LES Chair's Eulogy for Fallen Signal Maintainer Louis Moore
John Chiarello, Chair of Line Equipment/Signals, speaking for TWU Local 100 and his members, delivered a well-received eulogy for Brother Louis Moore, who died in the line of duty on the subway tracks on April 24, 2013. John spoke to friends and family about the impact of Moore's death, both personally and for TWU Local 100 as a whole. In the audience at Gilmore's Funeral Home in St. Albans were dozens of Signal Maintainers, who wore MTA safety vests. Here is the text of John's remarks:
Good morning everyone. My name is John Chiarello. I am the TWU Local 100 Chair of the Line equipment Signal Division. I am also a Signal Maintainer, and knew Louis for most of his time on the job. On April 24, in the early morning hours, I received a call from one of our union safety officers. He informed me of the tragic accident and death of our Brother Louis Moore. It is without a doubt the saddest and most surreal moment I’ve ever encountered since being on the job. There is no question a Signal Maintainer’s and any track worker’s job is dangerous. But when confronted with the sudden death of a fellow worker under these horrifying circumstances, it takes your breath away.
We can never prepare for something like this. We know it’s possible because of the conditions we work in. It is obviously life altering for Brother Moore’s family, but it is also a harsh wake-up call for all of us who work on the tracks to keep more than 8 million New Yorkers who use our system safe. I remember the first time I met Louis when he first came on the job about 8 years ago. It was uptown in the IRT. My first impression was he knew a lot about a lot of different things – philosophy, politics, religion. He was extremely articulate. My very next thought was, what the heck is he doing in Signals? He should have been a college professor. He turned out to be an outstanding Signal Maintainer and a loyal union member.
On behalf of the leadership of local 100 and the entire union, I offer my sincerest condolences on your family’s loss. We will remember Louis as a good father, brother, friend – and union Brother. In the union there’s a saying “an injury to one is an injury to all.” Today the entire union mourns the passing of our dear brother Louis Moore.