TWU Carriage Drivers Fight Back

August 19—TWU Local 100 members from across the spectrum of buses and subways came out today to support their carriage driver siblings in a rally outside Council Member Erik Bottcher’s midtown office.

Bottcher has been targeting the welfare of both the Central Park carriage drivers and the horses with demands the carriages be banned and claims that the animals, who are loved and treasured by the drivers, are mistreated.

“Why ruin this industry? What, over rich, elite people who want the real estate from the stables? Give me a break. Tell Erik Bottcher to come of his high horse and get down here,” said TWU Local 100 President John V. Chiarello, standing alongside hundreds of Local 100 members.

“They want to take the horses out of the park. I remember as a young child my dad taking me to Central Park and riding in a carriage and saying ‘Man, this is like the top of the world. I can’t believe it--this is so beautiful’. And you want to take that away? There’s tourism that’s involved. I call on Mayor Adams to get involved in this. All we want is a stable inside Central Park,” said Chiarello.

The horses have been part of Central Park’s history since the first section of the park opened in 1858, and indeed, the world-famous park was designed with horses in mind.

The horses work most of the time in the park and are housed in stables on West 52nd St. with 24-hour attendants. Veterinarians who have visited the stables over the years have remarked on the quality of the accommodations and feed for the animals.

Bottcher has repeatedly been invited to the stables but has never taken the drivers up on it.

“They want to build high-rise condominiums where our stables are,” said Christina Hansen, a carriage driver and TWU Local 100 shop steward. “This is about the rich folks, the millionaires and billionaires trying to pick on the working-class people. We’re here to support our horses and our families.”

Chants of “Stop the lies” and “No horses, no park” punctuated the rally, as members waved signs featuring some of the beloved Central Park equines.

“Make no mistake, we are not walking away. The carriage drivers are Local 100 and we will stand with them.”