Horse-Drawn Carriage Drivers Affiliate with TWU Local 100

OCTOBER 2 -- Horse-drawn carriages - one of New York City’s most popular tourist attractions – are back in Central Park after a nearly 7-month absence. Carriage rides were temporarily halted in March when the state directed all non-essential businesses to close because of the pandemic.

“The drivers and horses provide so much color, and are such a familiar part of the New York City landscape, just the sight of them will bring smiles to peoples’ faces,” owner-driver Colm McKeever said. “I believe that in my heart and soul. Manhattan has seen some dark days, but this is a step towards normalcy. It will give people a little hope that we will get out of this mess.”

The 162-year-old industry in NYC features 68 licensed horse-drawn carriages. Drivers are now affiliating themselves with Transport Workers Union Local 100. The union represents 40,000 bus and subway workers at the MTA, but also has a growing number of members holding tourism-related jobs. They include bus drivers at both Big Bus Tours and New York Waterway.

“There’s no doubt that workers have a better chance defending and improving their livelihood when they are united,” Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “It’s true whether you are operating a bus, a subway train or horse-drawn carriage. We look forward to working with the carriage drivers and their beloved horses.”

Read more in today's Daily News here.

Pres. Utano salutes Brother Whichard with a fist bump after he swore him into office under the Union Constitution

Executive Board Elevates Lynwood Whichard To Administrative Vice President; Also Names Robert Kelley as Stations Vice President, And Derick Echevarria as Stations Division Chair

September 29, 2020 -  The Local 100 Executive Board today elevated Stations Division Vice President Lynwood Whichard to Administrative Vice President, to fill the void left by the passing of Nelson Rivera on May 23, 2020. Whichard joins President Tony Utano, Secretary Treasurer Earl Phillips and Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp in the top four elected positions in the union. The Board then voted to elevate Stations Division Chair Robert Kelley to Vice President of Stations, and also named Derick Echevarria as Division Chair for CTA's.

Local 100 President Tony Utano said that the Board’s actions “adds a powerful new element to the union’s already strong leadership team.” He said that Brother Whichard “brings an incredible work ethic, an impressive history of community service, and powerful advocacy for transit workers to this new role.  I am proud to have him as a new partner in this vital local-wide leadership position. We face some very tough challenges in the months ahead,” said Utano.  “With Brother Whichard as Administrative Vice President and the united leadership team of Vice President Robert Kelley and Division Chair Derick Echevarria in Stations, we are better prepared to take on whatever comes our way.”

Brother Lynwood Whichard, a Station Agent, has been with NYCT since 1988.  He graduated from Boys and Girls HS and attended Boricua College in Brooklyn.  Before Transit, he worked in the printing industry as a linotype operator and graphic artist. He was been representing his co-workers for 20 years in a variety of roles, including Shop Steward, Executive Board member, Division Recording Secretary and Vice President.  He believes that the union plays a vital role in our members’ lives that goes beyond contracts and grievances.  “Our members are dealing with so much in their private lives.  It’s important for us to understand each individual’s personal challenges to properly represent them.  Overall though, we as a union must provide our members with the peace of mind that their jobs are safe and secure, and that the union always has their backs.”

Brother Whichard is a bit of a Renaissance man.  He holds a Black Belt in Aikijujitsu.  He started a non-profit community after school and Saturday program in Brooklyn, where he taught reading, writing, martial arts and life skills. In addition, he worked as a site supervisor for many years at one of America’s leading community-based organizations, the Jackie Robinson Center for Physical Culture in Brooklyn.

He has received numerous awards for his community service, including the United States Congressional Award for Outstanding Community Service.  In 1993, he was cited by the New York Times as a Positive Role Model in his community. Whichard is also active in the civil rights movement and is a strong supporter of Black Lives Matter. He and his wife of 27 years have six children.

