It is with great sadness we announce the passing of retired train operator Darryl Gause’s son Nelson Lee who has transitioned on. Nelson Lee was born September 15, 1982 in Brooklyn NY. He served in the United States Navy and is survived by his 5 children. We ask that you all keep our Brother Darryl Gause and his family in prayer at this difficult time.
JULY 28 -- Stations Vice President Robert Kelley, joined by Secretary-Treasurer Richard Davis and more than a dozen other Local 100 members, heaped praise and thanks on the Collecting Agent who came to the aid of a police officer engaged in a violent struggle with an alleged fare-beater.
Appearing at the Union Hall Thursday morning, the Agent said he intervened after seeing the 16-year-old slam the officer to the ground and place the cop in a chokehold. “I was concerned about the safety of the officer, and for the public, if (the teen) grabbed his weapon,” the Agent, who requested anonymity, said.
Additional training and promotional opportunities are now available to Station Agents and CTAs in the Stations Department, Vice President Robert Kelley announced.
After discussions with management, Station Agents have a path to becoming a Collecting Agent, which would mean a pay increase of $1.13 per hour, Kelley said. Transit will pick up the cost for you to obtain your CDL license and your gun permit.You must have three years of service, and your time and attendance will be reviewed by management to determine eligibility.
Cleaners, meanwhile, can obtain their CDL, also on the company’s dime, so they can potentially pick into driver positions in the refuse department. “This is all about giving more and expanded opportunities for the Stations Department,” Kelley said. “We want the membership to have opportunities for growth, both professionally and financially.”
Station Agents interested in applying for the Collecting Agent position, go to the MTA BSC portal: https://bit.ly/3PGVu7p
Cleaners interested in the CDL write a G2 to Marie Bernoff in Refuse.
JULY 27 -- Secretary-Treasurer and Safety Director Richard Davis is sending a letter to all TWU Local 100 members who are still active and served during the rescue and recovery effort at the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. Retirees who served at the site are also being notified. The letter notes that there are two important deadlines which are coming up on September 11 of this year -- deadlines for filing a 9/11 Notice of Participation with your pension system (either NYCERS or MABSTOA) and a deadline for filing a Registration of Participation with the Worker's Compensation Board.
Read the letter to understand what these deadlines mean for you.
Statement from MOW Vice President John Chiarello, LES Division Chair Chris Canty, Vice Chair Alex Seise, Vice Chair Rosario Parlanti and the LES Committee:
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the tragic passing of one of our union brothers, Lighting Maintainer Damian Valerio. Damian was killed in motorcycle accident in Queens on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
“Damian was a great guy, a family man, who got along with everyone,” MOW Vice President John Chiarello said. “This is a terrible loss.”
SATURDAY, JULY 23 -- The first annual Buses v. Subways basketball tourney took place at the world famous Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with Buses edging out Subways 37-34. The hotly anticipated game came after the NY Liberty triumphed over the Chicago Sky and TWU Local 234 (SEPTA/Philadelphia) bested New Jersey Transit. MC's Regan Weal and Mustapha Sawaneh from Buses and Dennis Leger from Trains kept the crowd entertained before the players got down to business. At courtside were TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano, Secretary-Treasurer Richard Davis, and MABSTOA VP Donald Yates along with Operators Chair Sean Battaglia. Enjoy the photos from the event!
A Grand Central Shuttle train was taken out of service Wednesday morning after the Train Operator – acting on advice from RTO leadership – reported that his cab’s air-conditioning wasn’t working and it was unsafe to operate due the excessive heat.
RTO departmental officers have been instructing train crews to put safety first during this heat wave. The message: If temperatures spike, and the cab's air-conditioning system is broken, tell the RCC it's unsafe to operate.
The Train Operator on the Shuttle called RCC after being advised to do so by B-Division Vice Chair Kenneth Rivera, who went to the Grand Central Shuttle to investigate a report to RTO from Train Operator Patricia Phillip that a T/O was assigned a hot cab.
JULY 8 -- Bus Operator Giselle Martinez – a published author, an active union member, and the former president of a non-profit childcare provider – is the new Working Women’s Committee and Family Assistance Coordinator, President Tony Utano and Secretary-Treasurer Richard Davis announced Friday.
A Bus Operator in the TA Surface Division for seven years, Martinez penned an autobiography, “The Lady of the Miracle” (La Dama del Milagro) which chronicles the struggles she faced in her life and how she overcame them.
Friday, July 8, 2022 -- Mayor Eric Adams met with Local 100 President Tony Utano and Secretary-Treasurer Richard Davis at the Quill Depot to discuss ways to combat the assaults and abuse being inflicted on Bus Operators and our members working in the subway.
ATU Local 1179 President Jose DeJesus and ATU Local 1056 President Mark Henry also joined the meeting focused on improving workplace safety and better protecting transit workers on the job.
“This is just so important to come here and sit down and speak with the union reps that represent the members on the front line,” the mayor said after the sit-down. “You can’t deal with crime sitting behind your desk in City Hall. You have to speak with those who are impacted, hear their ideas, and that’s what we did today.”
The Mayoral meeting came a day after Utano and Davis, also the Local 100 Safety Director, announced that teams of MTA police are now riding some bus routes. “I believe we are making real progress,” Utano said Thursday. “We’ve made a big push to get police on buses, but we need more, and we need involvement from the NYPD.”
JULY 7 -- Teams of MTA police officers are now riding local buses – potentially providing a much-needed uniformed presence that will deter some of the assaults being inflicted on Bus Operators, TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano and Secretary-Treasurer Richard Davis announced today, Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Local 100, meanwhile, has formed an Employee Safety Committee of Surface Transportation with the Amalgamated Transit Union leadership and NYC Transit to develop additional recommendations to reduce assaults and the risk of injury from other hazards – and to monitor and give input on police deployment, Utano and Davis announced.
Rank-and-file Bus Operators also will have a seat at the table, Utano and Davis said. The task force will include a committee that has a Bus Operator from each depot. Victims of assaults themselves also will be on the committee.
“I believe we are making real progress,” Utano said. “We’ve made a big push to get police on buses, but we need more, and we need involvement from the NYPD.” Davis, who also serves as Local 100 Safety Director, said the MTA police teams and task force builds upon his initiative to restructure and reinvigorate the Safety Department, which will also be involved in this task force.
The MTA has told the union that the MTA police officers are being deployed to “hot spot” segments of bus routes where assaults have been particularly problematic. The targeted areas are identified by MTA Security, which has also directed some of its Eagle Teams to pay attention to local buses.
With the devastating war in Ukraine entering its fifth month, union members have stepped up to render humanitarian assistance. Organized by CED Exec Board Member Grigoryi Dunichev, who hails from Ukraine, the charity drive for TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, raised $9,600 from the membership. Local 100 contributed an additional $10,000, making the total nearly $20,000.
