Safety hazards, some of them serious, are crying out for attention across the transit system, according to the new leaders of the Transport Workers Union Local 100.
In one of its first moves since assuming office last week, union officials began fanning out across the buses and subways to assess safety problems and are demanding they be corrected.
“We do intend to enforce safety in ways that the previous administration didn’t,” said John Samuelsen, (ok lets see what so different) TWU’s incoming president.
Early Monday morning, union officials found 18 buses in use with maintenance problems at the Kingsbridge Depot, which houses buses used on busy Bronx and Manhattan lines like the M100 and Bx1. The problems ranged from “relatively minor to serious defects,” Samuelsen said, including a burnt-out headlight, loose mirror and faulty signal. (ok 19 A inspection, (pre-trip inspection) that’s what the previous administration had done hundreds of times at 4am in the morning before the buses pullout. Reminder Samuelsen learned that under Toussaint’s leadership ) Buses hit the streets with defects “more often than folks realize,” Samuelsen said.
The buses were pulled before they hit the road, causing service interruptions, NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said.
Still, Seaton chalked up the findings to a whole lot of nothing, with only six of the defects serious enough to warrant pulling the buses. The problems went undetected because bus drivers hadn’t reported them at the end of their shifts, Seaton said.
“Buses do not go out in an unsafe condition,” Seaton said.
The purchasing of hundreds of new buses and train cars has caused service breakdowns to sink to historic lows, according to MTA statistics. But union leaders allege that some failures go unreported.
In the coming weeks, TWU has pledged to:
- Walk subway tracks to look for rail defects (that’s the job of the track inspector, so Samuelsen will have staff run out and rat out the track inspectors to the bosses)
- Conduct unannounced safety inspections at bus depots and subway repair shops (just like the Toussaint administration did, with TWU Safety dept.As well as trained hundreds of monthly walk-around reps in each department)
If the inspections continue, Seaton said the TWU should at least do them at night to prevent interrupting service.
Changing work environments can be a challenge. Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen has spent the last three weeks adjusting to working days—he was a Track Inspector working night shifts for several years prior to his election in December—and traded the dark tunnels of the subway for a roomy office in the union’s Upper West Side headquarters.
Elected as a dissident fortified by the members’ anger against then-President Roger Toussaint, (angry against Toussaint, not that John would be better or had a vision but because they were angry at Toussaint, question is why they were angry at Toussaint.Maybe cause of the lies spread by John?) Mr. Samuelsen kept a few trophies. On his desk was a model of a Northern Ireland wall with the phrase “You are now entering Free Derry,” a nod to his Irish Republicanism.(Republican is right) He also displayed Mr. Toussaint’s presidential parking sign, which he said he would get rid of soon. (Interesting, what’s that all about)
Puts Election Foe on Staff (broken promise #1 he said there would be no loser on staff)
His Take Back Our Union slate nearly swept the election, and while Mr. Samuelsen gave several of his candidates who lost their election bids—including TA Surface vice president candidate Harry Wills, who (has lost in the last 3 election) was defeated by incumbent and Toussaint loyalist Stephan Thomas—staff jobs, he pledged to work with the allies of the old administration and has given a job to his opponent in the race, Curtis Tate. (Loser)
“He’ll be doing political work,” Mr. Samuelsen said during a recent interview, noting that the move will help end the union’s infighting. (“infighting” Samuelsen created all that, he did nothing but snipe and lie about everything Toussaint did to better this Union)
Internal matters have taken up most of Mr. Samuelsen’s time during the transition, and he has vowed to cut non-essential spending. Mr. Samuelsen has put most of the division chairmen on union payroll, (Now they all owe John there job’s remember what John kept saying about Toussaint, he puts them on the payroll so now they owe him their allegiance andnot the members) though some stayed on employer-based release time, which limits what kind of representation an officer can do. An officer on union payroll can participate in dues-collection drives, while those on transit release time cannot, for example.
“If you were elected as a chair you should be on the union payroll to ensure that the members of that division are going to have proper representation,” he said. (lie #2 that’s not what he was saying when Toussaint was President, he said they were bought by Toussaint, so now John’s buying them off)“We have 15 divisions and 15 chairmen have now been offered a union payroll job and nearly every one of them has taken it. I think there might be three that have chosen not to. And that’s not for political reasons, but because they have the ability to make money, more money than the union could pay them.”(so its about making more money for John and not representing the members)
Still Waiting on Contract Hikes
But at the dawn of 2010, the union is scrambling under its new leadershipto prepare to engage with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has sought layoffs and a restructuring of the workforce. In addition, New York City Transit members have yet to receive wage increases under an arbitration award (because the TA appealed the arbitration decision) retroactive to last January granting 11-percent raises over three years, as the MTA unsuccessfully challenged it in court; it has yet to announce whether it will appeal the lower court’s decision.
It is often the case when rabblerousing union dissidents get elected that they tone down their rhetoric, because the nature of being a union president requires a working relationship with management. (here it comes) Mr. Samuelsen long criticized Mr. Toussaint’s self-described partnership with both MTA and NYC Transit managers, (and he jumps) but he has already met with MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder and NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast, (full swan dive right into bed) and said that he is laying the groundwork for a good relationship with the transit heads. (so John just lied to everyone just to get elected, when he was telling you Toussaint was in bed with the Bosses.You mean Toussaint the man that lead our strike knowing he’d go to Jail, was sleeping with the bosses.So what did John just do with less than 3weeks in office, he already chose which side of the bed is his?)
