TWU Local 100 Endorses Eric Adams for Mayor of New York City

APRIL 29 -- TWU Local 100 overwhelmingly and enthusiastically endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for mayor today.

The Local 100 Executive Board voted overwhelmingly after hearing from eight leading candidates at the Union Hall in Brooklyn.

“Our members and officers have known Eric for a long time,” TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “He’s stood with us in many battles and has always been there for us. He’s earned this endorsement and richly deserves it.”

Working in the Heat

Working in hot environments is not safe. Your body builds up heat when you work and sweats to get rid of it. Too much heat can make you tired, hurt your job performance, and increase your chance of injury. When the temperature changes quickly, you need time for your body to get adjusted to the heat. Be extra careful early in the summer when hot spells begin.

You have a right to a safe & comfortable work environment:

Clean water provided through a fountain, cooler or bottled water at all locations
Cool Work areas and break rooms
Ventilation to bring in clean air and take out hot air
Make adequate water supplies part of your daily workplace inspection

Need relief? Follow up with supervision immediately:

Bus- Call console, request immediate medical assistance
RTO- command 212-712-4480
CED- call your Barn Chair or Local Union rep
MOW- control 212-712-4120

If needed, file a Safety Rule Dispute Resolution Form.

For Stations: To follow up with supervision, call your respective Field Office. If you are a CTA, you can also ask for a comfort by entering the booth to cool down. If you feel unwell, you must notify OSAC and inform them that you are going home. Doctor’s lines will be needed on your return. Field Office numbers are as follows: 125th Street: 212-712-3127 or 718-436-8421; 44th Street: 212-424-5407 or -5408; 7th Ave: 718-243-3903 or 243-3905; Parsons-Archer: 718-334-8106. OSAC is 347-694-6500. Sick Desk for CTA’s ext. 42.

Click here to download a printed version of this message. Print it out and post it in your workplace.

For Stations Department members, click here.

One good flyer deserves another.

London Calling! TWU Local 100 Glad to Help Out

London’s Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (the RMT) – our brothers in arms across the pond – found inspiration in our recent graphic campaign to slow trains and prevent subway fatalities. We sent them our graphics files and they went to work, repurposing our graphic image of a chalk outline on the roadbed and making it the centerpiece of their campaign to bring back laid off workers who ensure safety on the Bakerloo line. The line’s management cut staffing, forcing train operators to drive out of service trains into stations or “sidings” in yards without checking for passengers who didn’t get off in time. The RMT points to the case of a 12-year old boy who found himself alone in a yard walking the tracks. Now the public is getting the message that this unsafe practice should end and that they should let London Underground management know they need to bring back the laid-off staff. See the RMT’s flyer here.

Unions Are Under Attack!

Union Files Grievance for Affected Members in Congestion Pricing Zone

MARCH 14 -- TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello has sent a letter to MTA CEO Janno Lieber demanding reimbursement for union members who must report to work in the Congestion Relief Zone and pay a toll. The letter was accompanied by a formal grievance filed on behalf of union members who work in the congestion zone.

In the letter, President Chiarello tells Lieber that union members picked into jobs within the congestion zone when the project was on pause, not expecting to pay the $9 toll. That expectation was upended when the tolls went into effect. Therefore, these members should be made whole.

He told Lieber: "You neglected to consider thousands of your own employees who work in the relief zone -- many who work in locations that are not easily accessible by transit. You didn't think these workers were worthy of an exemption, even while going to and from their jobs." The City's largest Bus Depot, the Michael Quill Depot, is located on 11th Avenue at 40th Street, a substantial walk from the nearest subway stop.

You can read the letter and the grievance here.

Building Power at Lobby Day: Our Day in Albany is March 19

TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello will lead over two thousand transit workers to Albany on March 19th, speaking truth to power and advocating for our legislative agenda during a time when unions are under attack. Our priorities include improving pensions, preventing one person train operation, and helping our veterans.

TWU Celebrates Women's History Month

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Us!

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

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.