Court Support Needed as Banker Faces Trial in Assault on Train Operator

An entitled rich investment banker punched one of our female Train Operators in the face for stopping him from going into a non-public area of a Brooklyn station. He was arrested but outrageously was later released without having to post bail.

Next Wednesday, February 8th, he faces his first court appearance. We will be there to demand that he receive justice -- jail time for assaulting a transit worker and TWU Local 100 member.

As Pres. Davis told the press, “the public should be treating transit workers as heroes, not punching bags. Time and time again we’ve stepped up for this city, most recently working through the pandemic, and this is the thanks we get. It has to stop. We will see this guy in court.”

Be there on Wednesday, Feb 8th at the Kings County Supreme Court Criminal Term at 320 Jay Street, 4th floor. Allow time for security check.We will demand that Jean Francois Coste, 53, charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and some misdemeanors, pay for his crime.

President Davis Presides Over Jam-Packed Mass Membership Meeting; Talks About the Contract, Unity, and the Focus On Members

Screw the budget gaps!

Speaking at the jam-packed Mass Membership Meeting in Manhattan on Saturday, Local 100 President Richard Davis vowed the MTA won’t get off easy in upcoming contract negotiations by crying poverty - again.

“The MTA says they have massive budget gaps,” Davis said. “I say, screw their budget gaps! We worked through the pandemic! And that needs to be recognized!”

The negotiations could be among the most difficult ever. “We have to be united,” Davis said. “No divisions! One union, with one voice, and one fist!”

More than 1,500 members attended the gathering at the Sheraton Hotel near Times Square. In a strong sign of respect and support, Mayor Eric Adams made time in his busy schedule to attend and speak to the members. He is the first mayor to attend a Mass Membership Meeting. TWU International President John Samuelsen also was a guest speaker. He promised the International would back the Local one-hundred percent during negotiations, providing resources, expertise, and other assistance.

The over-arching theme was “Member Built, Member Strong, Member Driven.”

Member Built: TWU was organized by subway workers in the depths of the Great Depression when workers toiled 7 days a week for poverty wages – without overtime, healthcare, vacations, or pensions.

Member Strong: Local 100 has more than 42,000 members. We operate and maintain the largest transit system in North America. We also have members in the school bus, private bus, and tourism industries.

Member Driven: The top priority is the membership. The focus is on the membership.

“TWU is a great union, not just because of what we do, or our size, but because of who we are as individuals,” Davis said after introducing a video featuring “some of our outstanding members.” Click this link to watch the video.

Members featured in the video received certificates of appreciation, including Tonya Thompson, a Bronx Bus Operator and a cancer survivor. Thompson is a leading volunteer organizer and fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and research. “It felt amazing to be recognized by my Union for all the hard work I’ve put in over the years,” she said. “Simply a wonderful day."

Contract Bargaining Training Held as Union Gets Ready for the Big Fight

Dozens of officers participated in three days of contract negotiation training to prepare for the looming battle with the MTA.

The program featured expert instruction on topics such as the legal parameters of public sector bargaining, preparing for negotiations, membership engagement, developing proposals and using leverage to achieve goals. Officers also broke into labor and management teams to conduct mock negotiating sessions. Veterans sat shoulder-to-shoulder with younger up-and-coming officers, passing along knowledge gained from decades of experience and sharing ideas.

In addition, directors of Local 100 departments - Organizing, Member Services, Grievance and Discipline, Political Action, Safety, and Communications - gave presentations on department activities, data, goals, and strategies that could be deployed during different stages of the contract campaign.

“We’re about to enter one of the most difficult contract negotiations of all time,” Local 100 President Richard Davis said. “The MTA says it has unprecedented budget deficits and is warning of doomsday scenarios with service cuts and steep fare hikes. City Hall has ordered up three rounds of budget cuts already. Some big private companies are laying off thousands of workers. We’re going to have to fight like hell and must be prepared. That’s what these last three days have been all about, getting prepared.”

A new Rapid Response Organizing Committee will start going to work locations next week to begin one-on-one discussions with members to hear about their issues and concerns.

The training was conducted over three days ending Friday, Jan. 13. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, one of the most powerful politicians in the state, came to meet with President Davis and share a few words with the officers participating in the training. It turned into a mini-pep rally with the Speaker leading a chant of “Union!”

“You are here to be trained,” she said. “You’re here to understand how this is supposed to work. And the reality is, it is going to work, because you have in your hearts and minds the best interest of the people you represent, period. If you come with that attitude, it will work, understanding that you set the tone. You set the bar for how labor rolls.”

Also coming by to support the Union were NY State Senator Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

The Local 100 contract with the MTA expires May 16.