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Union Demands Full Investigation of Management Leak of Confidential Video

MARCH 7 -- TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello today fired off a letter to MTA CEO Janno Lieber, demanding a full investigation of how a confidential video of a union member was released and disseminated by management earlier this month. You can read the letter here.

TWU Supports Re-Introduction of the PRO Act

The Transport Workers Union of America strongly supports the introduction of the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which strengthens the collective bargaining rights of workers.

“It is time for Congress to step up and support workers,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “Republicans and Democrats alike talk a good game about supporting working people – signing onto the PRO Act and working to pass it into law shows which lawmakers will back up their words with action.”

The PRO Act is a significant legislative priority for the entire labor movement. The bill bans employer interference in union elections and would end mandatory anti-labor meetings during an organizing drive. It allows newly certified unions to seek binding arbitration and mediation when employers fail to negotiate a first contract in good faith. The bill eliminates so-called “right to work” laws and allow unions to collect dues that cover the cost of collective bargaining and administering a contract. And the PRO Act penalizes employers and corporate executives who violate workers’ rights.

The PRO Act was first introduced in 2019, and reintroduced in 2021, 2023, and 2025. The bill passed the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2021 and passed out of committee in the Senate in 2023. The PRO Act has bipartisan support, notably from President Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

TWU Local 100 Mourns the loss of Hazel Dukes

TWU Local 100 is mourning the loss of distinguished Black leader and trailblazer Hazel Dukes, who passed away this morning at the age of 92. Coming from Alabama to New York in 1955, she started school at Nassau Community College. She worked for President Lyndon Johnson's Head Start program in the 60's, becoming an outspoken leader. From 1989 to 1992, she served as the national President of the NAACP.

TWU Tests New Barriers for Bus Operators

FEBRUARY 26 -- The TWU has begun a campaign to set a new standard for transit worker safety following the shooting death of Bus Operator Bernard Gribbin, who was killed while driving his morning route in Philadelphia’s Germantown section.

On Tuesday, International President John Samuelsen and other TWU reps went to Pennsylvania for an outdoor ballistics test on bullet-resistant barriers to protect Bus Operators.

Samuelsen and TWU Local 234, which represents SEPTA workers, negotiated the agreement to install the new barriers last November. The agency has now equipped eight buses with the armored barriers for road testing for operator comfort and weight distribution. Each enclosure costs approximately $15,000 to $18,000, according to the manufacturer, Pennsylvania-based Custom Glass Solutions. Custom Glass Solutions is a leading supplier of bullet-resistant glass for US Government agencies.

After seeing the live fire exercise on Tuesday, in which marksmen with a variety of handguns shot into the barrier at close range but did not penetrate it, Samuelsen said, “This is the precedent that we’re going to use to bring to every city in America.”

Also attending the exercise from Local 100 were officers from Buses including Tom Lenane and Danny Ascona from Maintenance, MTA Bus/Private Lines VP Danny D'Amato, MABSTOA VP Donald Yates, and Sean Battaglia, Mike Capocci and Gary Rosario from Operators Divisions.

You can watch a news story about the live fire test here.

John V. Chiarello Sworn in as New Local President; Bernabel is Secretary-Treasurer; Kemp to AVP

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FEBRUARY 21 -- TWU Local 100’s Executive Board this morning installed Secretary-Treasurer John V. Chiarello, a union veteran, to be President. Chiarello will fill the remainder of the term of the former President, who resigned on Jan. 21. Chiarello is a 20-year union member who steadily rose through leadership ranks. In addition to being Secretary-Treasurer for the past two years, Chiarello has served as Chair of the Line Equipment-Signals Division and Vice President of Maintenance of Way, the largest union department.

In a speech to the Executive Board this morning, Chiarello vowed to continue the fighting legacy of TWU founder Mike Quill. “We will take no crap from management, and we will do what needs to be done to get what our members expect and deserve,” he said. “If that includes knocking down walls and shaking some foundations, we will do it.”