Local 100 Member and Air Force Veteran Kevin Hertell Taking Action to Save Lives

By Pete Donohue
TWU Local 100 Communications

Kevin Hertell likes to fix things. He spent four years repairing and servicing fighter jets as an F-16 Crew Chief with the U.S. Air Force. For the past 13 years, he’s been working on subway trains as a Car Inspector at an overhaul shop in northern Manhattan. And now the skilled mechanic is squaring up to a national problem of epic and tragic proportions: suicides by U.S. military veterans. He has started a non-profit organization, is lobbying for a new state-designated “day of remembrance,” and even designed a new flag for supporters to rally around.

“Most, if not all suicides, are preventable,” he said. “It just requires intervention and treatment. There’s no good reason why we can’t make a difference.” The stigma attached to suicide prevents many people mired in mental distress from seeking the professional help they need. That’s particularly true for those with military training who have been influenced by a “warrior culture” that celebrates physical and mental toughness. But Hertell believes that stigma can be defeated by raising awareness and fostering conversations about the often-taboo subject.

Towards that end, he came up with the idea of having a Sept. 22nd officially designated as Veteran Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day. September is suicide prevention month. By some estimates, 22 military veterans take their own lives every day. After meeting with Hertell, state Sen. Jen Metzger introduced the necessary legislation last year. The Senate passed the bill in July. Companion legislation is pending in the state Assembly.

MTA Moving on Union Testing Demands

TWU Local 100 has been urging the MTA to adopt a COVID-19 testing and screening program to identify members who might have the virus - but are not yet experiencing symptoms. This goal appears in the TWU 10-Point Transit Plan For a Re-Opened NYC, which the union released in May.

Since then, Local 100 President Tony Utano and other union officers have stressed the importance of this issue to elected officials, the media and MTA management. Now, it appears the MTA is moving in that direction.

MTA’s Chief Safety Officer Patrick Warren briefed MTA board members Wednesday on what he described as efforts to protect workers and riders from a “second wave” of the virus hitting the region. In hi comments, Warren said “we are pursuing cutting edge rapid diagnostic testing protocols to provide more effective, early screening of employees and contractors that live outside the NYC metropolitan area before they encounter our workforce and customers.  We are also seeking new, inexpensive rapid testing protocols that could further help identify individuals that have contracted the virus but are asymptomatic in order to limit their ability to expose others to the virus.”

This echoes the language in item No. 3 in TWU’s 10-Point Transit Plan. That calls for the “testing of TWU Local 100 members in large numbers (testing size to be determined by an expert) with the objective of curtailing the spread of the virus by workers who are asymptomatic.”

TWU Local 100 will be meeting with Warren and other authority executives to obtain more details and provide input on any new testing and screening tactics. “We will withhold final judgement until we receive more details, but this is a good sign,” Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “It appears that Local 100’s advocacy on this very important issue is getting results.

Warren also said the authority will increase Call Center staffing in the coming months if necessary, to stay on top of contact tracing and employee communications, which Local 100 also covered in its 10-point plan. You can read Warren's complete report to the MTA Board here.

Union Releases Final List of Scholarship Winners

Our TWU Local 100 scholarship winners were awarded earlier this year, but some winners were later found to be not qualified for various reasons. We are now releasing the final list, and you can see it here. Red strike throughs represent grants that were withdrawn. Questions can be directed to Trustee Shannon Poland at spoland@twulocal100.org

Transit Workers -- Essential All the Time

Transit workers are essential all the time.

The MTA would be making a grave mistake if it moved to reduce transit worker jobs, TWU Local 100 stressed again after Sunday’s sabotage and derailment.

Local 100 President Tony Utano was quoted in the NY Daily News and other media outlets  following the incident.

“This was an all-hands on deck emergency with transit workers from multiple divisions responding to assist riders and then begin repairing the extensive damage” Utano said. “It’s a stark reminder that the MTA can’t cut its front-line workers even if the federal government fails to provide funding in a COVID relief package.”

The Operator and Conductor on board the A train that derailed stepped up in the crisis as transit workers always do, Utano said. They helped evacuate riders, and the Train Operator tended to a wounded passenger. Another train was stuck in the area of ‪34th St.‬ Transit workers again assisted in their safe passage out of the system.

