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.