Chiarello called for unity as TWU Local 100 faces considerable challenges, including contract negotiations that are set to begin later this year. He said he expects MTA Chairman Janno Lieber to try and solve the MTA’s financial problems, including the potential loss of congestion pricing revenues, by squeezing transit workers for concessions.

“Lieber sweet talks the media and appears to be rational,” Chiarello said. “But he’s not. He is the most significant enemy that we in the Local and at the International have had in a long time.”

TWU International President John Samuelsen said: “Congratulations to President Chiarello and new top leadership of Local 100. The focus must immediately be put on fighting back against transit workers’ enemy, MTA CEO Janno Lieber, and the bosses who seek to harm us.”

Chiarello will complete the term vacated by former President Richard Davis, who resigned on Jan. 21. The term ends Dec. 31, 2027.

In other changes made by the Executive Board, Carlos Bernabel is moving from Administrative Vice President to Secretary-Treasurer. Alexander Kemp is moving from TA Surface Division Vice Chair to Administrative Vice President. Shirley Martin remains in her role as Recording Secretary.

Chiarello, 58, started his career with NYC Transit in 2001 as a provisional Car Inspector. He then became a Signal Maintainer and was first elected to the Executive Board in 2002. He became Division Chair of Line Equipment-Signals in 2009 and was elected to that role three times in total. In 2017, Chiarello became Maintenance of Way Vice President and was elected twice. In 2024, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer. John is a lifelong native of Brooklyn, New York and a graduate of Grady Vocational High School.

Carlos Bernabel, 55, started his career as a Bus Operator with Liberty Lines in Westchester County in 1998. He was first elected to union office in 2003 as a depot Recording Secretary. He became Division Chair of Private Operations in 2017 and elected Administrative Vice President in 2024. Born in Dominican Republic, he resides in The Bronx.

Alexander Kemp, 45, started with NYC Transit as a Bus Operator in 2011. He was first elected Local 100 Division Recording Secretary & Executive Board of TA Surface in 2021. Kemp was re-elected to the Executive Board and 1st Division Vice Chair in 2024.

Division Vice Chair Kemp Reveals Why NYC Buses are Slow

FEBRUARY 10 -- “Slow Ride” is an old rock song recorded in 1975. Now it’s also a description used to disparage New York City Bus Operators who are taking the heat for decisions made by Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the MTA, and the DOT – all who have contributed to what the report says are “painfully slow” bus speeds.

A new NYC Independent Budget Office report “blames the slow rides on heavy traffic, too few bus lanes, and inconsistent enforcement of bus lane rules by the DOT.”

New York City Bus Operators know the blame goes a lot deeper.

TA Surface Division Vice Chair Alexander Kemp goes back to 2010 when the stock market crashed and New York City Transit laid off 500 Bus Operators. Those service cuts were never restored.

“New York City Transit used to have 5 minute headways – now they are approximately 15 minutes. And people who are frustrated waiting for service are kept that way by transit supervision, who monitor, adjust, and control on-time performance,” he says. “If a bus is running late, supervision has the ability to speed the bus up to make schedule. But they don’t want to modify or adjust schedules – because this might incur an extra cost -- and people have to wait.”

“There is no shortage of operators who are available for service. NYCT will go on Twitter and say, “your bus is delayed because we’re operating with the resources we have,” but that obscures the reality, which is that we are short on buses. NYC Transit has been forced to put a large order of electric buses on hold because it lacks charging infrastructure.

Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen – and Their Transit Legacy

From Michigan comes the sad news that one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Jr. has died. He shared membership in that elite club with 12 other Black men, who came to NYC Transit after serving in World War II.

TWU Local 100 Interim President John Chiarello, honoring their legacy as part of Black History Month, said, “When our country needed fighters and pilots during World War II, the brave Tuskegee Airmen stepped up. They compiled an outstanding record of downing Nazi fighters in some of the most heroic battles of the war. But then they faced discrimination at home. TWU Local 100 stood up for the rights of Black transit workers to enjoy the same opportunities as White workers – and those included 12 of the Tuskegee Airmen who came back to start careers in transit. This month we honor them and their legacy will always live at the Tuskegee Airmen Depot in Harlem.”

