Wisconsin Capitol

It is rumored that John Samuelsen and his TBOU team will not vacate the capitol in Madison, Wisconsin as he claimed ‘nothing short of victory is acceptable’. As a result, once governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker heard those words he scrambled and ordered the Capitol Police to clear the building by 4 PM Sunday. 

The Capitol Police plan to close the building and return to normal business. They have warned John Samuelsen and his TBOU team that they have to pack their bags and leave. However if they disobey then they would be placed under arrest with charges of disorderly conduct or trespassing fines ranging from $50 to $400.

John Samuelsen is a fierce fighter and the Capitol Police in Madison, Wisconsin know that TWU Local 100 president will make their task miserable. However now Samuelsen has to prove to the membership by deed as well as action what he means by ‘our resolve’ - is it only in hyperbole and rhetoric?

Time will tell as events unfold in Madison, Wisconsin who are there for the union and who are just talk. We will be glued to our television sets as we monitor the events unfold.

Now the numbers must be revealed of how much this junket cost. Currently there is a guessing game of $20,000 or $35,000 or $55,000 or maybe more. Now it is your turn to play guessing game on what you think that number is.

Delegation to Madison

We discussed then promises of the governor elect, Scott Walker, which was in November 2010, before he set foot in the governor office. We are happy to see that those messages took four months to reach John Samuelsen and his TBOU team-we are glad, it is better late than sorry.

The other side of the equation is-who will join John Samuelsen going to Madison; whether those cronies of his in TBOU who will kiss up to him, they will be the first on line to demand those first class airfare, probably with a six star hotel with fine food consumption and expense paid by your hard earned dues. We support the idea that those laid off members are the ones entitled to go with John Samuelsen, not his cronies. No more trips to Portugal at the expense of your hard earned dues.

If we need to show solidarity with the Wisconsin blue collar, we must start with things we control-the first step is, we must boycott all products of Koch Industries; it is clear the Koch family strategy of “It is up to us to combat what is now the greatest assault on American freedom and prosperity in our lifetimes.” displays that they favor prosperity over the labor rights. Thus, it is important to make sure that there are no business dealings with Koch Industries or their subsidiaries-we must boycott all their products.

It is also clear that the Wisconsin governor may win this round in our labor struggle against the GOP governor with his republican majority in the house and assembly, therefore we must look for alternative strategies to contain this phenomenon, and to weaken the ambition of GOP attacking labor union. We got into this mess based on greed and stupidity of bankers as well as the willingness of legislators to deregulate the financial sector in the first place. There is no plausible case that this economic mess was caused by the blue collar who are facing the brunt of budget cuts and deregulation, and using this sorry economy condition to further GOP political agenda.

The current pensions and wages were negotiated in good faith by unions and public-sector employers, commitments were made and now we the blue collar suddenly find ourselves unfairly blamed for a financial meltdown caused by (unpunished and unaccountable) actors in the private sector.

It is important that we must deal with the root cause (in this case it is Koch Industries), we in TWU Local 100 must do it right. Thus, we shall review all our business transactions to figure out if we ever had any business dealing with Koch Industries, or its subsidiaries and eliminate that. We may go to Madison, Wisconsin to show support to our fellow blue collar-it would be great solidarity to them if we boycott products of the root cause, which is evidently Koch Industries. 

Chris Tobin

MTA approved the release of its regular board meeting minutes of January 26, 2011 on February 23, 2011. While you review the minutes you find two members of TWU Local 100 were public speakers, Benita Johnson and Chris Tobin. Specifically upon further scrutiny on page seven under section two - public comment period.

You find Benita Johnson commented on the response to the December blizzard. We here in why did you join the union felt it would have been great if she commented or even challenged the board on their unanimously approving resolutions on page five such as (i) amendments of provisions of the Mabstoa pension plan, (ii) ...  increase in mandatory retirement age 62 to age 65 (iii) ...and conditions of the new Tier 5... (iv) an amendment of the Mabstoa plan to allow post-retirement loan repayments (v) amendments to provide that the retirement benefits of retirees of the Mabstoa plan...clearly she was out of her league on the bread and butter issues that concern TWU Local 100. Or maybe she was dozing off - you will find her in a non sequitur foreclosure. 