MOW workers, meanwhile, pulled off another miracle, working around the clock to restore subway service for the ‪Monday morning‬ rush.

CIOH Workers Mourn Passing of Frank Gurrera, 95, an Inspiration to Generations of Transit Workers

Local 100 Members at the Coney Island Overhaul Shop are in mourning today with the news that Frank Gurrera had passed away at the age of 95. Frank had worked at the shop for 50 years and was an “inspiration” to his co-workers both union and management, according to Shop Chair Eugene Leybovich.

Local 100 President Tony Utano said of Frank’s passing: “This is a very sad day for everyone in Local 100 and New York City Transit, especially our Brothers and Sisters at the Coney Island Overhaul shop.  He was a wonderful, kind man who brought joy to his workplace every day.  He was not only a skilled machinist, but a teacher and mentor to generations of transit workers at Coney Island. We  all owe Frank a huge debt of gratitude for his skill as a worker, his dedication to his union, his love of his coworkers, and his lifetime of contributions to NYCT, our great City and our country.  He is a shining example of the very best of the human spirit. May he Rest in Peace.”

Shirley Martin, Vice President of Car Equipment, said this about Brother Gurrera: "Frank was an amazing individual. At the young age of 95, his brain was very sharp and he could still fabricate the most intricate precision work. I’m going to miss his smile when used to see me and say "Here comes my favorite Union rep!"

Sister Martin continued: "Each time I asked him when he was going to retire he’d say, 'After you. Why retire? I have no one home.' I used to joke with him that he’s Pension Tier Zero."

Frank was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy Seabees, and saw heavy action in the Mediterranean and the invasion of southern France in 1944. He joined New York City Transit in 1970 after having worked for 20 years as a machinist in several shops, including for 15 years at a research and development company that built gyroscopes for the U.S. space program.  “I worked on parts for the Titan II Missile system and for the first moon shot,” he recalled in an interview on his 90th birthday.

Once when asked about retirement, Frank said: “I’ve never thought about retiring. What would I do? I enjoy the work. I enjoy making things. I enjoy helping my co-workers. It keeps my mind occupied, my hands skillful. It keeps me going.”

On his beloved place of work at Coney Island, he said: “I’m glad I work there; glad I spend my time there. I’m part of a family.

MTA Announces Free Flu Shot (Seasonal Influenza) Locations

MTA/NYCT will be administering free flu shots to all active employees at locations across the five boroughs. Click here for locations.

Here is a new list of locations released on October 7th. Get it here.

Suspects in Manhattan Assault on Bus Operator Caught

Maint. of Way Mourns Light Maintainer Delroy Durant, 35

Union Brothers and Sisters at the Infrastructure Capital Construction Shop at Queensboro Plaza are mourning the untimely passing of Brother Light Maintainer Delroy Durant. A tragic accident off the job took his life.

Rosario Parlanti, Division Vice Chair, described Durant, who worked nights, as "an outgoing kid, ambitious, who wanted to become a union rep." Durant, 35, had three and a half years on the job.

"The guys in the shop all say he was an all-around guy, easy to get along with, and pleasure to work with." He leaves his wife, Lana, and two children.

Arrangements will be posted as soon as we have them.

Cleaner Fayah Gbollie with Pres Utano and MOW VP John V. Chiarello

At Union Hall, Pres. Utano Honors Four with 9/11 Medal

SEPTEMBER 10 -- TWU Local 100 honors our 9/11 responders with recognition pins and medals. The pins are for all who responded, some ordered to do so by the MTA (they could have refused, citing safety, but no one did), and many who volunteered, working long hours on their own time. Over 3,000 were there from the first hours of the attack, clearing debris with heavy rigs to that FDNY and NYPD could access the scene, putting up lighting for responders, ferrying police, firefighters, and health care personnel to and from Ground Zero, accessing communications infrastructure, cutting iron and steel, and pumping out and draining the subway tunnels.

