Richard Ravitch

John Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 after the election of Andrew Cuomo as the governor of New York State claimed that Richard Ravitch will be appointed as the head of the MTA, and that Jay H Walder would be gone. Every member of TWU Local 100 was excited for the news. However recently we have come to find out that governor Andrew Cuomo has decided to keep Jay H Walder as the MTA chairman and chief executive officer.

We hope John Samuelsen will suddenly find a religion as the wreckage of the TWU Local 100 lies at his feet. As a result he may come to discover what an awful bunch of creeps his colleagues are. Never mind that he portrayed himself as a powerful president of TWU Local 100, forget that he was part of every key decision made since he came into office, and the very short period that the TWU Local 100 was without a treasurer. Not a discouraging word was heard from him during those times back then.

Forget that the Local 100 of which he was a key leader is mired in scandal and that he knows nothing of that since of course it’s always the other guy’s fault. Never mind that his rubber stamp executive board has grossly overspent and rewarded themselves with junkets to Europe, South America and other around the world trips(with your hard-earned dues). As Samuelsen dispensed grants for all sorts of nice, but superfluous and self-serving things like classes at Universities the TWU Local 100 members were getting laid off left with no jobs and sinking into bankruptcy.

Still some members are left without any work and are forced to struggle due to their losses, which can be largely laid at his feet. John Samuelsen funneled the money in New Jersey breaking the promise that TWU will no longer contribute monies to politicians.

Not that we mind. TWU Local 100 is better served with a divided leadership rather than with the insanity and irresponsibility that Samuelsen’s leadership has brought us. Now that Jay H Walder is staying, he will be emboldened by the vote of confidence that he got from the governor. As we are all aware what Walder wants is to tear apart our jobs and that we should make sacrifices by probably increasing our contribution towards health and pension. Thank Samuelsen since he is the leader of TWU Local 100. Well maybe now he is burning through your hard-earned dues.

The one glimmer of hope is that the membership are showing signs of Samuelsen fatigue, and perhaps we can lose John Samuelsen as president of TWU Local 100. Our membership is divided. We need to remember that moment when John Samuelsen was peddling Ravitch’s appointment as the head of the MTA.