Then you come to Chris Tobin - the minutes indicate, ‘stated that he looks forward to reaching out and working with chairman Walder’. He owes an explanation to the membership of what his intention of working with chairman Walder is.

We cannot have a fellow co worker or a member among us seeking to reach out or work with chairman Walder since our employment relationship is limited in scope. We here in why did you join the union reject the idea or concept of reaching out and working with chairman Walder due to the fact that our fellow co workers are still laid off. Chairman Walder is anathema to the members of TWU Local 100, it is incomprehensible that one of us is willing to reach out and work with him - Chris Tobin owes an explanation to the membership.

Foreclosure

Sometimes you might stumble upon a few surprise issues that are unrelated to TWU Local 100, or to protecting the membership. However when dealing with John Samuelsen and his TBOU team, they come with hare brained issues that will leave you scratching your hair.

When a tenant doesn’t pay their rent––he/she is subject to eviction. Are these tenants not worth fighting for? How about when our retirement accounts lose value; is that not worth fighting for as well? Or are we in the TWU Local 100 going to discriminate and lean towards the side of homeowners, rather than the tenants? Many of TWU Local 100 membership are tenants; is it an official policy of TWU Local 100 to discriminate? When one wonders about these circumstances, they come to the conclusion that it is a shame on those who discriminate. Clearly they’re not worthy to be an officer of TWU Local 100––it is evident that this officer is talking gibberish.

When a ‘homeowner’ doesn’t pay the mortgage, he/she is subject to foreclosure. ‘Homeowner’, however, is only a name; the mortgage holders are the real owners of the properties, not the one who is living there. Whoever lives there stands to gain if the property has appreciated, but they lose nothing when the property goes down in value.

Homeownership is not an entitlement––and neither is a mortgage! The lending institution has every right to determine who it is that they’re going to lend to (as long as they don’t discriminate) as well as how much they’re going to lend, and upon what terms. It is their money, and they want to make sure (as best as they can) that they get their money back. If the lender doesn’t think the would-be borrower can afford to pay the loan back, they don't lend. However if the TWU Local 100 officer guarantees the mortgages then maybe this officer has the resources and will assume those mortgages off their hands. We can see that this officer is out of their mind.

The home that a person lives in should not be considered an investment; it is a home, not a stock nor a bond! The naive, and/or greedy fools who kept taking money out of their appreciating homes––their piggy banks––in the form of re-financings and home equity loans, are now as a result ‘underwater’ and have nobody to blame but themselves.

When our retirement and personal stock market accounts go down in value, we don’t whine, we take it in stride––and that’s the way the market works. It goes up, then it goes down. Fortunately, however, the long term trend is up; it is the same with housing values. Who the hell are homeowners who get every tax break that the real estate industry’s political contributions can buy (mortgage interest deductions, home equity interest deductions, capital gains exclusions...) to complain? Clearly this officer is out of their league with their gibberish and moorish trickery. It is disastrous that this officer didn’t even think for a second––this officer owes an explanation to the membership, who have retirement accounts that have lost value, which are all members without exception (members who are tenants), who are all in the majority.

It is not clear why TWU Local 100 chose to support such an endeavor that has no relation with transportation at all. But these are John Samuelsen TBOU brainiacs who feel that they should meddle with the finance and banking industry, while neglecting their bread and butter issues in transportation and membership protection. 

Stipulation

The cell phone stipulation is very harsh against the members of TWU Local 100. It is rumored that the lead negotiators for this stipulation came from ATU. Thus leading to the question – what is the use of those elected officers or the staff that we have in Local 100? We might as well hand the keys over to the ATU. 

This cell phone stipulation is severe in that it resembles the management zero tolerance policy. We had faith that our elected officers and the staff at Local 100 would be able to engineer a stipulation that is rigid yet still aims to protect the membership. However this stipulation does not protect the membership. John Samuelsen with his TBOU leadership by agreeing to this stipulation have only made the membership as sacrificial lambs.

First offense - 20 days suspension serving 5 days with no pay remainder will be for the record - fine in lieu of suspension does not apply. Second offense - less than two years dismissed from the service. Second offense - if more than 2 years but less than 3 years 30 days suspension penalty serve 15 days without pay. The offense to sunset takes 3 years which is not acceptable. 

