Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT and Ally of TWU, Dies at 52
“Bob’s passing is also a great loss to TWU and to me personally,” Samuelsen continued. “He was a true friend and mentor. I don’t think we can even begin to quantify how devastating this loss is to our great labor movement.”
Crow was scheduled to speak at Local 100’s Quill-Connolly Day Celebration this Saturday March 15, 2014. He spoke at last year’s Quill-Connolly day event; at the TWU International Convention in September 2013 and at a number of other TWU events over the years.
Crow also joined Local 100 President John Samuelsen at an MTA Board meeting in New York during Jay Walder’s time at MTA Chairman. Crow who had warred frequently with Walder during his days as CFO of the London Underground, had come to support TWU’s fight against layoffs and service reductions in 2010.
Bob’s older brother Richard called Bob a "loveable little rogue. We grew up together in Chigwell in Essex and he was a very likeable chap - no matter what people said about his politics. He was honest, he looked after the people he was supposed to look after, and he was a great man as far as honesty and beliefs went."
He added: "When people have a high office in life they fall for the big trappings of the flash cars and the big hotels and big houses. But Bob wasn't like that, he was a genuine person of the people."
Tributes from all corners of Britain came pouring in as news of Crow’s death spread across Britain’s news wires. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who recently clashed with Crow during a two-day RMT strike of the London Underground, said: “I’m shocked. Bob Crow was a fighter and a man of character. Whatever our political differences, and there were many, this is tragic news. Bob fought tirelessly for his beliefs and for his members. It's a sad day.”
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, one of England’s largest labor organizations, said: “Bob understood that the job of the union leader is to stand up for the members you represent. He, like all of us, believed that strike action was the last resort - but when everything else had failed, and you couldn't get the employer to take you seriously, then taking strike action was the right thing to do.”
Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said: “This is shocking news. Bob was an outstanding trade unionist, who tirelessly fought for his members, his industry and the wider trade union movement. He was always a good friend and comrade to me. We will miss him, and our thoughts are with his family and the RMT at this difficult time.”
Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, said: ‘If you think in terms of what's a tribute to him, I can't think of any other job that working class people do that's got good wages and conditions and a pension - all the others have been eroded.”
A Track Worker at 16
Bob Crow was born and raised in East London. He left school at 16 to work for London Transport, as part of a rail-fixing and tree-felling gang. In an interview some months back, Crow said and he "fell in love" with trade union activism soon afterwards, and described his politics as "communist/socialist.” His involvement in unions started when he was 19 after getting into a dispute with his section boss over work duties.
In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Monday on BBC Radio Crow said of himself: "At the end of the day, as general secretary of a union, you've got to be larger than life. You don't want to mooch around in a grey suit and eat a cheese sandwich every lunch-time. You want someone with a bit of a spark about him.”
He is survived by his partner, Nicola Hoarau, and four children.