JP Patafio

It is rumored that John Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 is propping up John P Patafio building him to be the next administrative vice president in the election of 2012. First JP Patafio is a jack of all trades, master of none. Secondly we here in why did you join the union find he is ill suited for that position, he is not qualified to hold any union wide position - he is lucky enough to get appointed to a staff position by John Samuelsen. We wonder on what basis? It is also rumored that JP Patafio claims he has the support of all Brooklyn - that is a hollow ring which does not hold water. However if John Samuelsen relied on it previously he has to think again especially for the election of 2012.

John P Patafio on June 21, 2011 - on the monthly meeting for TA Surface operators revealed how hollow his thinking was especially when he opened his mouth regarding the issue of the transit lock box bill - if he were a student we believe he would have earned an ‘F’ grade from his teacher. The question was posed as follows: if the transit lock box bill (S4257C-2011/A6766C-2011 Adds a new section 182 to the executive law prohibiting the diversion of funds dedicated to the metropolitan transportation authority and its subsidiaries to the general fund in certain instances - which has passed both houses of New York State Legislature now forwarded to the governor who has ten days to sign the bill to be law) passes both houses of legislature in Albany and reaches the governor’s desk - what if the New York Governor Andrew M Cuomo vetoes the bill? The question was directed to the podium not at JP Patafio. However Patafio had an instant knee jerk reaction by standing up and hollering that in the fall when the legislature house resumes from summer vacation we would start all over again.

At least when the same question was previously posed to John Sameulsen and Brian Clarke they bit their tongues and kept quiet realizing that if the issue reaches a dead end then maybe it would be fruitless to pursue the matter again. A smart person once they realize that the governor says no then they leave the matter alone since there is no point of beating a dead horse.

However when it comes to John P Patafio, maybe he thinks he can force the governor of New York State to sign the bill thus we say he is not suitable for any position. His demonstration of inability to sit down like every other member in a monthly meeting causes one to question his mental ability. Standing up without raising his hand in addition to interrupting others mid speech while they have the floor is deplorable thus rendering the meeting out of order. When a question is directed to the elected officers on the podium John P Patafio would jump up and start to answer it (maybe those elected officers at the podium are dunces thus JP Patafio has to answer for them) maybe he believes he holds the holy grail.

John P Patafio tried to profess the knowledge of the Triborough Amendment which he failed at by calling it the Triborough Commision which is inaccurate. Despite numerous efforts from members to correct him he would not yield. That is a faulty sign of being unable to listen to others when he is advised he is wrong. Maybe this will help him learn something about the Triborough doctrine (in its 1972 decision Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) interpreted the Taylor Law to prohibit employers from changing terms and conditions of employment while a successor agreement was being negotiated. This principle became known as the Triborough Doctrine) - The 1982 Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law prohibits a public employer from altering any provision of an expired labor agreement until a new agreement is reached. This amendment, which was originally approved with the strong support of unions, has the effect of requiring automatic pay increases where a salary step schedule or longevity schedule exists, even though the labor agreement has expired. Consequently, a public employer's salary costs continue to rise even when labor negotiations have reached an impasse.

The republicans view the Triborough Amendment as one that undermines the collective bargaining process by discouraging unions from offering concessions or givebacks. As long as no agreement is reached, the terms of the current contract remain in effect. Not only is New York the only state in the nation known to have such a requirement, but in the private sector, where collective bargaining has existed for more than 60 years under the National Labor Relations Act, no similar obligation is imposed upon employers who are parties to a labor contract - contrary to current claims, Triborough has not tipped the balance of negotiating power unfairly.

It is obvious John P Patafio has discredited himself in addition to his engineering of non holiday pick (hybrid schedule) without thinking how it will impact the members in the future in diminishing their income. Based on the above he failed on principal and moral tests substantively thus he has put himself in a bad place.