Twelve members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces, found a safe landing zone in New York City Transit and Local 100 after World War II. Six of the intrepid group of 12 airmen made careers in transit, while the others worked in the subways for a number of years while putting themselves through college and law school. All of them are believed to have passed away.

The TWU Strongly Supports Marc Molinaro’s Nomination to Lead the FTA

The Transport Workers Union of America – which represents tens of thousands of transit workers across the country – strongly supports the nomination of Marc Molinaro to lead the Federal Transit Administration.

“Marc Molinaro was a strong advocate for public transit in downstate New York while serving in Congress, and his experience will be essential for navigating transit issues nationwide,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “He has demonstrated a willingness to work with everyone – including trade unions – and he understands the challenges and issues the FTA will face. The TWU strongly supports Marc Molinaro’s nomination and urges his swift confirmation.”

Molinaro defended existing federal transit worker protections while in Congress from 2023 to 2025, arguing that the current rules enabled more productive contract negotiations with TWU members in New York while he served as the County Executive of Dutchess County. He said in congressional hearings that efforts to gut a section of federal law known as 13c were “offensive” because they ultimately seek to cut jobs in favor of increased automation.

In addition to transit efforts, Molinaro fought for airline workers. He introduced legislation that would create global safety standards for U.S. aircraft repairs to prevent airlines from sending aircraft maintenance jobs to foreign countries and eventually got the legislation signed into law as part of the FAA reauthorization.

The TWU worked extensively with Molinaro during his time in Congress as the union includes tens of thousands of transit and rail workers in New York State who work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Union Posts Reward Money to Find Train Joyriders

JANUARY 30 – TWU Local 100 Interim President John V. Chiarello announced today that TWU Local 100 would match the reward offered by NYPD Crime Stoppers for information leading to the apprehension of the six unidentified men who took a R Train on a joyride last weekend. The Union will pay up to $3,500 for the information, matching the Crime Stoppers reward.

Images of the six men on platforms and entering the transit system were released today by Crime Stoppers. They NYPD announcement noted that the six individuals “caused damage to glass panels on the train,” but this was the least of it, Mr. Chiarello said.

“A bunch of reckless teens took a $20 million piece of equipment out of a secure transit layup area, endangering themselves, transit property, and transit workers who may well have been working on the tracks,” he said. “I’m outraged that this theft occurred and determined to stop copycats.”

“Train crews and riders are vulnerable to exploits like this and we have to send the message that anyone occupying and operating a train who is not a transit employee will be tracked down and punished to the full extent of the law,” Chiarello said.

The Union is also putting up the images and the reward on all of our social media channels, Chiarello said, as he called on members of the Union to be vigilant and to call in any tips or sightings to 800-577-TIPS.

Union Mourns Willie Joe Kirkland, 84, Father of Safety Director Celeste Kirkland

JANUARY 30 – Willie Joe Kirkland, a Bus Operator with 25 years of service with NYC Transit, passed away on Monday, January 27th. He was 84 years old and operated the M15 bus in Manhattan in the 70’s and 80’s.

His daughter, TWU Local 100 Safety Director and Power Cable Maintainer Celeste Kirkland said, “I loved my father, and he loved me. Everyone said I walked like him, talked like him.”

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Brother Kirkland was on a ventilator which was removed shortly before Celeste visited him at a hospital in South Carolina. They had three days together filled with love and laughter before he passed away.

In addition to his career in NYC Transit, he also was a tour bus and trolley operator, and worked as a wedding photographer. He was a man of faith and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of scripture. Willie Joe joined st Matthew's Church and served his community by teaching Sunday school.

Willie Joe Kirkland was admired by many. His memory will live on in the hearts of his family and all who knew him.

A Funeral Service will take place tomorrow, Friday, January 31 at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Ridgeland, SC, with the viewing at 10AM and the Service at 11AM.