We’re grateful for many calls of outrage against this mortal stipulation from the membership who are concerned about John Samuelsen’s seamless marriage to ATU. Now it appears ATU are dictating harmful policies to the TWU Local 100 members. This is another short sighted policy of John Samuelsen. John Samuelsen and his TBOU team have embraced numerous questionable characters: organization who have harmful policies against Local 100 membership, 1700 Broadway membership unfriendly building, 350 Schemerhorn property laced with asbestos, Solidarity Fund, Straphangers Organization, Ms. Quinn, and ATU whose philosophies do not match our interest, objectives or goals.

With this cell phone stipulation John Samuelsen with his ATU cronies are disregarding what is beneficial for the membership. There is no question that there is widespread dissatisfaction with this mortal stipulation among the membership. If John Samuelsen with his TBOU team have abdicated their role with the ability to protect TWU Local 100 members then this is a sure indication of trouble at the TWU Local 100. Clearly John Samuelsen with his TBOU team are out of touch with the membership they purport to serve. When the membership elected John Samuelsen with his TBOU they believed that they would be protected however in short time they have come to realization what a mistake that was.

We are TWU

We are not ATU for those who are not aware especially John Samuelsen and his TBOU team who have given rise to the appearance that for everything we have to seek counsel or follow the Amalgamated Transit Union. We are Transport Workers Union and we are proud TWU Local 100 members that could care less what ATU does. We will not imitate ATU we are not copycats we have our own distinctive features, issues and challenges which should be preserved.

We abhor this current pattern from John Samuelsen with his TBOU lackeys, ‘oh lets see what ATU does’ ‘oh lets follow ATU’ ‘whatever ATU does we will follow suit’. We are TWU we have our own minds - we are the New York Yankees we are the empire of transportation - we move New York we are not the same as ATU. No one will ever mistake a corvette for a camaro. We here in why did you join the union would recommend to John Samuelsen to preserve our independence and start divorce proceedings with ATU.

Maybe John Samuelsen is incapable to lead thus he has to rely on others for ideas and guidance. We here in why did you join the union know who we are as well as the rank and file know who we are and everyone in the country know who we are. Once you inform them you are a member of NYC Transit you can see in their eyes lit with pride and euphoria of union bastion. We are TWU thus John Samuelsen should not seek alliance with ATU since we are not the same. Our issues and challenges are completely different from ATU - we should not hitch our wagon to the ATU.

We recommend that John Samuelsen should not change our identity from TWU to ATU. We are TWU we lead and we will never be the follower of ATU. As TWU we will negotiate for ourselves and we will take care of our own. We will never allow ATU to lead our negotiations and we will never concede, compromise or waver from this demand. We here in why did you join the union will never embrace ATU however we will respect them. ATU should not interfere with our internal issues because it will only benefit them thus harming us. We are not second class to ATU, we are TWU Local 100.

Israel Rivera

The executive board meeting of last friday february 11, 2011 brought additional charges against Israel Rivera which felt like beating a dead horse. We here in why did you join the union believe he has violated TWU Local 100 by laws xix (d) No member shall make known the internal affairs of the Union to non-members. This is agreed however we  recommend to John Samuelsen and the TWU Local 100 executive board to move on.

We here in why did you join the union believe this behavior reminds us of the Ox-Bow Incident. Israel Rivera has been removed from the office lets assume that was the wish of Samuelsen he got it, banning Israel Rivera for three years that was also granted. However the additional request of lifetime ban to run for office was vindictive. 

If we look at the current charges it appears cooler heads cannot prevail by letting the water under the bridge be. It clearly reveals motives that cannot be overlooked - it gives an impression that John Samuelsen is not satisfied with removal with the time ban of Israel Rivera but rather shows he has no mercy.

We here in why did you join the union recommend to John Samuelsen and the TWU Local 100 executive board to move on with important matters that deal with the membership wellbeing. We also recommend that a warning to Israel Rivera is enough - in the event he becomes a repeat offender in the future then the matter could be revisited. This matter must be closed lets move on.

Lobby day flyer

The Lobby day flyer with the picture of John Samuelsen super sized while it is hard to recognize any member of TWU Local 100 without a microscope shows a message that that the members are not equal to Samuelsen. That is completely opposite to the concept and idea that ‘all men are created equal’ with equal rights, equal protection and equal employment rights. Thus giving himself the extra privilege goes against any blue collar labor principles, even the scriptures say ‘for ye all the children of god’ implying equality.

