Despite these sexual misconduct allegations coming out in 2023, Davis was allowed to run in the December 2024 election. There is much speculation among rank-and-file members that he was allowed to run and was subsequently ousted to keep the current leadership group in power. Davis and his predecessor Utano came out of John Samuelson’s “Stand United” Slate, which has maintained power in TWU since 2009 despite its shortcomings.

Davis’ two predecessors oversaw contracts with increases in progression to top-pay and cuts to medical coverage, while real wages and working conditions have plummeted for New York City Transit (NYCTA) workers; Davis continued this lack of momentum one of the worst contracts in the union’s history. The lone contract Davis negotiated a contract that not only had a wage increase that fell way below post-COVID inflation, but he agreed to force TWU retirees off of traditional Medicare in favor of the for-profit Medicare Advantage scheme in exchange for a $7 million annual payout to the union.

Rank-and-file leaders of Local 100 have stepped up and started a petition calling for a new election. The petition states:

“Whereas the President of TWU Local 100 has been forced out of office, effectively nullifying the recent vote of the membership in the 2024 TWU Local 100 Union Elections; Whereas the current bylaws do not provide adequate relief or guidance in this unprecedented situation; Whereas the TWU Local 100 Bylaws state in Article III, Duties of the President, that: “In the event, a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Executive Board shall designate one of the Officers to act as President for the unexpired term,” We, the undersigned, demand the following: (1) A full membership vote to elect a new President for Local 100, ensuring that the leadership reflects the will of the union members and not an appointment by the Executive Board. (2) The suspension of the 18-month rule, which permits the appointment of a President and prevents other candidates from running for the position. (3) An election overseen by the Department of Labor, utilizing both electronic voting and secret ballot methods to ensure fairness, transparency, and accessibility for all members. The voice of the membership must be respected and upheld through a fair and democratic process. Immediate action is necessary to restore confidence in the leadership of TWU Local 100, protect the integrity of our union, and ensure full membership participation.”

The outcome of the debacle within TWU Local 100 not only affects its over 41,000 members but all workers at NYCTA, most notably the Amalgamated Transit Union which has members across three different locals in the system. LUEL stands with the rank and file for a democratic election against the current corrupt misleadership of TWU Local 100.

The post Sell-Out TWU Local 100 President Ousted in Sex Scandal first appeared on Labor Today.

RWU urges candidates for union office to include the following in their platforms and make a public commitment to:

1 – Supporting a single bargaining coalition of all rail unions within which no union settles until all settle, one based on rock-solid unity and solidarity.

2 – Exploring the possibilities of merging with other unions to the ends of achieving a single union of all rail workers.

3 – Supporting one-member-one-vote for all union offices at the local, GCA, and national division levels.

4 – Advocating some form of term limits where leadership serves a term or two, rotates back into the craft for a term, and is then eligible to run again.

5 – Advocating some form of provision to work the craft regularly while in office so as to keep in touch with the changing nature of the job and current working conditions of employment.

6 – Restricting the wages of union officers so they do not exceed the highest annual wage achieved when working in the craft.

7 – Limiting all union officer wage and benefit increases, to be strictly tied to what the members receive through contractual agreements with the carriers.

8 – Creating an open bargaining process where the contract bargaining is brought into the light of day from behind closed doors, where members are informed at every step of the process.

9 – Involving the membership in the bargaining process by organizing and preparing the ranks for action at every step as bargaining proceeds.

10 – Forcefully articulating the union’s program and our perspective to the media, the greater labor movement, and to the American people.

11 – Working in solidarity with other unions, worker groups, environmental organizations, citizens’ groups, rail advocacy groups, and others in order to overcome our isolation and build power.

12 – Conducting national Conventions in conveniently located rail hub cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis as opposed to cities like Las Vegas and Miami.

Adopted by the RWU Steering Committee 8/7/2024

The post Railroad Workers United Announces 12-Point Platform for Candidates to Consider When Running for Union Office first appeared on Labor Today.

The worst of these derailments happened on January 4^th due to negligence from radio communication failure. About 22 passengers and 3 crew members were reportedly hurt in that collision.  The last of these derailments happened January 10^th on the above ground F line in Coney Island, near the New York City Aquarium, due to a missing bolt on the forth car of the train. Thankfully, this took place in winter when the trains in the area aren’t as busy, if this happened six months later this derailment could’ve been catastrophic.

Transit workers have complained that all three of these incidents are indicative of MTA bosses continually putting service and speed before worker safety. Trammell Thompson from the Progressive Action caucus in Transport Workers Union Local 100 has called the safety railings in the vicinity of the F train derailment “rickety”. The MTA continually promotes their safety record with only 23 derailments in the last three years, but in reality are they maintaining the safety of the system or have they just gotten lucky no one has died yet?

We have even talked to Bus Operators who work at the Transit Authority who have told us about the cuts in maintenance on the buses run by the New York City Transit Authority. One Bus Operator who asked to remain anonymous told us, “The MTA puts out alerts on their BusTime app telling riders they’re running limited service because they don’t have enough drivers, but we sit around the yard for hours waiting for buses that they can get away with saying are safe for service but most really aren’t.” He went on to say, “We have drivers who at this point pick their work to pull out at times they know there aren’t any buses … I myself have had days where I didn’t pull out a bus at all.”

It is seems obvious to us here at LUEL that the MTA has started to institute their own version of “Precision Scheduled Railroading” on the New York City Transit Authority. Last year when the New York State Budget was passed MTA Chairman Janno Lieber successfully lobbied for budget cuts for the MTA despite the State added billions in new guaranteed funding to the Transit Authority. With “leadership” like this its only a matter of time before a tragedy at the level of East Palestine comes to the New York City Transit system.

The post Subway Derailments Shine Light on Safety Questions in New York City Transit first appeared on Labor Today.