground, saving people off the streets, clearing debris, taking part in rescue and recovery efforts and swiftly restoring transit services."

"None of our medal recipients could have known that that day would result in lifelong illness," he added, calling for the federal government to continue to fully fund care for 9/11 workers under the Zadroga Act.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration an Opportunity for Solidarity

SEPTEMBER 29—Local 100 celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at The Hudson event venue in Upper Manhattan Friday with live music, great food, dancing and our own TA Surface VP Gary Rosario's salsa band.

Union leadership, including International President John Samuelsen and Local 100 President Chiarello, were on hand, with Samuelsen emphasizing unity going into next year's contract fight and the support of our brother and sister transit workers across America.

Chiarello spoke about the importance of TWU Local 100’s solidarity in the face of ongoing threats to labor.

"The most important thing is us coming together to understand how to fight for a contract. If you look at the political climate we’re in now, they’re decimating unions. They lost nearly a million union jobs in the federal government. We have to go forward and fight for what we have."

Car Equipment Mourns Albert Dyment, 53

SEPTEMBER 29—Coworkers at the Coney Island Overhaul Shop are mourning the recent untimely passing of Car Inspector Albert Dyment. Brother Dyment, who did under-car inspections at the Shop, suffered a back injury at work three months ago and went for an MRI, said CED Recording Secretary Eugene Bleynis.

The MRI revealed that Dyment had late-stage pancreatic cancer which was inoperable. After three months of care, he died in active status on September 15 and his funeral was held three days later.

New Flagging Quarters Opens at Chambers St.

SEPTEMBER 26—Conductor and Tower Chair Chris Drummond (center) joined General Superintendent Archer and Superintendent Landis to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated flagging quarters at Chambers Street in lower Manhattan. It is the largest flagging facility in Manhattan and shares some space with Maintenance of Way personnel.

"I thanked Superintendent Archer and everyone involved in the renovation," Drummond said. "I told them it was great and thanked them on behalf of our Flaggers. There are new TVs, showers, and plenty of lockers for both men and women. There's an office for supervision and for TSS as well."

Drummond said that the renovation was five years in the making, and that he hopes these renovations continue. "We finally have a facility that meets our standards," he said.

Sedgwick: The Scourge Goes Beyond Local 100

SEPTEMBER 25—Over the summer, thousands of Local 100 members discovered firsthand Sedgwick’s incompetence in paying workers comp payments.

It turns out that our experience is not unique. At the just-held TWU Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas, Local 579, representing some 6,800 Jet Blue flight attendants, introduced a resolution declaring that their members “have been abused, ignored, mistreated, disrespected, and caused pain by the unprofessional, uncourteous, and uncaring third-party claims/benefits administrator, Sedgwick.”

That resolution – approved unanimously by the delegate body – called on employers, including the MTA and Jet Blue, to cut out middlemen like Sedgwick. The MTA paid Sedgwick a whopping $51 million in a three-year contract to “reduce costs by $20 million or more,” money that will come right off the backs of transit workers.

CED Mourns CTA Robert Allen, 62

SEPTEMBER 24—Members at 207th Street Overhaul Shop are mourning the untimely passing of CTA Robert G. Allen, Jr.

Brother Allen had a massive heart attack Monday, Sept. 22, while in the men's locker room at the Shop. He was found by co-workers who called 911. Paramedics responded and worked on him at the Shop for an extended period, then transported him to the Allen Pavilion at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

CED Division Chair Robert Ruiz called him a true union man who was a genuinely nice person "who was always there to help his co-workers in time of need." He added that Allen loved the New York Knicks. He had 35 years of service with New York City Transit.

Brother Allen leaves a wife, Michelle, and two sons, Xavier and Darius. A Service will beheld at the Williams Funeral Home at 5628 Broadway in the Bronx on Thursday, October 2nd. A viewing will take place from 4PM to 6PM, with the service at 6PM.

African American Day Parade 2025: A Day of Solidarity and Celebration

SEPTEMBER 22—On Sunday, TWU Local 100 members danced and celebrated at this year's African American Day Parade in Harlem, with house music, gogo and classic hip hop being played from our float as it sailed proudly up Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

Influential Black electeds including New York Attorney General Letitia "Tish" James and Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark stopped by the Local 100 contingent to say hello as members waited their turn to march.