Start Off Right
“I do not expect to have an antagonistic relationship with them,” Mr. Samuelsen said. (There goes his promise of “decisive actions.”They must have a sleep number bed, how else can you turn so quickly) “I’m not the kind of guy that’s going to get into personal insults with them back and forth, (No he just slanders Union Presidents and lies to the members, but he will be respectful to the bosses) which may have happened in the past. That type of thing is not going to contribute to a sour relationship on my end. But then again, I do recognize that my job is to lead New York City Transit workers, and to protect and advance our wages and benefits. And to that extent we have diametrically opposite positions.”
Mr. Samuelsen has vowed to vigorously fight the MTA’s plan to cut 700 transit jobs. He backs a City Council proposed plan (hold on there, John has repeatedly said that politicians are a waste ofmoney, whores for a vote) to help the agency’s financial problems without instituting cuts, by using 10 percent of Federal stimulus money for operational costs. In addition to the layoffs, the current budget plan calls for the elimination of two subway lines, several bus routes, and free MetroCards to public school students, all of which have riled rider groups.
Mr. Samuelsen said that Local 100 will work more closely with rider advocates than it did under the Toussaint administration.
“We have a community organizer right now that’s working hand-inhand with various groups,” he said. “He’s very involved with the student groups and community groups that are rightfully opposing the stripping of MetroCards from New York City school kids. We’re prepared to fully involve ourselves with the community. Our interests are one and the same.” (This from the guy that said we can only get a raise if they raise the fare, so why is Toussaint siding with the riding public?)
Wage Delay ‘A Severe Injustice’
Notwithstanding Mr. Samuelsen’s plans to maintain good relationships with management, he noted that the MTA’s challenge to the arbitration award has left a sour taste in the mouths of Local 100 members.
“Transit workers want their wage increases,” Mr. Samuelsen said bluntly. “They’ve been dealt a severe injustice by the MTA and by New YorkState in the withholding of these wage increases. The wage package is far inferior to what the established citywide pattern was. (you mean while other Unions were giving back, we gave nothing back and got an 11.3% raise plus extras and that’s inferior?Oh, wait that’s right he promiseMoW prevailing wage in the next contract. Cant wait!)
The arbitrator wrote the staggering of the wage increases and the loss of retroactive pay in the arbitration award itself in order to ensure that the actual wages that transit workers earned off the arbitration award would come in the neighborhood of 8.5 percent, rather than 11. (Sounds like Ainsley Stewart Math, 1.5 = 4.5 now 11.3% is 9% no no 7%) [He was referring to the cash cost of the deal being less than the actual increase in pay rates.] (and look the chief has to explain what he really means) (John that beds getting crowded) And even in light of that it still wasn’t good enough for the MTA and the state. So transit workers feel betrayed by their employer. It’s only served to exacerbate an already strained relationship. In terms of the budget, transit workers are used to the MTA saying they have no money.”
At the last MTA board meeting, Mr. Walder along with several board members blamed labor costs for the bulk of the agency’s financial woes, with the other villain being Albany legislators who have failed to come up with viable long-term funding streams for transportation in the down-state region.
A Little Help From Her Friend
Mr. Samuelsen rolled his eyes at the suggestion from Mr. Walder and board member Nancy Shevell, a transportation industry executive best known as the girlfriend of Paul McCartney, that “archaic work rules” were crippling the agency’s ability to function efficiently.
“She wouldn’t even know where to find a copy our contract let alone point to a work rule,” he said. “She’s just another rich businesswoman who doesn’t think transit workers should be treated fairly. She should get Paul Mc- Cartney to bail out the MTA.”
Mr. Samuelsen’s challenge as president will be to address the concerns of workers in a myriad of titles. One of his campaign promises was to aid the often under-represented (You mean the division that got a raise in their pension got parity with ta/oa drivers) and smaller faction of the union, the Private Bus Lines Division. He said last week that the union is planning on organizing non-union school bus companies and vowed to fight several decertification drives in Local 100-represented companies.
While Mr. Samuelsen’s TBOU slate won that division, the incumbent vice presidents succeeded in the two divisions representing NYC Transit Bus Operators and Bus Maintainers. He vowed to stop the MTA’s efforts to consolidate MTA Bus with TA Surface and the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operation Authority.
Vision for Track Safety
As for Mr. Samuelsen’s home division— Maintenance of Way—(where he promised to get us prevailing wages, can’t wait for that, in the upcoming contract) the main issue is track safety. (Wasn’t John saying there were pick issues, RDO issues, so now its only safety issues, lies lies lies) After two Track Workers were killed within days of each other in 2007, Local 100 pushed for a comprehensive track safety bill that would have established concrete work regulations.
The MTA strongly opposed such a bill, and when Mr. Toussaint agreed to a compromise that created a track safety task force (that now gives us the ability to sit with the TA and review, revise old safety rules and develop new ones that have benefited our members) consisting of the NYC Transit and Local 100 presidents that same year, Mr. Samuelsen decried it as a massive sell-out. (what else would he have said, lies)
Two and half years later, Mr. Samuelsen contended it was too early to say whether track safety was going to be on the union’s political agenda, (wait, didn’t he just say it was the main issue in track and that it was a massive sell-out, but it can wait. So it really wasn’t that important, just important enough to get him elected) but noted that Local 100 would still aggressively push for better track safety measures through both the task force (Toussaint’s creation) and the joint committees overseeing track safety (Toussaint’s creation) established after the two deaths.
“We’re going to work in that framework right now,” he said. “We haven’t made a decision on whether to pursue the old safety bill as it was written. That’ll come. (Track safety not that important) We have a little bit of time, at least, to do that.”
