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Health Benefits: Aetna Wins the Contract to Administer Local 100 Health Benefits

The right to unilaterally change health carriers was given to the MTA by the union in the 2002 contract negotiations. The MTA has once again exercised this contractual right to bring in a new health care provider.

Starting on January 1, 2017, Aetna will be responsible for administering all the different medical plans for Local 100 members and retirees at TA/OA/MTA Bus. Each of these plans will remain distinct with the benefits and terms set in prior collective bargaining between the Union and the Authority. There will be NO change in the level of benefits due to this changeover. This change does not affect the prescription, optical and dental plans.

Some members – much fewer than in 2012 -- will see their doctor go out of network and may want to find a new one. Later this year, any member facing such a disruption will be notified by letter. Additionally, during the Open Enrollment period members will be provided with all the information they need to check for themselves. On the plus side, several thousand doctors who were out of network will now be in-network. Transitional arrangements will be made for members in special circumstances; for example, pregnant women and members undergoing chemotherapy.

This year’s Open Enrollment period will run from October 15 to December 5 for active members, and from November 1 to December 5 for retirees. Open Enrollment packs will be mailed out at the beginning of those periods. Open Enrollment informational meetings will be held at locations throughout the system, starting October 11. The schedule of meetings will be published shortly.

Active members who do not receive their Open Enrollment pack by October 15 can contact the BSC at that time. Retirees who do not receive their Open Enrollment pack by November 1 can contact the BSC at that time. However, if you do not want to change your plan you do not need to file anything during Open Enrollment, unless you want to add a dependent or if you are a retiree turning 65.

The 2012 changeover was accompanied by too much disruption and confusion. The Union is working to make sure that this time is different.

TWU Wins Standoff with MTA to Honor a Fallen New York Hero

With the City still in mourning over the death of FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Fahy, a dedicated firefighter, husband and dad who coached little league baseball and basketball, TWU Local 100 P&E workers at Kingsbridge Depot lowered the depot’s huge flag to half mast Wednesday morning as at every public building in New York City. The veteran firefighter died just blocks from the Kingsbridge Depot the day before, at the Allen Pavilion of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. He was killed by falling debris from the now notorious house explosion in the Bronx.

But the “brainless bureaucrats” at MTA-NYCT incredibly ordered the workers to raise the flag back up to full mast. Why? Because, they said, they didn’t get a go-ahead to do so from higher-ups. They also threatened to suspend the workers if they didn’t comply with a “direct order.”

With the backing of TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen, OA Maintenance Director Tom Lenane and Division Chair Mike Rehn, the workers refused to raise the flag back up. A tense stand-off ensued between the workers and the bosses. As word of the threatened suspension filtered out to the media and other TWU depots and TWU Locals, our brothers and sisters throughout the city and throughout the country demonstrated incredible solidarity. Local 100 members at depots across the city began lowering flags to half mast in solidarity with Kingsbridge and in defiance of the MTA threat. Then our brothers and sisters at ATU Local 726 on Staten Island joined in by lowering their flags to half mast at the Yukon and Castleton depots in respect to the fallen FDNY hero.

TWU Local 101 members employed by National Grid in Brooklyn did likewise at the company’s Greenpoint facility. TWU Local 501 (JFK Airport) and 513 (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) American Airlines workers joined in. So did TWU Local 525 members at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Despite the growing swell of opposition to the MTA’s idiotic and disrespectful position, bosses at Kingsbridge raised the flag back up to full mast IN FRONT OF ASSEMBLED NEWS MEDIA. TWU’s Lenane, under direct authority of President Samuelsen, told workers to lower it back to half mast. Lenane and Division Chair Mike Rehn then stood guard to make sure bosses wouldn’t try to raise it again. After several hours of this stand off, the MTA finally backed down blaming the controversy on a “miscommunication” at the depot level.

TWU’s Lenane thinks differently. He told the press: "I’m happy that it got done, but I’m really disheartened that the transit authority would have taken this position in the beginning. I mean, why did it have to go to this length in order to honor someone?" President Samuelsen agreed. He said: “This incident was the result of the disrespectful decisions of brainless bureaucrats at NYC Transit, but when workers stand shoulder to shoulder we win.”

Flags now rest at half mast on all MTA buildings in New York in honor a firefighter who gave his life in service to the City of New York and New York’s working families. Rest in peace, Battalion Chief Michael Fahy.

Contract Kickoff Rally Set for November 15th

Our contracts with the MTA expire on January 15, 2017. Local 100 President John Samuelsen has called for a mass mobilization at 2 Broadway for November 15th -- two months before contract expiration. We're putting a major presence on the street right in front of 2 Broadway to set the tone for negotiations: that transit workers will do whatever it takes to get a good contract.

The rally is set for 5pm on Tuesday, November 15th. Plan to arrive early. March with your Department and Division -- show your union pride and our determination to win. Download, print and distribute our flyer here.

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Slideshow: TWU at the African American Day Parade 2016

Union Pride on Display at Labor Day Parade

New York has the highest density of union membership in the country. That, and a high degree of union pride, were both on display at the New York City Central Labor Council’s annual Labor Day Parade on Sept. 10, 2016. TWU’s top officers, including President John Samuelsen, Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips, Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp-Sauray and Administrative Vice President Angel Giboyeaux, led the union’s contingent in the march up Fifth Avenue.