We beg to differ that John Samuelsen is just another member of TWU Local. He has one vote with full benefit of the TWU Constitution like any other member. Why would they super impose his picture over the rest of the membership? One wonders why - what has he accomplished since taking office of the presidency rather than having over 1000 members laid off under his feet.

The problem is we live in an era when it is a norm to super size up to John Samuelsen without really taking a step back and finding what is really going on. There are many members who would kiss up to him to seek something or some kind of favor. We are all equal for the sake of unity therefore his picture should be the same size as other members. 

To super impose Samuelsen’s image over other members is wrong. We wonder if those TBOU lackeys who do things like this know they are doing wrong or maybe they are out of touch. John Samuelsen is just like any other member he has one vote just like everyone else in the membership. 

Executive board

Does John Samuelsen have the right or the authority to appoint any member of the executive board to chair its meeting? The simple answer is yes. In both the TWU Constitution and the by-laws of the TWU Local 100 there isn’t any clear statement that states that it can not be done. However appointing Steve Downs a division chair to chair the executive board meeting led to infighting. 

Clearly by this appointment John Samuelsen is saying that the following vice presidents are not good enough to chair the executive board meeting: Stephan Thomas of the TA Surface, Maurice Jenkins of the stations, Nelson Rivera of car equipment, Brian Clarke of Mabstoa, Tony Utano of maintenance of way, John Day of MTA bus, Kevin Harrington of rapid transit operations. They are capable to chair the executive board meeting however grand vizier Steve Downs has the inside track thus he will outmaneuver the above constantly. Under TWU Constitution article xvi duties of local officers - section 2 states the following: The Vice President ... and during his/her absence shall perform the duties of the president - thus affirming section 1. the president shall preside at all meetings...a reasonable member will conclude the intent of the constitution is that the president shall preside. We have to be clear here due to the fact that some may conflate between running the local versus chairing the executive board meeting. In addition to the blanket defense that the president is afforded in section 1. He/she shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the affairs of the local union... now what is ‘proper’ as defined by the TWU Constitution. This is a vague statement that should be clarified further since it leaves room for interpretation. 

There is no argument that John Samuelsen does not have the authority to delegate running the local to his grand vizier Steve Downs. Now the other side of the coin is whether chairing the executive board meeting rises to the level of running the local. That is debatable and depends on which camp you fall in. What impels John Samuelsen to keep appointing grand vizier Steve Downs to chair executive board meetings while he is aware that the above vice presidents might feel slighted? That may sow the seeds of disharmony furthering the infighting- clearly Samuelsen rhetoric does not hold water. Maybe John Samuelsen is saying that there is really not one person with an education or background in the entire executive board qualified to chair the meeting.

Membership has a right to worry that this may turn into a pattern from John Samuelsen. Maybe he is incapable to lead or execute his duties thus he has to rely on grand vizier Steve Downs repeatedly to leap frog the above vice presidents thus disregarding the chain of command. Can you imagine any other responsible organization to operate in this manner? They wouldn’t be in business very long.

Albany on my mind

As you are aware TWU Local 100 will have lobby day in Albany on tuesday March 29, 2011 however the message does not entice the membership to participate. Thus there are few people signing up for the trip. This is one more example of short sighted policies of John Samuelsen and his TBOU buddies.

The reasons for going to Albany to lobby must be explained in simplistic terms to the membership. In addition the explanation has to be tied to their wellbeing so the membership’s response could be overwhelming and enthusiastic. What we are fighting for must be explained, and who we are going to confront must be explained. Many members have indicated that they are tired of going to places to deliver papers as the last time in Washington DC. Numerous members felt it was a waste of time to go to Washington DC to deliver those papers because they have not seen any credible signs of fruits from that endeavor but rather more intransigence from the management. Some quipped that they had to hand those papers to the secretaries only - they wonder whether those papers were ever reviewed or read by the staffers or scanned by the politicians. In their view that was a failure undertaking since no objective was accomplished. Then one would think that any responsible organization would come with an alternative strategy instead of being a single trick pony.

