In a welcome sign of cooperation and focus, Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul announced Thursday new subway initiatives to increase safety and reduce the homeless population dwelling underground.
Adams, who was endorsed by TWU Local 100, said street-level police officers not responding to emergencies will be directed to park their cars and enter subway stations for security checks – and to increase the uniformed presence in the system. Subway-dedicated officers in the Transit Bureau will be directed to ride and walk through trains instead of congregating on mezzanines, he said. And officers sitting behind desks who can be of better service on patrol will be placed into transit patrol, he said, appearing with Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
“Omnipresence is the key,” Adams said at a press conference at the Fulton Transit Center in Manhattan. Hochul said the state will fund new homeless outreach teams consisting of mental health professionals and build more affordable housing with support services.
“We’re happy the new governor and new mayor are working together to improve safety for both riders and workers,” TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “Riders come in and out of the system, but this is our office. This is where we spend 8, 10, or even more hours a day. The mayor and governor are giving the issue of public safety in the transit system the focus and attention that’s required.”
Officials said the goal was not to hound the homeless with enforcement for low-level infractions but to get them the help they need to move on with their lives, and out of the transit system. Adams indicated that he believes laws need to be enforced or adapted to deal with the thorny issue of handling subway dwellers who refuse services, including alternative shelter.
Our Training and Upgrading Fund (TUF) offers courses to Union members on site and online. Offerings include computers and electronics, learning software productivity tools like MS Word and MS Excel, Math, Spanish, and sign language. Also, a course for women on exploring non-traditional careers. Get all the details by clicking on image at left for a full copy of the two-page flyer.
DECEMBER 8 -- Local 100 members have re-elected President Tony Utano to a new three-year term, as well as incumbent running mates on the Stand United Slate, Earl Phillips as Secretary Treasurer, LaTonya Crisp as Recording Secretary and Lynwood Whichard as Administrative Vice President.
Six of the seven Vice Presidents on Utano’s slate, including John Chiarello (Maintenance of Way); Richard Davis (MaBSTOA); Shirley Martin (Car Equipment); Robert Kelley (Stations); Peter Rosconi (MTA Bus/School Bus/Private Operations), and JP Patafio (TAS) were all victorious. RTO members elected Canella Gomez as their Departmental Vice President from the Progressive Change slate.
President Utano said of the results: “I want to thank the membership for placing its faith in me to lead our union for the next three years. We all kept the faith throughout the pandemic, and together battled to keep our workplaces safe and to move the union forward on all fronts. We secured billions in federal aid for the MTA which will guarantee our jobs, our benefits and sanctity of our collective bargaining agreements for the foreseeable future. Better days are coming, and I am thrilled to be able to continue as President of this great organization, TWU.”
Unofficial results on all elections have been posted on the Elections Committee page. These results will be subject to certification.
Management has issued a memo on COVID-19 testing which explains testing procedures for members who choose not to get vaccinated. It also explains how to provide proof of vaccination. You can read it here.
Five hundred transit workers hailing from India and Southeast Asia celebrated with Union leadership at a festive evening November 20th in Elmont. Officiating at the celebration were longtime CED officer Jolly Eapen and the younger members of the Committee. A great time was had by all -- the food was first rate, and Bollywood dancers and singers entertained the crowd. Enjoy the pix!
The MTA has started reimbursing Tier 6 members who were overcharged for their pensions. The checks are in the mail.
This first round of checks will be for overcharges that took place this year (2021). Reimbursements for overcharges that took place in prior years are expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2022.
TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano raised concerns earlier this year about the MTA’s pension-calculations, prompting the authority to do a comprehensive review. The review proved the concerns were on target.
Pensions are overseen by the New York State Legislature in Albany. The Tier 6 legislation mandated workers contribute 3% to 6% of their earnings through automatic paycheck deductions towards their future pensions. The legislation also limited, or capped, how much overtime could be used to calculate a retiring worker’s pension. The limit is now about $17,000 a year.
The MTA has conceded it had wrongly been making pension deductions to overtime earnings above the overtime cap.
The checks currently going out to overcharged members are for deductions on overtime earnings exceeding $17,000. The MTA will continue to deduct Tier 6 contributions for those employees on 40 hours only for the rest of the year. Deductions on OT earnings for those employees will not be subject to deduction for the remainder of 2021, and beyond.
The MTA has said that approximately 8,000 employees with the Tier 6 plan will be getting reimbursements with interest.
Local 100 Shop Steward and Carriage Horse Driver Christina Hansen goes on 1010 WINS to support her Brothers and Sisters in Central Park and their iconic industry. Listen here.
NOVEMBER 18 -- RTO Vice President Eric Loegel continued the Union's ongoing campaign to bring more public attention to the continuing issue of assaults on transit workers. With him was Conductor Trevor Thomas, who was shot in the face with a BB gun as he was pulling out of the 219th Street station on the #2 Train on November 8th. Brother Thomas described the pain and anger he felt after being shot by a gang of three teenagers. Union Rep Jose Melendez displayed Thomas's bloody shirt to assembled media. The assailants have not yet been apprehended.