TWU was the first in the line of march behind the NYCLC Executive Board and special guests, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Gov. Cuomo made a special effort to greet TWU marchers and thank them for keeping New York City moving 24-7. The Governor also made sure that TWU members had the opportunity to grab a photo with him. Prior to the parade, the Governor held a press conference on 45^th and Fifth where he delivered a stirring message of support for New York’s unionized work force. You can see his speech at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KEr0H4t2TQ&feature=youtu.be

A Powerful March at the African-American Day Parade

The huge African-American Day Parade in Harlem on September 18th was highlighted by TWU Local 100's float, parade of bikes from the Buffalo Soldiers MC, and our MTA NYCT Honor Guard, bringing professionalism and polish to the proceedings. TWU Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips and Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp-Sauray, along with VP's from Stations, RTO, and OA, led the rank and file in the joyous event. We were also graced by the presence of Democratic Primary Winner Marisol Alcantara, who came out to march with the TWU fresh off her victory in the 31st State Senate District We served soul food to all members as well as treating union brother and sisters from Fire, PD, EMS, and Sanitation to some great eats. Enjoy the video -- photos will be up tomorrow -- and watch for the special shout-out from Dr. Bob Lee of WBLS!

President Samuelsen's Statement on the Victory of Marisol Alcantara in the 31st Senate District

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen issued the following statement about Marisol Alcantara’s victory in the Democratic primary in the 31^st Senate District. The 42,000-strong union, representing bus and subway workers, endorsed Alcantara and dispatched volunteers to the streets to campaign for her. Alcantara is the daughter of a transit worker and an organizer with the New York State Nurses Association:

“We’re proud to have played a part in Marisol’s impressive victory. Marisol is an ardent trade unionist. She understands the importance of providing good pensions, affordable healthcare and fair wages to the men and women who roll up their sleeves and get dirty everyday earning a living to support their families. She knows and appreciates that transit workers provide a vital service under difficult and dangerous circumstances. We look forward to having another ally in the State Senate.”

15th 9/11 Event A Somber Remembrance at Transport Hall

It’s been 15 years, and the 3,000 transit workers who served at Ground Zero are older and grayer. Some 200 aren’t with us at all. All were honored by President Samuelsen and the union leadership on September 7^th, when we opened the third floor to our commemoration of what transit did at the World Trade Center site on 9/11/2001. It might more fittingly be called a proclamation, because we marshaled our resources not only to award medals and pins to those who served, but also to present, in a photographic exhibition, the documentary proof of transit workers’ central role in the rescue and recovery effort.

President Samuelsen, who was a 9/11 responder, remembered the day as an all-out, unremitting effort to do what had to be done after the towers came down. City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley called 9/11 “an attack on our way of life,” and saluted the role of transit at the site. Since Samuelsen became President, Local 100 has been recording interviews and obtaining photographs from the attack on America, and the true dimensions of transit’s efforts at the site have become clear.

Almost from the instant the towers went down, transit workers all over the City were told to stop their current work and stand by for new orders – then to head down to Ground Zero with all of the heavy rigs in transit’s inventory. Our photographs – supplemented by images from New York Times photographer Aaron Lee Fineman, and the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Makely – show transit workers excavating mountains of rubble, moving crushed vehicles and debris so emergency responders could get to the scene, supplying fuel for generators, repairing cables, and operating massive cranes. Photos document our members shoulder to shoulder with fire, police, and EMS – but having a much wider and broader role than they did.

Two staffers from the National September 11^th Memorial and Museum, Joshua Walker and Hicks Wogan, attended and expressed interest in photos documenting transit’s efforts. So did three from the 911 Tribute Museum, which represents 9/11 families and has several Local 100 members volunteering there as guides.

12 current and retired TWU Local 100 members received large medals honoring their service. All have become ill from their Ground Zero service, and some have cancers that are cutting their lives short. 33 members received the union’s 9/11 participation pin, which goes to anyone who can demonstrate that they served at Ground Zero.

The union’s photo exhibit on 9/11 is currently being displayed on the third floor of the Union Hall. Real Labor Press's coverage of the event here.

In 2014, Pres. Samuelsen making our case for better pay for GCS workers to the MTA Board of Directors.

Groundbreaking Contract Approved; Features Big Raises, Job Security for Call Center Workers

The unyielding Local 100 members at the Access-A-Ride Call Center overwhelmingly ratified a groundbreaking contract with big percentage raises and much-needed job security. The final vote count from Wednesday’s balloting was 378 to 10 in favor of adoption. The ratification capped a two-year campaign for fairness and respect against Global Contact Services. GCS, an MTA carpetbagger contractor from South Carolina, operates the Call Center in Maspeth, Queens.

“GCS no longer can run roughshod over GCS workers,” TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen said. “We’ve not only secured vastly improved wages for our sisters and brothers but also a mechanism to defend their right to be treated fairly and with respect.”

Recently hired Call Center workers will see their pay rise from $9 an hour to $15 an hour – up 70% - with periodic increases between ratification and December 2018. More experienced workers now making $11 an hour will see their pay rise to $15.40 – up 40% - with this agreement. The contract also empowers workers to challenge disciplinary actions. Union officers can take cases to an independent arbitrator when a worker is being mistreated.

Local 100’s coordinated, multi-front campaign to nail down a contract began in 2014. It included putting a public spotlight on GCS’s brazen mistreatment of workers. The union convinced major media outlets to report on the paltry pay, bug-infested working conditions and out-of-control firings at the Call Center. Workers kept up the heat by repeatedly going to MTA headquarters to tell board members face-to-face about their plight.

“Our members at the Call Center were relentless in their pursuit for fairness,” Frank McCann, Local 100’s senior director of organizing, said. “This is their victory.”