Others were too quick to mention that maybe John Samuelsen may get to speak to a politician for a few minutes while the membership will remain outdoors. Still they do not know why they will be going to Albany - whether it is for asking the New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo for more funds (which will appear foolish due to the fact that Cuomo has ordered our boss Jay H Walder to cut $100 million and it is not clear whether it will come from the management side or operational side) or whether we are going to fight for pension. It has to be clear what Cuomo has said or done that compels us to this junket. It is clear John Samuelsen with his TBOU comrades under the guidance of grand vizier Steve Downs are unable to explain the simple facts why we are going to Albany. Why are we going to Albany and what can be accomplished in benefit for the membership.

Five years

The strike of 2005 was suppose to enhance the blue collar ability of wellbeing due to the pressure of the mounting skyrocketing prices coupled with inflation. Members were struggling to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and get medical care. Therefore TWU Local 100 membership were too weary of promises to settle for anything less, thus the result was the strike.

There is no question that the membership were right to strike, however, those basic principles which they envisioned to accomplish are still for debate. It depends on which camp you fall in. There is John Samuelsen with his TBOU camp who would like to take advantage of the fruits of the strike but will downplay or discredit others.

Currently there are rumors going around that a new camp wants to erect its tent using the strike of 2005 as a smoke screen to prepare for the 2012 TWU Local 100 election. Specifically that the former president of TWU Local 100 Roger Toussaint the architect of the 2005 strike is trying to form a slate that can compete in the election of 2012, with the hope that his slate wins thus gaining the automatic status of delegates to the TWU International convention. With that aim Roger Toussaint will run for the TWU International against James Little - if his slate wins the Local 100 then he has those votes in the pocket thus guaranteeing toppling Jim Little. It is not clear whether this is a myth or reality or whether this is John Samuelsen with his TBOU peddling this version to get friendlier or some concessions from Jim Little.

Well we here in why did you join the union will form an independent slate to compete with the above camps. You have suffered enough from both whether it is John Samuelsen’s TBOU camp: that let over 1000 members to be laid off in 2010 without any response to the MTA, in addition to taking your hard earned $5 weekly for the so called solidarity fund or the so called Toussaint slate. You have endured enough now is the time to shift to a complete new beginning with the independent slate.

Be careful

Is TWU Local 100 a responsible organization? One would like to believe it is an organization that protects it members at all times. Therefore it is baffling that a shop steward would be removed without getting the benefit of due process. 

All members of TWU Local 100 should be afforded a due process. Without due process then this organization is irresponsible because one would not be ensured that they are protected. As a result why would TWU not ensure John Landers that he is protected and treated fairly with proper procedure of due process being followed? 

John Landers removal was advertised on the RTO bulletin on February 2, 2011. The question is why was this advertised? Is this an appropriate course of action? Could it have been handled differently? You can answer these questions based on what a responsible organization should do. Would you like to be removed coupled with advertisement about your removal?

Further the bulletin goes on to state that others should be careful. Thus showing that this bulletin not only is meant to express removal of a steward but that other members should be careful because they too can be dealt the same card as John Landers. Therefore we would remind you to be careful with this steward training program - do you want your fate to be like that of John Landers?

Is that how a responsible organization proceeds with such tactics of advertising the removal of a steward and warning other members that they can be removed as well specifically without any due process? Is TWU Local 100 not concerned about giving its members their right to due process as expected from a responsible organization? Clearly John Landers wasn't given due process. As a responsible organization TWU Local 100 should protect its members not assail them. By throwing John Landers under the bus without due process TWU shows that it is going down the drain. 

We here in why did you join the union recommend to the membership to be wary of the so called steward training program and remember what was done to John Landers. Can you imagine any educational institute harming its student? It will never happen even in the event if a student has violated some rules. The teacher will never kick that student out of school and definitely would not make a bulletin. Generally teachers are matured they do not have knee jerk reaction such as grand vizier Steve Downs of removing John Landers.

John Landers 2

TWU Local 100 RTO Bulletin of February 2, 2011 rises to the level of defamation. We recommend that you seek legal counsel because you have been portrayed in a manner that your only course should lead you to the courts. It is incomprehensible. This is not just a mere discipline matter but rather it attracts extreme attention. It is so disturbing because it did not stop there but it went on to caution other members ‘to be very careful’.

