All news

Final Arrangements for Track Worker Ricardo Louis, Died in the Line of Duty

Track Worker Ricardo Louis died early in the morning of January 8. He was only 44. He died at his tools on the L Train.
 
There will be a Viewing on Friday, January 24th, 2025, from 5PM to 8PM at the Roy L. Gilmore Funeral Home, 191-02 Linden Blvd in St. Albans, NY 11412. A Funeral Service will take place on the following day, Saturday, January 25th, at 9:30 Sharp at St. Joachim & Anne Catholic Church, 218-27 Hollis Avenue, in Queens Village, NY 11429.
 
All Members are invited to attend to show their respects. Flowers may be sent directly to the Funeral Home. The family requests that no photos or videos be taken to maintain a respectful and private space for the family and friends to grieve.

 

Safety Team Responds to Bus Crash Over Henry Hudson Parkway

JANUARY 17 -- TWU Local 100 MTA Bus Vice President Danny D'Amato, Division Chair Mike Capocci, Yonkers Depot Chair Marcus Soler and TWU Safety Team members Joseph DiPaola and Jamie Ayuso responded to a bus incident in Riverdale today involving a BXM1 which had impinged on the stone wall over the Henry Hudson Parkway at approximately 8:40 AM.
 
They found that the 26-year veteran Operator at the wheel was attempting to pass a poorly parked vehicle obstructing a narrow single lane service road. The bus slid on black ice into a ditch, and the front wheel hit a guardrail, damaging a stone wall abuting the Henry Hudson Parkway.
 
The Bus was safely removed by TWU Local 100 road service crew with the help of FDNY. Vice President D’Amato said the operator is shaken up by this unfortunate incident but thankfully nobody got injured.
 
Here are more photos from the scene:
IB ImageIB ImageIB ImageIB ImageIB Image

 

Union Mourns Former Women's Committee Co-Chair Brander White, 76

JANUARY 16 -- Union members are mourning the passing of Bus Operator Brander White-Jenkins, 76. She passed away in retirement in hospice in South Carolina. She had 34 years of service with New York City Transit, beginning in 1985.

Brander was elected to the TWU Local 100 Executive Board in 2009. She served as co-Chair of the Womens and Family Assistance Committee along with Bus Operator Elizabeth Wilson. She was credited by then-President John Samuelsen with playing an important role in the organizing campaign at Global Paratransit, which succeeded in September of 2014, adding hundreds of new members to TWU Local 100.

Funeral arrangements are as follows: There will be a wake on Friday, January 24th, 2025  from 3PM to 7PM at Walker’s Mortuary Chapel of Peace at 3407 Old Pond Rd, Johns Island SC 29455. A Home Going Service will follow on Saturday, January 25th, 2025 at 11:00AM at the Bethlehem St James United Methodist Church at 1539 Main Rd, John’s Island SC. The famly asks that mourners wear pink as "a reminder of her gentle spirit and her unwavering compassion for others."

Live online viewing of the service will be available at the time of the service via website link.

Gleason Bus Operator & Family Burned Out of Her Home

A January 13th fire in Sunset Park consumed the home of Bus Operator Janai Lopez, a 5-year veteran of NYC Transit working at the Gleason Depot. Janai has been displaced from her home along with her four children and her 1 year-old Doberman pinscher. There are photos of the devastation in this post.

Michelle Ramirez of the Women's and Family Assistance Committee and Robert Martinez, Depot Chair and Gleason, are asking for your support.

A GoFundMe link is here:

We are also asking for women’s clothing, size S and Xs
Men’s clothing size S
Kids size 14 female

Donations can be brought to the Union Hall at 195 Montague Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 3rd floor, as well as to the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

 

IB ImageIB Image

Tower Operator and Son Burned Out of Apartment; Asking for Support

JANUARY 15 -- A roaring fire in the Bronx destroyed all of the possessions of Tower Operator Jewelene Scott-Fernandez and her 19 year-old son, Shane, and his little sister. The January 10 early morning fire in Allerton engulfed her apartment building in flames, forcing everyone out into the cold.

Our Women's and Family Assistance Committee is asking union members to help the family by providing clothing for Ms. Scott: large in tops, 10 in pants, 10 in shoes. For Shane, 2XL in tops, 11.5 in shoes. Shane also lost his favorite gaming system, a PS5,a nd his TV. Donations can be dropped off at the Union Hall, 195 Montague Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 3rd Floor. An additional location is 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201,5th Floor.

Nathania Scott, who is our Tower Operator's daughter, has started a Go Fund Me, and you can find that link here.

Statement by Pres. Richard Davis on Gov. Hochul's new Subway Safety Initiatives

 
Governor Hochul’s announcement to put police officers on every overnight subway train is a win for common sense and safety. Transit workers have been saying for years: the system needs better protection—not just for the millions of riders but for the men and women who keep it moving 24/7.
 
IB Image
 
Our members face the realities of the subway system every single day. They’ve been threatened, harassed, and attacked, all while doing their jobs. This plan, which focuses on increasing police presence during the overnight hours, is the kind of action we’ve been demanding. It’s a step in the right direction.
 
But this is not the finish line. We need more than a six-month trial. We need sustained and serious investment in safety—not just in the overnight hours but across the system, all the time. TWU Local 100 will keep fighting to make sure that happens.
 
We’re glad to see Governor Hochul taking our concerns seriously. Now we need the MTA and all decision-makers to step up and meet the same standard of urgency. As we have heard countless politicians and state and city officials acknowledge: Transit Workers are the lifeblood of this city, and their safety is non-negotiable.
 
Richard Davis
President, TWU Local 100

Statement from President Davis on the Death of Track Worker Ricardo Louis

JANUARY 8 -- A tragedy has struck the TWU family. At approximately 3:10 this morning, Track Worker Ricardo Louis, 44, collapsed on an L Train at Morgan Avenue while performing the duties of his job. Co-workers attempted to revive him and called 911.

EMS responded and took Brother Louis to Woodhull Hospital, but he could not be saved. Union reps responded to the scene and notified Brother Louis’s family, who met them at the hospital.

Transit work on the subway tracks is hazardous because of constant train traffic and because medical attention is not immediately available. TWU Local 100 has always fought for better working conditions and we will determine whether any avoidable hazard contributed to this tragic death.

On behalf of our membership of 44,000 transit workers, I convey deep condolences to the family of Brother Louis and offer them all the resources of the Union as they go forward at this difficult time.

Once we have details of the final arrangements for Brother Louis we will post them on our website.

 

Welcome New Members!

JANUARY 7 -- New York City Transit’s newest hires – and our newest members – were welcomed today at the Union Hall in downtown Brooklyn. Over 100 new union members about to go into the system include Traffic Checkers, Transit Property Protection Agents, Station Agents and CTA’s, Signal Helper Maintainers, and others.

They were welcomed into our Union family by Vice Presidents and Division officers, who explained the progress we have made over 90 years of struggle which have turned a job into a real career, and a mainstay for working class families. Our newest members also heard about the benefits that come with their new jobs and got a glimpse of union history in an opening video narrated by President Richard Davis.
IB Image

Read more
More news
Syndicate content