All News

RTO Mourns Conductor Nevie Lacayo, 41, Dies from the Virus

Family, friends, and Union brothers and sisters are mourning Conductor Nevie Lacayo, who passed away on May 25th from the coronavirus. Brother Lacayo worked the F line on midnights, and had 17 years with New York City Transit.

Brother Lacayo was a devoted fan of the Real Madrid football club, and friends in Pena Madridista, a New York based group of fans, sadly noted his passing on their Facebook page. “It is a sad day,” they wrote. “Rest in peace, Nevie. Thank you for all the happiness that you brought us. We will always love you.” 

On Instagram early this year, Brother Lacayo gave a shout-out to his family and co-workers in Spanish. Here is a translation: “Thank you God for every day you give me the strength to get up and go to work. Thank you to my wife Marita for being my other half, for supporting me and for taking care of our children every night, to my mother and sister who never gave up on me. Much love to everyone I have met or worked with these past 17 years.”

You can see Brother Lacaya’s instagram here. In the immediate family Nevie leaves his mother, Ligia, his sister, Jessica, his wife, Marita, and his children to mourn.

Tim Schermerhorn, Retired RTO VP, Needs Our Help

Retired RTO Vice President and venerable Local 100 activist Tim Schermerhorn spent his entire union career fighting for the rights of TWU members. Now Tim needs our help. Tim’s medical situation is desperate. He is in stage 5 renal failure and needs a kidney very soon or he will die.

The family has produced this website: https://www.timmyneedsakidney.org in hopes of finding an acceptable donor. It includes Tim’s great history as an activist for Local 100 and social justice causes. Please visit the site and circulate widely on your social media pages.

TUF: Enrollment Open for our Free Summer Courses

The TWU Local 100 / MTA Training and Upgrading Fund has released our schedule of summer virtual online courses in Math and English, Electrical, Plumbing, Schematics, Social Media, Computer Skills, Mandarin, Spanish, and even a course in how to navigate the BSC! Come on board and check out the offerings here.

Gov. Cuomo Signs Covid-19 Death Benefit Bill

TWU-supported legislation granting new accidental death benefits to public workers who died after contracting COVID-19 was signed into law by Gov. Cuomo today.

The pension legislation enables a beneficiary to receive half-salary payments for life. That could be much more advantageous than the other applicable option in New York State pension law: up to three years’ pay in one lump sum. Both options are in addition to the $500,000 per transit family that Local 100 secured in negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last month.

“Nothing will replace the lives of our union brothers and sisters who perished,” Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “No piece of legislation will fill the void in our hearts. But we can ensure the families of our fallen heroes are on solid financial ground. This bill goes a long way towards that goal.”

Utano thanked Assemblyman Peter Abbate and Sen. Andrew Gounardes for introducing the accidental death benefit legislation in the state Assembly and Senate. Local 100 will be providing updates in the coming days on how the new benefits will be distributed.

Funeral Arrangements for our Brother, Adm. VP Nelson Rivera

It is with deep sadness that we announce the funeral arrangements for Administrative Vice President Nelson Rivera. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the viewing will be limited to the Rivera family and the union will process in a motorcade at the site of the funeral home. The private viewings take place on Thursday, June 4, and Friday, June 5. The procession takes place on June 4. Please see below for full details and guidelines for the event.

Alain Walker and his wife, Michelle

RTO Mourns Work Train Operator Alain Walker, 54; Dies of Coronavirus

Train Operator Alain Walker spent his entire career in New York City Transit, starting as a Station Agent at the age of 25, then moving on to Conductor and then becoming a Train Operator. He leaves three children, Amayah, 18, Tyraun, 25, and Kendall, 32, to mourn him, as well as his loving wife, Michelle.

His friend, Work Train Operator Quinton Montgomery, said, “he was right behind me. We worked together all the time. He was a good dude, good at his job. He loved his family.”

Kingsbridge Bus Operator Walter Watson Passes from Virus

Kingsbridge Depot is mourning the passing of another Brother member to the Coronavirus, Bus Operator Walter ‘Wats’ Watson. He was 55 and died on May 4, 2020. He had 20 years on the job at Jackie Gleason Depot and in recent years, Kingsbridge near his home.

Brother Watson graduated John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Navy, where he excelled in electronics and became a certified naval electrician. He served on the nuclear submarine, USS Shark out of Groton, CT. After being discharged, he was offered a civilian military position in Iraq, but decided to stay close to home and went to work for United Parcel Service.

During those years, he helped start the Marble Hill 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament for the neighborhood youth. He also worked for Baldor’s, the specialty food service company, before joining NYCT in 2000.

Kingsbridge Vice Chair Felix Olivo said that Brother Watson was “very well liked at the depot, a fun loving guy. He was a hard worker and spoke his mind. He loved his Steelers and was always wearing the Black and Yellow proudly. He’s going to be dearly missed.” Brother Watson is survived by his wife, Tiffany, a 2-year old son, Walter Watson V, two daughters, Enaj and Sydney, four sisters and three brothers.

A PBA Luncheon for Transit Workers, Unions Show Solidarity; We Demand Hazard Pay

MAY 27 -- The Police Benevolent Association came to downtown Brooklyn this afternoon to deliver boxes lunches to transit workers to thank us for getting them to work -- and making sure that the City continues to be viable during the pandemic. PBA President Pat Lynch, a former NYCT Conductor and the son of a Train Operator, spoke of the sacrifices made and the reality that both cops and transit workers do not have the option to stay home during the pandemic. President Tony Utano expressed thanks for the solidarity between our two unions and called on the authority to grant hazard pay to the workforce.

Conductor Elecier Williams Passes from the Virus at 41; ‘Favorite Niece’ of Jamaican Consul-General

Local 100 is mourning the loss of Conductor Elecier Williams, who had two years on the job and passed from the virus at the young age of 41. Sister Williams worked the extra list on the midnight tour and lived in the Bronx. She leaves a loving family which includes the Consul General of Jamaica in New York, Mrs. Alsion Roach Wilson, who called her “my favorite niece.”

Signal Maintainer Ricardo Hill is Lost to Virus

Line Equipment/Signals Division is mourning the loss to the Coronavirus of Signal Maintainer Ricardo Hill. He had 20 years on the job and passed away on May 14, 2020 at the hospital. He worked out of Liberty Junction on the A line.

Division Chair Duvet Williams, who worked with Brother Hill in the past, said that “Ricardo was a tremendous professional. He was an expert on electronics. If you needed to know anything about electronics, he would teach you.”

Brother Hill was an avid amateur photographer. “He put a lot of effort into photography. He had very expensive equipment, and was really good at it,” said Williams. “This is really sad,” said Williams. “Ricardo was in great shape from exercising and lifting weights. He was a really good person, and a very positive influence on his co-workers. We are all going to miss this great union brother.”