There is no question any reasonable person would conclude that the RTO Bulletin stepped out of bounds. The courts have the ability to correct that matter thus we recommend that you seek legal counsel at 

New York Civil Liberties Union

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 1004

Phone: 212-607-3300

Hierarchy

Grand vizier Steve Downs is a jack of all trades - teaching stewards, chairing trials, traveling overseas to observe the Portugal strike (wonderful use of your hard-earned dues at work - the excuse is well we were invited to show solidarity with the strike) ex cetera. However what is incredible is he is just a chair of division, while other division chairs are just observing this inequality maybe we have a brain drain in TWU Local 100. Is this a responsible organization? One would like to believe so. Lets look at numerous vice presidents that we have - why were they are excluded from those extra curricular activities? The question is - can they teach or conduct a trial, or travel overseas? There is no question that they are capable. So why they are overlooked?

John Samuelsen with his TBOU chums are untrustworthy and are simply advocating the position of the political faction to which they belong. What about other division chairs do they enjoy equal benefits such as grand vizier Steve Downs? Or is it just for TBOU buddies - it is obvious all other division chairs do not get equal treatment as grand vizier Steve Downs. Maybe it would be great if we can change the name of the TWU Local 100 to Steve Downs Inc.

Now we have to reconsider the Israel Rivera trial. Is it permissible under the TWU Constitution for a division chair to run a trial bypassing the chain of command? Maybe those vice presidents were perceived dunces by John Samuelsen, thus he has to rely on the prodigy grand vizier Steve Downs as King Henry VIII of England relied on Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (who drafted the famous preamble of the Ecclesiastical Appeals Acts 1532). TWU Constitution article xx - Trial of Members Section 1. ...the local executive board shall elect a trial committee of three... 

All of the above rises to the level of the appearance of impropriety thus warranting a reconsideration of probably reopening the Israel Rivera trial. Maybe that responsibility should come from the TWU International the parent organization of the Local 100. Grand vizier Steve Downs gets benefits, perks, interests due to his friendship with John Samuelsen. It will be hard to believe that he had independence that is required of the trier of fact. Grand vizier Steve Downs conduct off the bench reveals a lot which is undesirable.

Appointed

Grand vizier Steve Downs goes to a great length to claim that shop stewards are appointed. The idea behind it conveying a message of power of removal, granted if a steward commits a mortal sin he/she can be removed. However there is a mechanism that has to followed - can you guess what that process is? We will let you fill the blank on what a responsible organization does. However grand vizier Steve Downs may believe that there is no need for such process in removal of shop stewards.

Now lets define what a - Union Steward (aka Shop Steward) is, the title of an official position within the organizational hierarchy of a labor union. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that rank-and-file members of the union hold this position voluntarily (through democratic election by fellow workers or sometimes by appointment of a higher union body) while maintaining their role as an employee of the firm. As a result, the Union Steward becomes a significant link and conduit of information between the union leadership and rank-and-file workers. (Webster Dictionary)

Now lets look at what TWU Local 100 states in seeking a shop steward which one can conclude is the policy of the so called organization: ‘Make a Difference -If you want to get involved in your union, and make a real difference on the job for you and your co-workers -- then join the proud ranks of TWU Local 100 Shop Stewards.  Since the beginning of the year, more than 300 of your Brother and Sister Transit Workers have gone through shop steward training, provided by the Local 100 Education Department. When you become a TWU Shop Steward, you become one of the union’s front line soldiers.  You become the first line of defense against injustice on the job.  As a shop steward you will be expected to be a communicator, a problem solver, an educator, a health and safety watchdog, and a political activist.  You will be expected to speak up when you see something you know is wrong.  You will work closely with elected officers and staff to guarantee that the union and its members are treated with respect. Not everyone is cut out to be a union shop steward.  But if you think you are, if you think you can help your co-workers and your union in our ongoing battle with the MTA, we want you on our team. You’ll have to make a commitment of your own time to get started, by signing up for a six-week course, one day a week, for two and a half hours each class.’  The message that is conveyed here by TWU Local 100 clearly shows that there is nothing stated showing that local 100 has the power to appoint or even suggest the power to remove but rather that the member is empowered by using the phrase ‘signing up’ . Otherwise it would be deceptive advertising with no truth in that labeling.

‘Stewards are critical players in the success or failure of their unions. Unlike any other union leaders, they are in day-to-day contact with the membership...To most workers, their steward is the union.’ (Preface - The union steward’s complete guide) Here the language clearly expresses that stewards are union leaders. However grand vizier may claim that this book is rubbish and does not apply to TWU Local 100. Now the question is are union leaders entitled to a due process in their removal? You can answer that- if you believe you are entitled to due process then would you like to be thrown under the bus like John Landers without a due process?