We honor our 9/11 responders who have fallen victim to health issues from their 9/11 service with the 9/11 medal. These are given to those members who have illnesses and injuries verified by the federal Victims Compensation Fund. Yesterday, we honored Hydraulic Maintainer (Ventilation and Drainage) Clairmont Arthur, CTA Fayah Gbollie, BusOperator Tommy McNally, and Bus eOperator Anthony Tousius. Track Maintainer Rafael Hernandez, now retired in Florida and unable to attend, was also honored.

In the photos: Bus Operators Tousius and McNally with Pres Utano, VP Chiarello, and former Ulmer Park Depot Chair James Manzella.

Ventilation and Drainage Maintainer Clairmont Arthur, with his wife and Pres Utano.

239th Street Shop Mourns Death of Co-Worker Billy Wright

SEPTEMBER 10 -- The Local 100 workforce at the 239th Street train yard in the Bronx is in mourning today with the tragic death of CED Cleaner Billy Wright.  He was only 40 years old and was found unresponsive on the tracks at the yard by a co-worker.  He appeared to have fallen and hit his head on the running rail, but the cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner.

The accident happened at about 5:00 a.m.  Brother Wright worked the midnight shift at the yard.  He had nearly four years on the job.

Co-worker and fellow Cleaner, Marjorie Stewart, worked with Brother Wright for the past three years and said that everyone at the shop “is in shock.”

“Billy was such a nice person, hard-working, respectful and quiet.  He was well-liked by everyone.  I cried when I found out what happened.  This is devastating for everyone at the shop.”

Local 100 President Tony Utano said of Brother Wright’s death: “This is another gut punch for every transit worker.  We are working closely with the authorities to determine what happened today.”

CED Vice President Shirley Martin said: “This is a very sad day for the entire workforce at 239th Street.  We are reaching out to Brother Wright’s family and will assure them that the union will help them through this difficult time.  Our hearts go out to his family, friends and co-workers. This has been a very difficult time for all transit workers.  To lose another Brother member in this manner is truly heartbreaking.”

Pres. Utano advocating for mask enforcement before the NYS Legislature in August

Union Welcomes $50 Penalty for Not Wearing a Mask

SEPTEMBER 10 -- TWU Local 100 has been advocating for enforcement of the mask rule with fines for months – and that advocacy paid off Thursday. Gov. Cuomo announced Thursday that riders not wearing masks will face a $50 fine. Enforcement will be the responsibility of the NYPD, the MTA police, and MTA Bridge and Tunnel officers, the authority said.

“This is an important step towards making the bus and subway system safer, and we are grateful that the Governor heard us on this issue,” Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “This is good news for both transit workers and riders. Anyone who doesn’t wear a mask, or some other face covering, puts everyone at risk. We recognize that a fine could be hardship for some. You know what’s harder? Going to a funeral because someone didn’t wear a mask on a bus or train.”

A July survey by Local 100 found that on some bus routes only 60% of riders were wearing masks.

Mask enforcement was one of the items in Local 100’s 10-point Transit Plan for A Re-opened New York City. President Utano called for enforcement during his testimony before a joint hearing by the state Assembly and Senate. He also made the case in an Op-Ed published in the New York Daily News and multiple media interviews. “Just days after Labor Day, this development illustrates why unions and union advocacy matters,” Utano said.

Daily News Report: Structure Maintainer Saves Man Who Fell to Tracks at Jay St

Utano Blasts MTA Threats of Cutbacks in New Radio Spots

Local 100 launched a new radio campaign against the MTA’s threats of layoffs and wage freezes, declaring the union will not reopen its contract and that transit workers “have sacrificed way too much” already.

The spot also calls on the MTA to stop paying out huge sums of money to consultants and contractors for work that can be done by the in-house workforce.  Utano also calls for the reinstatement of the stock transfer tax “so Wall Street can pay its fair share.”

The 60-second spots began running after midnight on Labor Day.  You can hear it here.

 2^nd Spot Reminds Riders to Wear a Mask
A second 15-second spot reminds New Yorkers to wear a mask when riding the buses and trains.  You can hear that one here.