MAY 1, 2025 -- TWU Local 100 President John V. Chiarello kicked off the 2026 contract campaign in a rousing speech to members outside of MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway at the conclusion of the big May Day rally which progressed down Broadway. Pointing to the towering building, Chiarello said the MTA is going to try to extract concessions, but "they're not going to get it off our backs."
"Today marks the day we put our stake in the ground, and we're going to fight. And when we fight, we win," he added.
The rally at 2 Broadway capped an afternoon of marching with thousands of union activists and worker advocates that started at Foley Square. The annual May Day rally, which celebrates International Workers Day, had special urgency because of the widespread attacks on workers and unions under the current administration in Washington.