Due process

If anyone commits a murder he is not sent to the gallows to be hanged directly. No such thing can occur without the trial process being held with adherence to the rule of law that is a reasonable expectation of due process based on the US Constitution. On February 2, 2011 TWU Local 100 - RTO Bulletin announced the removal of John Landers.

However it is not clear if John Landers was afforded due process or even a duty of fairness. The TWU of America AFL-CIO Constitution - article xix - Discipline - Section 1...in writing and signed by the member or members making the charge. Section 2. Charges must be submitted to the recording secretary... Section 3. ...it is mandatory that a trial be held... Section 4. ...may be suspended pending trial...appointive office or position...by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Local Executive Board.

Due process is the principle that any entity must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the constitution. Due process holds the organizations subservient to the law of the land protecting individual persons from the organization. When an organization harms a person, without following the exact course of the constitution, then that is a due process violation which offends the constitution. It is not clear if grand vizier Steve Downs with Kevin Harrington have afforded John Landers due process or if they felt that the TWU Constitution should be thrown under the rug. Probably they got approval from John Samuelsen to override his rubber stamp executive board. The point is we are a responsible organization that adheres to the TWU Constitution. This is not a private entity - maybe grand vizier Steve Downs will claim a steward is not equal to the management or maybe his definition of the steward title is that it is a hobby thus they are not entitled to protection under the TWU constitution. Maybe he may claim going to the executive board is a waste of time or maybe he believes the members of the executive board are dunces and why would a prodigy go to a dunce. However it is obvious that stewards are entitled to due process.

By - Laws of the TWU of greater New York Local 100, AFL-CIO article xxvii Recall and Removal ...(b) Any officer of any section or Division may be removed by majority vote of the Executive Board after a hearing... John Landers was publicly removed from the so called steward position as stated on the RTO Bulletin. However there was no indication that he was disciplined or that charges were filed against him. Clearly here TWU Local 100 is practicing unfair labor practice - we here why did you join the union would recommend to John Landers to file a complaint against TWU Local 100 with the

National Labor Relations Board at

26 Federal Plaza, Room 3614

New York, NY 10278-0104      

Regional Director: Celeste Mattina

Hours of Operation: 8:45 am - 5:15 pm (EST)

TEL: 212-264-0300

FAX: 212-264-2450

Long overdue

Cheap buses have been blocking the advancement of NYCT buses. There is no question that they are a hazard. They are parked at angles making it tough to navigate thru the winding streets of chinatown and elsewhere.

It creates its dynamic effect where you have travelers with their luggage and relatives who are there for the send off cluttering the roadway with their cars parked in maze like fashion. It is also accurate that the megabus and boltbus completely block 33rd street between 7th and 8th avenue. If you are caught behind either of those buses then you have nowhere to go except observe the minutes in wristwatch go by.

That causes delay of service to the waiting customers along the route, who are angry at the bus operator who has no fault. In comparison the cheap buses that are at chinatown are more dangerous - they move at their own whim and are more brazen than the ones on 33 street. It is time that there should be some order, time for TWU Local 100 to play a pivotal role to ensure that bus operators advice are taken into consideration. TWU Local 100 has a major stake in this issue however John Samuelsen may be asleep at the switch.

John Landers

We are not a monolithic organization however that is what John Samuelsen with the grand vizier Steve Downs aspire for all of us to adhere to. Now you have been publicly removed from appointed steward of TWU Local 100 by the grand vizier Steve Downs and Kevin Harrington. You have not lost anything however consider it as your Emancipation Proclamation.

As you are aware the so called steward position does not confer onto you any dividends  so consider yourself lucky. Since you have been portrayed negatively by the grand vizier Steve Downs we welcome you to join many others who have been kicked out by Samuelsen and his leadership team. We also extend the hand to you to offer your point of view in rebuttal to the one sided story.

You have to keep in mind that you have a vote that they cannot take away. The elections are coming - remember this public exclusion you should use it as a motivation factor to vote against Samuelsen and the current leadership. You have to be motivated by starting to inform your fellow co workers to vote Samuelsen and his leadership out. You have to expect a reaction from Samuelsen’s spin machine which will claim that Samuelsen has a long time to go till election time. That you want to tear this union apart however you have to adhere to the old idiom that every book has its last page.

