Utano Is Elected President by Two-Thirds Majority
Local 100’s membership delivered Tony Utano and the vast majority of the Stand United Slate a resounding victory in the Union’s Local wide election. Ballots were counted on Dec. 6, 2018 by the American Arbitration Association at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. Results were announced by Arthur Schwartz, Attorney to the Local 100 Elections Committee, at 10:30 pm.
Utano and the Local’s three top officers – Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips, Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp, and Administrative Vice President Nelson Rivera – won nearly two thirds of the union-wide vote, returning them to the positions they currently hold. J.P. Patafio, from TA Surface; Shirley Martin, from CED; John Chairello, from MOW; Richard Davis, from MaBSTOA; and Peter Rosconi, MTA Bus/School Bus/Private Operations were all elected to continue in their positions as Local 100 Vice Presidents. Lynwood Whichard, Stations, and Eric Loegel, RTO, were also elected to those offices.
Full election results are available. These are provisional results and have not yet been certified.
Utano released the following statement upon his election to President:
“I want to thank TWU Local 100 members for electing me President of our great union in such overwhelming fashion. I will not let you down. I will repay your trust in me by fighting hard for every member of this union every day. Being an officer in this union is not a 9 to 5 job. It takes dedication and vigilance 24 hours a day to keep this union strong and to protect each and every one of you on job. I have been fighting this fight for TWU members for the past 37 years.As I move forward as your elected President, I pledge that I will be smart, tough, and tenacious in carrying out the duties of this office.
Now that this election is over, I will turn my full energies to challenges that face us in 2019 and beyond. I pledge two things to you. First, we will fight and win for you on the job and at the bargaining table. That means winning the kind of contracts we need and deserve. That means protecting our health benefits. That means keeping you safe on the job. And that means shielding you from unfair and unnecessary discipline.
Second, we will keep this union strong. I have a message for the MTA -- Don’t test us. Because if you do, you are in for the fight of your lives. When the rank-and-file of TWU Local 100 stands together, no one can beat us.
Now it’s time to put this election behind and move forward in unity. I ran a clean campaign. Not one piece of negative literature was put out by me or my slate. Not one word of negative speech came out of my mouth. My Stand United Slate ran on what we had accomplished in the past years to deserve the support of the membership. And we ran on what we will do in 2019 and beyond to keep your trust in the years ahead. Now is the time to join together as one strong, united fighting force for TWU Local 100.”