Now John Landers be courageous about toppling John Samuelsen with the intention of sending him back to work repairing those tracks for 8 hours. 

John Samuelsen’s Friends

Currently as all of you have noticed TWU Local 100 has championed City Council Blizzard hearings. Members are wondering what benefit those hearings are going to garner for them?

Ms. Christine Quinn the speaker of the New York City council has the intention to run for mayor of office in 2013 and John Samuelsen wants to help her accomplish that. Thus we are being blasted with endless stories of the blizzard hearings in the boroughs which does not return dividends to the membership. Even though Ms. Quinn has killed labor backed bill for $10 an hour for her to be desirable or even electable she has to side with Wall Street. As we all know Wall Street is not main street or blue collar but if she does not embrace Wall Street then her fate would be as Ms. Ruth Wyler Messinger (who was a real labor advocate) who was unsuccessful in her run for mayor in the 1997 election.

NYC City Council blizzard hearings are a great diversion exploited by John Samuelsen and his spin machine to distract the membership. However Samuelsen’s stagnation does enhance his fatigue to grow up from underneath which will be heard in the election of 2012. Samuelsen’s policies are flawed and short sighted thus harming the membership.

Now lets look at the blizzard you can call it a winter wonderland or a huge pain. Students for example were off from school which was welcome relief for them and who seemed to be having much more fun than the commuters. Now comes the allegations that ‘Sanitation workers, angry about job reductions, had deliberately staged a slowdown’ that Saturday Night Live felt to take a jab at the unions. Now there is a panel of a federal grand jury that has been installed maybe some will be indicted as blue collar.

John Samuelsen may call Ms. Quinn probably to ask her to intervene for those sanitation workers in the event that they have to appear in the federal courts. The bottom line is that those blizzard hearings did not provide dividend for the TWU Local 100 membership it just demonstrated additional short sighted policies of Samuelsen.

“People agree and disagree and disagreement is the sign of a strong organization. There are many times when my recommendations have not been implemented.” That is the New York Yankees there is no question it is a strong organization. Unfortunately in TWU Local 100 under president John Samuelsen, the behavior of kicking people out due to disagreement is a sign of weak organization. We understand that president John Samuelsen won the election, thus he can govern in any form he prefers without a question regardless if it is weakening TWU Local 100, however this is not acceptable. 

Last Year 2010 Kevin Harrington with Steve Downs wanted to settle old score by trying to kick out Ms. Terry Adams. First they removed her name, then they closed her email account after they implemented a phony nomination of Ms. Watts (who was their chosen one by blasting her photo all over the place - that naked aggression could not go without a response). We were excited when we stopped them in their devious plan - we would have loved if the TWU Local 100 implemented the Yankees policy of no facial hair so those two could be clean shaven for their ill behavior that will not be forgotten.

Currently Tony Utano has recommended John V Chiarello to the Track Safety Task Force. This was based on Chiarello asking, which was absurd - imagine in any organization if a person asks to be appointed to certain position - while that position is occupied in capable hands of Tommy Creegan without a blemish on his TSTF status, then it is ridiculous. The same pattern of behavior that the grand vizier Steve Downs applied to Ms. Terry Adams is being copied by Tony Utano who has shut email account of Mr. Creegan - now advancing their chosen one. However this is a naked that aggression should not go without a response.

Utano’s recommendation is as phony as a three dollar bill. It is based on ‘advancing their safety issues’ there is no indication that Tommy Creegan is not capable of advancing safety issues, or whether in the past he has been neglectful. It is not far fetched that the incompetent president John Samuelsen will appoint his yes man to the TSTF. However, we know this is repeat of Ms. Terry Adams - we here in why did you join the union will say no to Tony Utano’s recommendation.

A recommendation to our fellow co workers who are at the unionhall - do not accept the local cell phones, emails accounts or even business cards - do buy your own cell phone so grand vizier Steve Downs cannot know whom you talk too. Have a free email account from google, so he will not be able to close the account or review your content, lastly buy your own business cards for $9.99. Clearly the membership is showing the signs of Samuelsen fatigue by their shenanigans. There is no question that the membership’s response would be to shift to different direction.